During my time at Stan Hwyet, I've been introduced to a number of both helpful and harmful insects. Some just show up in the garden and others are brought in to help with plant health.
The ones that have played the largest role in my life are freakin' aphids. Every day I'm on site, part of my routine is getting the hose and just using water pressure to blast those suckers off of there.
The ones that have played the largest role in my life are freakin' aphids. Every day I'm on site, part of my routine is getting the hose and just using water pressure to blast those suckers off of there.
You can tell a plant is affected by aphids when the leaves begin to curl. They have been loving our milkweed, so among the tall, healthy plants, are a number of shriveled and sad looking guys.
In addition to the spraying with water, Integrated Pest Management(IPM) can be implemented to help control the aphid population. Ladybugs and their larvae are natural predators of aphids. I've spotted several that showed up on their own accord, but coming this weekend is a shipment of ladybugs! Im hoping to release those on Saturday. They should make short work of these pesky aphids.
We also implement IPM in the greenhouse. The tropical plants are often infested with thrips and in order to counteract that we release a couple of species of predatory mites that love to eat thrips.
Today, Joe and I identified the cutest little insect. They are the nymph stage of the two-striped leaf hopper. They're like little bunnies with their fuzzy butts!
These guys appear to be neutral bugs. They don't really harm the plants but they don't do a whole lot to really help them either.
There are a couple of other insects I've encountered but I haven't been able to get a good picture yet. I'll profile earwigs and milkweed beetles next time along with a ladybug update!
There are a couple of other insects I've encountered but I haven't been able to get a good picture yet. I'll profile earwigs and milkweed beetles next time along with a ladybug update!