[NAFEX] Re: Ladybug and Wasp Damage
road's end farm
organic101 at linkny.com
Fri May 28 09:25:30 EDT 2004
On Friday, May 28, 2004, at 09:12 AM, Thomas Olenio wrote:
> From: Thomas Olenio <tolenio at sentex.net>
> Date: Fri May 28, 2004 09:12:05 AM US/Eastern
> To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Re: Ladybug and Wasp Damage
> Reply-To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex at lists.ibiblio.org>
>
> Hello,
>
> This has been mentioned on the list before. Native and Asian ladybugs
> primary food is aphids. The problem is that after the first frost of
> autumn, or when the weather is cooler, the aphids die off.
>
I wish they all did. Aphids can be a severe problem on brussels sprouts
late in the fall; what seems to happen here is that the ladybugs (Asian
or not) start looking for shelter as the weather cools / after first
frost, and stop controlling the aphids, which go cheerfully crazy in the
remaining brassicas. They don't seem to mind the cold at all, even when
it's been well below freezing. This is much worse in dry years.
Maybe it's a different strain of aphids?
I've never seen ladybugs eating fruit; but have seen enough creatures
doing something they're not supposed to that I wonder if some ladybugs
in some conditions might not take up the habit.
--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly
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