You may attract a host of beneficial insects by planting nectar-rich native flower species. Its larva mummifies an aphid so it can pupate and feed until it matures and flies away. Ladybug larvae are hungry predators.Īphids dislike dill and fennel, so you pack a powerful punch when you plant these aromatic herbs among your ornamental specimens and veggie crops.ĭill attracts the braconid wasp, a beneficial insect. Borage is a favorite breeding place of the lacewing, and dill, fennel, coreopsis, and cosmos attract ladybugs. Lovejoy suggests encouraging “aphid lions,” the larvae of the lacewing, and “aphid wolves,” the larvae of ladybird beetles, to take up residence.Įach feeds voraciously on our pest, and the lady beetles continue to feast on them as mature insects. ![]() Trowel and Error: Over 700 Organic Remedies, Shortcuts, and Tips for the Gardener This is a sweet little volume full of colorful drawings that I received as a gift. Horticulturist and author Sharon Lovejoy has many clever suggestions for gardeners in her book, Trowel and Error, available from Amazon. Provide adequate air circulation by thinning seedlings and setting plants so air flows through and around them, preventing humidity buildup. Know your plants’ needs, and water properly so they don’t become oversaturated or dry out. The best way to inhibit pests and disease in the garden is to start with healthy plants or good quality seed, and to maintain them with good care. So, setting aside my inner entomologist, I find ways to make my backyard less appealing to this unwelcome visitor, and stop it in its tracks when it gets a notion to stay. It isn’t a beneficial pollinator, and its very presence exposes my plants to disease and damage. These cabbage leaves have been ruined by a hungry aphid colony. While I admire the survival instincts of this pervasive garden insect, it’s still a pest I don’t want in my yard. How could such a nuisance of a pest be so fascinating?! Natural Deterrents The European yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus, has similar habits, farming root aphids below the soil for a steady honeydew supply, and occasional consumption of the bugs themselves. The big-headed ant thrives on sweet honeydew, herding and protecting its “cattle” in a symbiotic relationship. It lives in a symbiotic relationship with the aphid, herding it like cattle, milking it for its honeydew, and protecting it from predators. This sap is a favorite food of the big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala. This tiny pest excretes a sweet, sticky substance called honeydew that collects on foliage, inhibiting photosynthesis and making plants vulnerable to a disease called sooty mold. What caused the unique color patterns? It took until the 1920s to determine that they were the fortuitous byproduct of a virus transmitted by the peach-potato aphid!Īnd if that’s not amazing enough, here’s more: The rarity and novelty of its occurrence made the price of bulbs soar to the point that one was traded for a house! It seems that a white species of the flower would occasionally “break,” or bloom with red striations. In Life in the Garden, a fun read that’s available from Amazon, author Penelope Lively tells of a time in the 1630s when tulips were all the rage. The good news, per the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, is that while a plant may look bad, aphid feeding generally will not seriously harm healthy, established trees and shrubs.Īnd, at least once in history, an aphid-transmitted virus made a lot of money for some lucky horticulturists. And what I find most astonishing is that if a plant becomes too overcrowded and food is becoming scarce, females with wings are produced deliberately for the purpose of finding new homes for even more insects. ![]() All species reproduce by asexual reproduction, and some also by sexual means. Once established, a colony multiplies rapidly. And, much like Typhoid Mary, may transmit viruses from plant to plant in her search. Using a mouth part called a “stylet,” she probes a stem or leaf to see if it’s got what she seeks. A winged female scout flies around looking for a “host” plant to provide food and a place to reproduce. Per Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, a favorite resource of mine that is available on Amazon, the aphid is one of the top 10 insect pests.Īn infestation begins innocently enough. While I’ve battled plenty of colonies of aphids on my rosebushes with applications of soapsuds and endless streams of water, I knew very little about them until I did some research.
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