I envy you. We still have no ladybird larva. So far resisting the temptation to spray, but when one gets smothered in aphids each time one ventures into the garden,it is not easy to resist.
@Palustris I consider myself very lucky to have all those ladybird larvae. I proudly show them to my garden visitors; most of whom have not the slightest idea of what a ladybird larvae looks like.
@Crazybeelady I definitely wouldn't do adult ladybirds again but I won't rule out larvae if next year's like this. I'll have to make sure I give all of the trees an extra hefty winter wash this year so the numbers won't get too out of hand! God, we're barely into summer and I'm already planning for winter washing the trees.
@Papi Jo I think the white bits are shed aphid skins?? I always have plenty of those too. @februarysgirl the larvae you get are tiny, not like the ones in Papi Jo's pics and they are so fiddly you end up dropping them . But yes desperate times may call for desperate measures!
@Crazybeelady the ones I normally get in my garden are tiny when first hatched but turn into big beasties once they get munching on aphids. I had fun and games trying to pick up the ones I dropped the other day. If I buy them again I'll definitely do things differently and maybe use tweezers to pick up the tiny pieces of paper!
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@februarysgirl the larvae you get are tiny, not like the ones in Papi Jo's pics and they are so fiddly you end up dropping them