North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[road's end farm <organic101@linkny.com>]

 On Friday, May 28, 2004, at 09:12 AM, Thomas Olenio wrote:

> From: Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
> Date: Fri May 28, 2004  09:12:05 AM US/Eastern
> To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Re: Ladybug and Wasp Damage
> Reply-To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@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