Topic: Blackfly

[thifasmom]

Hi I'm in Maidstone Kent, myself, neighbours and friends in and around Maidstone have noticed this year seemed to have an unusually high infestation of blackfly. They have been on everything from expected broad and runner beans to the unexpected curcubits family of plants, also peas, leafy vegetables like lettuce, beet root and spinach. Due to me manically transporting ladybird larvae and bugs to my broad beans i helped saved the crop, but the runners which were planted in the same bed, although they benefited from a large population of ladybirds, have suffered and so the cropping from them was very poor in comparison to last years'. just wondered if other areas also so an increase in this particlar pest.

[calendula]

I've got them in the greenhouse which is usual for me but nowhere else thankfully (west yorkshire)

[manicscousers]

none of the veggies have them but, the cherries and new growth on all currant bushes, can't keep up with the squidging  :o

[calendula]

I've got them in the greenhouse which is usual for me but nowhere else thankfully (west yorkshire)

sorry a typo error- should have written "unusual for me" - a real nuisance

[grawrc]

I haven't seen a ladybird all year. I wonder if that's the problem? Might order some online. I know it's a bit late in the season but I have to do something.

[KathrynH]

Blackfly don't seem to be too much of a problem so far this year (keeping fingers crossed.) They seem to be worse when its warmer  - about the only thing in favour of this weather.

[thifasmom]

I haven't seen a ladybird all year. I wonder if that's the problem? Might order some online. I know it's a bit late in the season but I have to do something.

no problem with numbers down here, but its mainly the invader Harlequin but as pest eaters I'll take anything. these are some getting busy yesterday and lots of larvae on the runnerbeans in one of the pics you can see the mass of blackfly the poor things have to eat.

[redrichwen]

So that's what ladybird larvae look like  :-\

I've been flicking them off my plants, cos i didn't know whether they were the enemy or not.  >:(

I shall hunt around at the weekend and encourage them to all to dine to their hearts content!!  ;D

[thifasmom]

HEE Hee my neighbour was doing the samething, came to me oneday and said he had a pic of a weird insect (as we like to do), and i was thats the harliquen ladybird larvae, he was oops! ''i've been squishing them :-[ ''.

[KathrynH]

I didn't know that's what they were either. I has loads of them on my broad beans earlier in the year and now I'm so glad I left them alone. The theory was, I don't know what they are so I'll leave them until I see them do any damage! I had lots of ladybirds too but didn't make the connection. And very few blackfly, at least, not enough to do any serious damage.

[thifasmom]

I didn't know that's what they were either. I has loads of them on my broad beans earlier in the year and now I'm so glad I left them alone. The theory was, I don't know what they are so I'll leave them until I see them do any damage! I had lots of ladybirds too but didn't make the connection. And very few blackfly, at least, not enough to do any serious damage.

yes it helped my broadbeans to recover too, but though the runners were in the same bed and although they got blackfly while the ladybird population numbers were high they still succumbed and i have had a really poor crop this year :'(.

[grawrc]

Sorry for the change of focus, but I thought Harlequin ladybirds were notifiable (and good to squish them) because although they kill off the blackfly etc they also kill off our indigenous ladybirds.

[posie]

I thought that as well Grawrc.

As for blackfly........................they decimated 7 broad bean plants, left the runners alone though?  Picky eaters down my way obviously!

[thifasmom]

Sorry for the change of focus, but I thought Harlequin ladybirds were notifiable (and good to squish them) because although they kill off the blackfly etc they also kill off our indigenous ladybirds.

actually i do notify the ladybird survey people and the Harlequin survey people on all the different types of ladybirds i find in my garden. and the stand on killing them is not to, as some of the British species have been killed accidently due to being mistaken for the Harlequin .
here's the RHS link on the topic.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0108/harlequinladybird.asp
here are the other links for reporting the ladybird in and around your area:
http://www.ladybird-survey.org/
http://www.harlequin-survey.org/default.htm