black fly

[selwyn-smith]

Hi there,
My runner beans and french beans and my nasturtions that I planted as sacrificial  plants are covered in black fly, is there an organic method for dealing with them?
And does anyone know what soft soap is, can you buy it does it have a trade name, or is it just washing up liquid? Any advice would be gratefully received.
Katy

[selwyn-smith]

[tim]

The Organic Catalogue has remedies.

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/techniques/pests/aphids.htm

[jennym]

Savona is the trade name I know for soft soap.
But I usually just blast them off with a strong jet of ordinary water.

[daveandtara]

i use a weak washing up liquid solution.
i also squish 'em by hand, go on ladybird hunts and 'introduce' ladybird to blackfly. when all else fails i pinch out the new growth (which blackfly loves best). this probably doesn't cure the infestation, but if i'm not gonna get the beans nor are they >:(

[ndkc2003]

Hi there,
this is my first year growing veg but my grandad was a gardener for the 'big house' and it was one of the things I remebered him talking about probably because I always made a bline for the broad beans to eat!! He always took out the new growth when the first pods has set he said this discouraged the black fly, so I did it and I haven't got any fly.   8)

[wardy]

I did that as someone told me too and I stir fried the tops.  Didn't get the dreaded blackfly either  :)

[Looby Loo]

I had loads of blackfly on my broad beans earlier in the year and left them alone.  Within a week they were covered in ladybirds and their larvae.  Within 2 weeks they were all gone.  Let nature deal with it!

[wardy]

Good old ladybirds  :)   This is my first year on the plot and it's been left to go wild but I've not seen a single ladybird on it since I've been taming it.  I don't use any pesticides and I have got some crops but not a ladybug to be seen  :(

[redimp]

I have at last got ladybirds all over the place.  They are currently dining on my aphid ridden cabbages and I have a number of pupating ones attached to my main crop potatoes so more to come.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I had plenty of blackfly at one point, then the tits got to them. As long as you encourage wildlife, a lot of things just get cleared up naturally.