hi, got lot of blackfly on me runners,usually use rhubarb juice to stop em,but dont seem to be working this year,ant other ideas (not chemical)
Squish them with your fingers, jet them off with water if you have/are allowed a hose, use a garlic or soft soap spray though that would be classed as chemical control I suppose, there are some organic sprays as well.
Jerry
Hose best, but I use a hand sprayer + squidging.
You could send those grandchildren out looking for ladybird larvae to re-house :)
I found black fly on a number of my broadbeans when I got home from work tonight. Looking around the 'net it seems the usual methods are those featured above. I have opted for veggie washing up solution in a spray. I read somewhere earlier that the buggers can't breathe 'cause the soap blocks their breathing 'holes' - as you can see, I'm not at all technical here :)
I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Also, I read a reminder to gently shake the broadbeans first before spraying, in case ladybirds are resting on them - they'll fly off and be unharmed by the soapy spray. ;D Art
My REPORT BACK on soapy water spray. Really worked. Reapplied today and curious to see the herding ant move SWIFTLY out of the way of the soapy suds. It appeared to know to keep its distance ;D I'll keep this up, as outbreaks of blackfly have emerged on other plants. I am hopeful that the damage limitation will WORK!
Checking my Stella cherry today I found many of the growing tips curled and infested with blackfly :o In all my years on the lottie I have never come across this but apparently Cherry Blackfly are fairly common. Decided not to hose as I was afraid I might dislodge the cherries which are forming so squished as
many as I could (yuk) and then sprayed with a safe (? Just Green?) "insecticide".
Looks like a Winter Wash for Stella then ........
we've got them on our blackcurrants, the broad beans are untouched..don't know if it's 'cos we've got garlic growing around the bean bed..whatever, they're ok :)
But do ladybird lavae really eat blackfly?? I know they eat greenfly. I moved some onto my beans today but now I'm not sure.
Quote from: queenfishface on June 09, 2007, 21:07:57
But do ladybird lavae really eat blackfly?? I know they eat greenfly. I moved some onto my beans today but now I'm not sure.
Plenty of ladybirds on anything infested with blackfly on my plot (broad beans, artichokes...). They must be there for a reason!