I usually use a couple of releases of ladybugs for aphid control in ghouse. It works pretty well but this time I decided to try green lacewings since they reportedly enjoy a greater temperature range (67-90F) than ladybugs. I ordered the cards from Arbico Organics and set them out last night. I read their caution about ants:
PLEASE NOTE: … ants aggressively protect the aphids from other insect threats and the aphids produce the honeydew they crave. For this reason, before you begin any treatment to control aphids with predatory insects you will need to eradicate the ants in the area to be treated. Otherwise, they will wipe out any beneficials you introduce.
but was surprised this morning when I saw this:
…ants with lacewing eggs in their jaws! Not a great close-up but you can see the larvae that hatched overnight.
So bottom line…there’s no way for me to completely ‘eradicate’ ants, so I’ll have to see whether lacewings work to control aphids and soft scale. Or maybe I’ve just introduced a second buffet for ants.
The hubris of thinking I can control nature!
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Diatomaceous earth may help with the ants.
Does your greenhouse get Spider mites also?
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Chris,
Those ants are pretty challenging, this year for me as well as I tried to prevent the aphids from destroying my new tender growth on plums. I have not yet found a reliable method. Neem spray helps a bit but needs multiple applications, painting my tree trunks with molassis spiked with boric acid may help but cannot say it stopped them, using tobacco tea to wash and rub them off each leaf and growing tips seemed to be the only definite way that I could say works, but does not prevent recurrence, time after time! Too bad there isn’t a systemic that one could use. There’s not enough ladybugs in the state to control the massive attacks I get each spring, so I am still in search of a method that shows better efficacy w/o so much labor.
Anyone here have better experience let us know!
Dennis
Kent, wa
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@Bradybb @DennisD
Thanks for the suggestions! I use DE mixed with sand for chickens’ dust bath. I kept walking by the 25 lb bag wondering about another use… so will be good to try it on ants.
Oh yes… in ghouse I have spider mites and soft scale on citrus! I spray neem oil every month to control scale and ladybug nymphs are halfway efficient at aphid clean-up.
I moved the green lacewing card to a less ant accessible area…so maybe they will chip in too. With all these variables it will be hard to know what’s most effective. It’s the cocktail approach!
As for aphids outside, I half-heatedly sprayed with neem but then gave up…14 semi-dwarf trees = too much work. I put tanglefoot on cardboard trunk wrappers but still got aphids.
Right now I see a lot of aphid carcasses so at least the population of some predator has taken off.
It’s a real challenge, I noticed this spring that many aphids can fly so it’s probably not just an ant kill that fully addresses this issue! We need a scientist willing to provide some insight. Not sure how we can find someone with enough biology background to help!
Any ideas?
Dennis
Dennis,
Are those Aphids,the ones that curl leaves?
I think some are since I often have leaf curl when they are present. Often the leaf is curling after several days of feeding.
What some of that could be,are the skins of young Aphids,as they molt.They do that four times,in becoming an adult.
Thanks for clarifying because it’s really raining white specs under the tree. Oh well, I guess the aphids are thriving!
Still get plums, although they are a little malformed. Is that due to aphid damage? Or maybe thrips?
