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Pepper saga.......... Pepper expert anyone?
On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:51:19 -0500, "Marie Dodge"
wrote: No one I know has ever seen such an infestation of whitefly and spider mite, including the extension agent. Do they make dark shadows on your screens at night? Do you have to wear a bandana when you're working in the garden to avoid ingesting bunches of whiteflies with each breath? Do they make pretty abstract patterns on the wall of the house where the morning sun first hits? Cause, that's what it was like when I moved into this house in June of 2001. Something was clearly out of whack with the food chain for such an explosion of the white fly population. And...spit! thrips, they were just not as obvious at first. So, I started releasing lacewings. The yard was horribly overgrown, so I also cut back or completely down shrubs and weedy trees that looked like they were especially overwhelmed by the whiteflies. I released some ladybugs, too, and the next spring released more lacewings and ladybugs. I talked to my neighbors with varying success about not using broad spectrum pesticides, and made sure they all knew what ladybug and lacewing larva looked like. It took 2 years (and 3 summers) but things finally swung back into better balance. I still get a whitefly outbreak every summer, but I put yellow sticky traps out around the garden for a little extra protection, and let nature take its course elsewhere. Of course, I get all tingly and feel like an Uber Garden Geek when I find ladybug eggs or lacewing larva on a plant that has whitefly. I've been down right orgasmic over the proliferation of squirrel treefrogs this year, too. The heat, low humidity and lack of rain is certainly contributing to this infestation. In fact it's spreading across the grass, other wild plants and the trees on the property around us. It's spread to the flower beds. At this point trying to control the mite and w/flies is a waste of time. Yeah, we were in our fifth year of drought when I moved out here. I'm sure that contributed to the pest explosion. Penelope -- You have proven yourself to be the most malicious, classless person that I've encountered in years. - "pointed" |
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