The warm humid weather of the last few weeks has been a fantastic
breeding ground for bugs of all sorts, - i've watched from my study
window as Caterpillars have eaten my Roses, and i've found Aphids,
Slugs, Rosemary beetles, Cuckoo spit and chafer bugs in clients garden this week alone.
Most of these pests could be got rid of with chemicals, although Rosemary beetles and Cuckoo spit froghoppers don't have anything especially for them, but I feel that
often that's too harsh a solution and besides, what if the problem is
on your fruit and veg. That's why i've been using Natural methods (picking of the bugs or blasting them off with a water jet) or Predators, - bugs
that eat bugs.
These are available for all kinds of pests, and
are often available from garden centres as well as online. i've tried
the vine weevil nematode nematode (steinernema kraussei) which is sent
in a soil like pack that you mix with water and water onto your pots or
plants, The Red Spider mite predator (phytoseiulus persimilis) is
provided in a test tube of vermiculite, and you shake the bugs out onto
your plants (usually in a greenhouse) - 
The other one i've used
reguarly is Encarsia formosa which get rid of Whitefly, and Ladybird
pupae which are great for aphids. (I used them with great success on my cordon apple trees in my Guildford garden) I havn't used the slug predator yet
(phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita), but after the rain that is pouring outside my window, I may need that this week.
Comments