Topic: Orange/Black Larve?

[MarthaMad]

On the wood edging on the raised beds, i've seen orange & black larve (I think). From afar they look like ladybirds, but upon close inspection they are larve..

Any ideas?

[redimp]

They sound a bit like ladybird larvae.

[Marianne]

Now the site of THIS monster would make me run !! :o :o

[Robert_Brenchley]

Imagine what it does to aphids.

[redimp]

I love them - and when I get one I make sure it is well looked after.

[MarthaMad]

Yeah! Yippie... there are tons of them.... and everywhere... !

[Sprout]

They are definitely ladybird larvae.

[Lizard Man]

Apparently it has been a bad year for ladybirds due to the poor spring we've had - the lack of plant growth meant tha the ladybirds arrived at a time when aphids and their ilk were not as numerous as normal. So good news if you have lots of larvae.

[Multiveg]

I counted 14 ladybirds (4 sorts) last month but not seen any larvae - they were at it several times a day on the hazel which has some sort of pale greenish/white aphids on them. I did move a couple of them onto the goosegogs which had some greenfly on. Yesterday, only saw 3 ladybirds with one couple at it.

[Robert_Brenchley]

there were two (different species) on one of my roses this morning. That's the first time this year I've seen two at once.

[redimp]

Yesterday I spotted four very small ladybird larvae - two on a small rose and two on one of my wild strawberry plants.  I have just been to have a look with my four year old (she loves ladybirds) and the greenfly that were infesting the two plants have dramatically reduced and the two larvae I could find have doubled in size.  Keep up the good work guys.  :)

[Georgie]

Hey, thanks for posting this.  I found one of these on my Forget-me-nots yesterday and couldn't help thinking what a stupid colour it is - hardly camoflaged is it?  Glad it's a goodie though.    ;D

G xx

[redimp]

These babies need looking after as well (even though they are truly ugly) - it is a hoverfly larvae and they hoover up aphids at a similar rate to ladybirds and their babies.  Marigolds will encourage hoverfly and they will lay their eggs whereever there are aphids.  Just like ladybirds.

[aquilegia]

that's weird (it being a bad year for ladybirds) I have stacks in my garden. Loads of different types and loads of the larva. I keep seeing things under leaves that I think must be them going through the teenage stage (is it pupa when they go from young to adult?) I have never seen so many ladybirds before in my life!

But I also have loads of aphids too!

[Svea]

my ladybiards love to sit on my potatoes. but there are busy in other areas of the garden too. the potatoes seem to be the sunspot/meeting point though

[beejay]

Today I spotted a ladybird that had just emerged from its larva. My eye was initially caught by what looked like an egg yolk coloured beetle. Looking closely I saw it was indeed a ladybid just shuffling off the casing of the larva. It then went underneath a leaf, presumably to recover. I assume its colour might change (I've never seen one that bright) & it will get spots. Good eh?

[Lizard Man]

These babies need looking after as well (even though they are truly ugly) - it is a hoverfly larvae and they hoover up aphids at a similar rate to ladybirds and their babies.  Marigolds will encourage hoverfly and they will lay their eggs whereever there are aphids.  Just like ladybirds.

And of course lacewing larvae are also great aphid-eaters. You can buy the larvae as an organic 'insecticide'. Not tried them myself, but someone at work has bought two lots of 250 and released them in his garden. They apparently quadruple in size after only a few days.  :o :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can buy or make lacewing 'nests' for them to overwinter in, which should encourage them. I haven't tried it yet.