An Army of Scarlet Ladies
In the beginning of summer, when the chard, beet tops and other tender greens were just reaching their peak, tiny destructive invaders began to appear in the gardens. Sap-sucking aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers, though barely visible, can cause major damage almost overnight. These insidious little munchers are a fact of life in our no spray world here at Green Gate Farm. Though the gardens are home to many beneficial insects that make a living consuming those critters that damage fruit and vegetable crops, it seemed that reinforcements were needed. Call in the scarlet ladies!
In the beginning of summer, when the chard, beet tops and other tender greens were just reaching their peak, tiny destructive invaders began to appear in the gardens. Sap-sucking aphids, flea beetles and leaf hoppers, though barely visible, can cause major damage almost overnight. These insidious little munchers are a fact of life in our no spray world here at Green Gate Farm. Though the gardens are home to many beneficial insects that make a living consuming those critters that damage fruit and vegetable crops, it seemed that reinforcements were needed. Call in the scarlet ladies!
Live ladybugs (or ladybird beetles) can be ordered over the internet by the
pint. So within 48 hours about 9,000 thousand beetles arrived. Ladybugs travel in a quiescent state and must be maintained at a temperature just
above freezing until they are released. Ladybug farmers recommend putting them
in the fridge for several hours to calm them, then releasing them in the
evening. The cold and quiet of the refrigerator apparently calms the little ladies after the
turmoil of their trip. Releasing our ladybugs at dusk gave them a chance to settle into their new habitat during the night. They especially appreciated the moisture from dew falling in the evening garden, since ladybugs, like most travelers, can suffer
some dehydration. In the morning, refreshed and
rested, the ladies began the job they were brought in to do.
Each beetle can hunt down and consume as many as 80 aphids a day. Multiply that times 9,000 and you can see how effective this natural predator can be. Once established with a steady food supply, our army of ladybugs began to mate and lay eggs. Their offspring, when in larval form, are themselves fearsome predators, consuming insect eggs as well as aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Over the course of this growing season, five or more generations of voracious scarlet ladies will be patrolling the Green Gate Farm gardens working to keep your produce safe!
Each beetle can hunt down and consume as many as 80 aphids a day. Multiply that times 9,000 and you can see how effective this natural predator can be. Once established with a steady food supply, our army of ladybugs began to mate and lay eggs. Their offspring, when in larval form, are themselves fearsome predators, consuming insect eggs as well as aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Over the course of this growing season, five or more generations of voracious scarlet ladies will be patrolling the Green Gate Farm gardens working to keep your produce safe!
Leslie monitoring the ladybugs patrolling the chard .
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