Shortage of ladybirds here too, less than last year at this time. Thousands of Harlequins invaded the house and outbuildings last year, we did disturb some opening windows and such, but many were left in peace. Where are you now that I need you?
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
My garden is also full of little green aphids this year, too, as well as lots of greenfly. For the first time I've had tiny green aphids on some of my primulas that have killed them. There also appears to be quite a lot of what I think are whitefly.
I thought the affected primulas were just drooping a bit with the lack of rain but then as they got worse and didn't respond to watering I found the aphids on the undersides of the leaves.
Blackfly I have every year and grow nasturtiums to attract them away from some of the other plants. My philadelphus always has loads but I just prune off the ends of the worst affected branches, which are often covered in a solid mass of them.
This morning about 5:30 our rose bushes were teeming with bluetit families ... I just walked around the garden ... not an aphid in sight ... not even on the roses, broad beans and nasturtiums .... I put food out for the birds all year round ... they know they can always rely on food being available ... and they more than earn their supper 😊 👍 🐦
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I wish you'd send your blue tits over here, Dove - mine don't seem to know the drill. My main bird feeder is actually hanging *on* the Philadelphus, about a foot from the worst infestation of aphids! I don't normally get them on the Philadelphus much, but this year some stems are black with them. Blue tits, great tits, coal tits, house sparrows, hedge sparrows, gold finches, robins - they are there on and off all day, in numbers, and never have I seen them peck at a single aphid.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
The birds like Bluetits seem to be eating the green fly, but we are a bit over run, they are also falling out of the trees in droves. (Greenfly not Bluetits). Even our car gets a coating of greenfly. But those big black ones are on a couple of plants and they have not touched them. The black ones are so big I think the birds are scared of them. Or maybe they do not taste as nice...
Squash them with fingers very satisfying. But be prepared to use a good hand cleaner afterwards, they are icky and stain.
The birds like Bluetits seem to be eating the green fly, but we are a bit over run, they are also falling out of the trees in droves. (Greenfly not Bluetits). Even our car gets a coating of greenfly. But those big black ones are on a couple of plants and they have not touched them. The black ones are so big I think the birds are scared of them. Or maybe they do not taste as nice...
Squash them with fingers very satisfying. But be prepared to use a good hand cleaner afterwards, they are icky and stain.
Squashing aphids is how I got my green thumb!
"Life returns. Life prevails. Resistance is futile" Rusty the dalek
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.... I put food out for the birds all year round ... they know they can always rely on food being available ... and they more than earn their supper 😊 👍 🐦
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
But those big black ones are on a couple of plants and they have not touched them.
The black ones are so big I think the birds are scared of them.
Or maybe they do not taste as nice...
Squash them with fingers very satisfying. But be prepared to use a good hand cleaner afterwards, they are icky and stain.