Author Topic: Black Fly (Read 14130 times)

Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!) · « **on:** June 17, 2009, 11:37:21 »

All

I have so many back fly that I am getting worried for my runners and french beans (they LOVED my broad beans almost to death!). So far I haven't done much and ladybirds are around but ultimately the blackfly seem to be winning...

Last night I tries a combo of rubbing them off and puttig on a soapy washing up liquid solution to deter the fly. Can I do anything else? I am trying to avoid chemicals where possible but welcome all feedback - has anyone founs anything else that they feel is successful?

Psi

Fork · « **Reply #1 on:** June 17, 2009, 11:39:22 »

Apart from the chemicals you have done it all It seems.

Just keep squigging away with your fingers.

You need to be vigilant before it gets too muchand harder to deal with.

Broad Beam · « **Reply #2 on:** June 17, 2009, 11:47:14 »

Don't use washing up liquid it is bad news. Contains to many chemicals. Buy Soft Soap from garden centre or supermarket and dilute as instructions and spray on.

Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!) · « **Reply #3 on:** June 17, 2009, 11:49:03 »

whoops - ok - good advice. I might go down the nurseries and see what is available - would an organic washing up liuid be good - like Ecover??

Broad Beam · « **Reply #4 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:03:30 »

I don't really know but I would doubt it. It will still contain something to disolve grease.

Soft Soap is good and gentle.

Broad Beam · « **Reply #5 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:10:31 »

Just seen Horticultural Soft Soap from a company on line called Ladybird Plant Care a bit expensive and have never tried it but sounds like it will do the job.

Unwashed · « **Reply #6 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:12:52 »

I've planted spindle in the allotment hedge. Apparently it harbours black fly over the winter. Perhaps they're grateful, because I haven't a one on my broad beans.

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #7 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:17:49 »

I can testify that ecover washing up liquid can damage your broad bean plants, I scorched mine quite badly by using a strong solution. :/
After that I used a weak solution, and rinsed it off soon after applying it, don't know how much that defies the point of the exercise though. I have terrible blackfly on my beans, but I've kind of given up on treating it now! Next year I will do two things: pinch out, and start spraying earlier.

BarriedaleNick · « **Reply #8 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:24:27 »

I bought a bottle of neem oil a couple of years ago and I an pretty impressed with it. A teaspoon in a litre of water with a bit of soap to emulsify and spray directly. It wont kill instantly but it give it a day or two and they will be gone.

http://www.livingwithbugs.com/neem_oil.html

It's cheap as well and can be found on ebay..

delboy · « **Reply #9 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:41:06 »

Pinching out just hasn't helped as the d**n things just go further down the broad bean plants.

I have taken out all my aquadulce claudias now, as the poor things were inundated with blackfly.

Have tried the soapy water method and squishing would mean me doing nothing else for several hours.

Chemicals here I come for the Violetta and Epicures.. and for the runners!

The blessed things are even attacking my sunlowers now!

1066 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:47:46 »

I know it might not help much this year but I planted summer savory around my broad beans as I'd read that its a companion plant and (if I remember) it detracts / deters the black fly. The previous year I had next to no BB's cos of black fly but this year I've had a good crop and so far (fingers crossed etc) no black fly on my BB's.

1066

thifasmom · « **Reply #11 on:** June 17, 2009, 12:52:28 »

last year my runners were covered in blackfly but when i was going to spray it with some rhubarb pesticide i noticed some adult ladybirds and larva as well as some hoverfly larva on it in small numbers, not wanting to kill them too i decided to leave nature to do her thing and must admit i also gave up all hope of a decent crop :-\.

well nature did do her thing, the crop became a breeding ground for all manner of ladybirds and and a serious magnet for egg laying hoverflies and the over four + weeks the goodies decimated the blackfly to zilch ;D. and i also got a great crop of runnerbeans after all, with the plants cropping right till the first frost. yah!! result.

so i would check really carefully for any goodies before spraying with soft soap or otherwise and if there are goodies and you think you could stand it then squish in the mean time and wait for the goodies to increase their numbers to eat out the baddies.

if you see any ladybirds/ larva elsewhere it wouldn't hurt to transfer them to your runnerbeans and get a few hoverfly friendly flowering plants next to the crop to help attract them to the area I'm sure they would then do the deed and be happy to lay their eggs in such a great food spot as your beans are at the moment.

the following photos are the goodies doing their thing on the heavily infested crop, the leaves are sticky the blackfly numbers are so thick i stopped squishing as it was simply to gross and there is even a pic of an ant which loves to farm the blackfly for their sticky sweet excretions.

this picture is of the plants on the 27 of October i had just harvested the second to last cropping:

Kendy · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2009, 13:09:10 »

Like the ladybird porn ! ;D

Flighty · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2009, 13:46:39 »

It's clearly a bad year for blackfly. Our allotments are infested with them.

Despite pinching out the broad bean tips and spraying them I, and several others, have given up and pulled them up as they weren't going to produce pods. Not only that they're also on the runner beans, artichokes and lupins.

I've actually sown some more broad beans, and runner beans, this morning!

Old bird · « **Reply #14 on:** June 17, 2009, 14:39:05 »

Has anyone tried to put small branches of elderflower in amongst the plants?

This does work - just shove a few in the ground among the plants that you want rid of the blackfly and they will go!

Old Bird

Flighty · « **Reply #15 on:** June 17, 2009, 14:42:39 »

Old bird I'll certainly bear that in mind for when the ones I sowed this morning start growing!

thifasmom · « **Reply #16 on:** June 17, 2009, 14:57:56 »

Quote from: Kendy on June 17, 2009, 13:09:10

Like the ladybird porn ! ;D

;D

barnowl thanks for that hint does it work with greenfly as well? blackfly only just starting toshow up in the flower beds will pick a few branches today and try this out.

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #17 on:** June 17, 2009, 21:14:02 »

TM, what variety of beans are those in your pic? I'm doing something really wrong with runner beans - maybe keeping the plantlets in pots too long before I have put them out - all my plants so far are teeeny! Less than knee-high. :(

My broad beans are making large pods in spite of the blackfly. The only other things affected are the nasturtiums. I'm not quite sure of the 'attract them away' theory; won't my nasturtiums just be breeding generation upon generation of blackfly which will then move elsewhere?

I also have 'greyfly' on some cabbages, but very few of them are affected. My mange-tout and other peas are pest free; I may grow an empire of peas next year and forget about broad beans. They may not be producing as much as they should - but they seem a quite high 'acreage per yield' crop?

I too have the ladybird larvae about the place so don't want to spray now. I've been moving the odd one from here to there, put a couple on my roses yesterday. :)

saddad · « **Reply #18 on:** June 17, 2009, 22:21:31 »

For some reason they seem very partial to Scorzonera flower stalks as well... ???

angle shades · « **Reply #19 on:** June 17, 2009, 22:31:20 »

and the dandelion leaves I grow for my tortoise >:( / shades x

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Author Topic: Black Fly (Read 14130 times)