The farming press is reporting that because of the prolonged cold snap thus winter there are far fewer aphids around and they will be far less of a problem this year ...
@dappledshade Yours are good questions. I don't know the answer. I have two fairly new crab apple trees in and they are getting mollucked. I doesn't seem like a bad year for aphids, particularly, but these trees really suffer - all the new growth dies off. I have seen some ladybird larva on them and there is a sparrow nest right above, and several others close by, but it isn't helping.
I'm going to keep going for a few more years, but I might end up taking the trees out as they just can't put on any leaf growth. At the moment I am just keeping them for wildlife value.
I don't think it's right to suggest certain approaches will solve problems. All we can do is suggest certain things that might work, offer ideas to try.
I'm going to try the jam thing on the broad beans. There are tiny just-hatched ladybird larvae visible, so blasting with a hose is out. I already have tree-grease protecting some trees and that's working - I've been watching regularly while pottering and the ants are still not crossing it after a fortnight, either on the way up or back down (far less coming down now..) It doesn't stop new aphids from arriving by wing, but no aphid-farming ants now. 👍🤞
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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