In the
Garden
By
Catherine Dougherty
Aphids...and
Ladybugs
Happy May! The
rain has been very wild, with inches falling over the past week… we seem to
have received plenty, however I know we shall wish for it by July. The cool
cloudy days have been the impetus for rapid aphid reproduction... bright
daylight tends to impede it. Aphids are known throughout the world as perhaps
the single most destructive pest known to both farmers and gardeners alike.
They arrive in the spring and with the damp and favorable conditions this
year they seem to be in great abundance, making their presence known throughout
all of central and western Oklahoma.
Known as
plant lice, greenflies, or blackflies they are small sap-sucking insects who
will literally suck the life out of plants. A little-known species of the aphid
family is the white or wooly fly, that tiny dab of white thread-like fluff that
jumps when you jiggle the plant they are resting upon. Fossils indicate that
Aphids have been present for 280 million years and today there are approximately 4,000 aphid species found throughout the world.
These tiny monsters can migrate great distances by riding on winds looking
for a fresh food source... one of our lettuce aphids arrived on the
wind from Australia.
As with most invasive garden pests, aphids are
extremely adaptable to ever-changing conditions. In fact, if a host plant
becomes ill or conditions become overly crowded, some aphids are able to
spontaneously sprout wings to fly to a new food source. They have
specialized mouth parts that enable them to stick a straw-like mouth
piece into a plant stem and begin sucking the protein from it, therefore
making it ill. They secrete a chemical that allows for free-flowing fluid from
the plant while exuding droplets of a quick-hardening fluid that surrounds
their body with a shell for protection.
During
feeding Aphids also produce a fluid called 'honeydew' which is a
sticky goo which may be found on any surface where aphids have resided. An
unusual side effect of this substance is that when it hardens it turns
black creating a sooty mold fungus... roses are the most frequent victims.
This honeydew
is a food source for several species of ants who actually 'farm' the
aphids, causing them to produce honeydew by a process of 'milking' by a stroke
of their antennae. These ants manage thousands of aphids which are called
herds and to assure survival of their food source, the ants gather aphid
eggs and protectively store them for the winter. In the spring, the ants carry
the newly hatched aphids back to the plants to settle in and once again
become their grocery store. (*Sarcastic note: 'Thanks ants'.)
Heavy aphid
infestations will cause leaves to curl, wilt or yellow with stunted plant
growth and aphids can actually cause a plant to die a slow death of dehydration,
since liquids have either been drained or compromised. Aphids are
simply not allowed in the garden as they provide nothing but destruction...
unless you are an ant.
Therefore, they must be exterminated and instead of spraying a pesticide which will kill beneficial bees, butterflies, Praying Mantis, beetles and everything else, purchase a flat of lady bugs. Each Ladybug will eat over 75 aphids a day and are able to discover them in their secret hiding places... plus discovering ladybugs in the garden is a delight for every child and those of us who still retain childish joys!
Therefore, they must be exterminated and instead of spraying a pesticide which will kill beneficial bees, butterflies, Praying Mantis, beetles and everything else, purchase a flat of lady bugs. Each Ladybug will eat over 75 aphids a day and are able to discover them in their secret hiding places... plus discovering ladybugs in the garden is a delight for every child and those of us who still retain childish joys!
*They may be
ordered online for as little as $12 for 800 voracious ladybugs. They arrive in
a few days….get some this week! Photo: The great Lady Bug Release.
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