"Colin Malsingh" wrote in
message ...
I saw details of a place that sold Ladybird eggs (to hatch yourself)
and thought it sounded like fun. This was the Adalia kit, in the
Organic Gardening catalogue.

It was pretty expensive, but I was still game to try alternative ways
of aphid control.

Anyway, the kits and eggs turned up, most of them hatched, turned into
wriggling larvae. Then died.

It was at this point that I noticed that the Stinging Nettles along
our road were *COVERED* in Aphids, Ladybirds and lots of Ladybird
larvae. I don't reckon my harvesting will have depleted the
environment much, and I was able to place the larvae directly on my
worst affected plants.

I'm still waiting for some replacements from Adalia, but reckon their
model is probably flawed anyway. They recommend you keep the results
until they've changed into Ladybirds (at which point you have no
control over where it will fly off to).

By contrast, the larvae eat a greater quantity of aphids and are
slightly easier to control (though still very quick & wriggly).

Colin

I have said for quite some time now that if you can hold your nerve the
greenfly predators will do the job. but I have plants with blackfly on
them and the ants farming them throw off the ladybirds and their larva.
Don't forget your other friends, lacewing and hoverfly which you can
attract with suitable planting, I always put hoverfly attractants in the
greenhouse and sure enough any colony of aphids has hoverfy larva with
them.

Bel