On May 12, 12:42 pm, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
In article ,
David in Normandy writes:| Mary Fisher wrote:

| I don't grow lupins because of the huge blue aphids which infested them when
| I did.
|
| There was a question on GQT about this yesterday. Someone said that they
| were big enough to barbecue - as kebabs.

More nutritious than steak, too.

| Yes, there seems to be all sizes from tiny to Godzilla. I'm surprised
| the plant was still alive considering the amount of them sucking it's
| sap. It was wilting and looked really poorly yesterday. Today it has
| perked up and looking happy again.
|
| I noticed the aphids had a bluish tinge about them so wasn't 100% sure
| if they were aphids or blackfly. Are they a specific species that preys
| on lupins?

Essentially, yes. There are dozens of species of aphid common in
the UK (and France), and most are partially host-specific.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


I remember informally seeing mention of "lupin aphids" and you
certainly tend to see them on most lupin plants sooner or later and
they are distinctive through sheer size but here is the lowdown as
found by google:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...upin_aphid.asp