"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
. 240.23...
"Tumbleweed" wrote in
:


"Jeff" wrote in message
m...
Hi.

What insects will eat greenfly (without then becoming pests
themselves)?
I know about ladybirds, but are there any others?

You will never get enough predatory insects to make a significant
impact on greenfly. Some people here say birds will eat them (like
tits and finches) however no one has told that to the said birds on my
garden who seem to ignore them.

This kind of thing does very much depend on what your neighbours are doing
and what the wider local wildlife situation is like.

I have few pest problems in my garden here in Cornwall, surrounded by non-
intensively-farmed fields and rather neglected woodland.

In my small Cheshire garden, I seemed to be waging constant and
ineffective
war on all kinds of pests. I'm pretty sure this was because the local bird
population was tiny, and mostly pigeons!

I don't know if the fact that every other gardener seemed to have a garage
filled with chemical deterrants of various sorts was cause or effect -
maybe a bit of both.

Victoria
--

Havent sprayed in my garden for donkeys years, lots of small birds (and
pigeons), some plants get covered in greenfly (and decimated by them).
Lupins being a prime example. I know for a fact that the next door neighbour
on one side doesnt spray, the other garden is a fair way away, just grass
fields behind which get cut but not sprayed.

Its often used an excuse that you must have been spraying or someone nearby
must be spraying, if you have got lots of pests. It aint so. The simple fact
is that generally pests like greenfly can vastly outbreed their predators (e
xcept in artificial circmstances such as the parasitic wasps in greenhouses)
and that their numbers are controlled either through seasonal factors (for
example winter) or shortage of food. Pretending that nature will strike a
balance which includes mopping up all the greenfly and caterpillars on your
plants is just that, a pretence.

--
Tumbleweed

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