Hi all - any advice please on whether or not I should be worried about the
woodlice in my courtyard?

I inherited an inner-city concrete wasteland (aka the courtyard) and am now
transforming the space - at the moment I have predominantly large pots etc
on the go. It's so nice to see some wildlife coming in the space (had my
first ladybird visit the other day) but I've noticed ants, woodlice and some
funny brown looking beetle type thing that likes the walls. I'm real keen
on getting wildlife in but should I be worried that any of this lot are
going to ruin my minor achievements so far?

Advice gratefully received (don't yet have a book on bugs!).

PS: if anyone else has undertaken such a project I would be really
interested in any tips you may have - it's not a huge space but I just know
it has potential (probably more than I have the imagination for!!)

Thanks. Shaz

Woodlice do no harm unless something is already damaged, say a wasp has been
at a strawberry for instance. Antsm well some people go crackers over them
but I live and let live. If you let a few ants worry you then ..... start of
a rant , did you notice. They reckon if it's fast it's friendly and if it's
slow it's a baddy but I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt unil proved
otherwise

Sharon Hughes wrote:
: Hi all - any advice please on whether or not I should be worried
: about the woodlice in my courtyard?
:
: I inherited an inner-city concrete wasteland (aka the courtyard) and
: am now transforming the space - at the moment I have predominantly
: large pots etc on the go. It's so nice to see some wildlife coming
: in the space (had my first ladybird visit the other day) but I've
: noticed ants, woodlice and some funny brown looking beetle type thing
: that likes the walls. I'm real keen on getting wildlife in but
: should I be worried that any of this lot are going to ruin my minor
: achievements so far?
:
: Advice gratefully received (don't yet have a book on bugs!).
:
: PS: if anyone else has undertaken such a project I would be really
: interested in any tips you may have - it's not a huge space but I
: just know it has potential (probably more than I have the imagination
: for!!)
:
: Thanks. Shaz

Robert

Sharon Hughes wrote:

Hi all - any advice please on whether or not I should be worried about the
woodlice in my courtyard?

I inherited an inner-city concrete wasteland (aka the courtyard) and am now
transforming the space - at the moment I have predominantly large pots etc
on the go. It's so nice to see some wildlife coming in the space (had my
first ladybird visit the other day) but I've noticed ants, woodlice and some
funny brown looking beetle type thing that likes the walls. I'm real keen
on getting wildlife in but should I be worried that any of this lot are
going to ruin my minor achievements so far?

Advice gratefully received (don't yet have a book on bugs!).

Woodlice indicate the presence of shelter and certain amounts of
moisture.. If so this is a good place to start with plants that will
grow well in your courtyard.. I wouldn't worry about the woodlice too
much.. Try keeping areas dier and they will soon reduce in numbers.
They like cool, damp, shady spots. Generally though they are not a
major problem.

Ants.. ALso not aproblem unless they are feeding off aphids orscale
insects on plants producing honeydew. Ants tend to favour sandy soil
(eg the soil under paving and concrete) and aren't ususally a problem
unless they start moving into your home with you!-)

Brown beetles.. A harder one.. Can you describe them a bit better?
How long are they in mm (or in relation to a 1p or something??) Have
you seen them fly? Do they have any spots? Antennae, long or short? Do
they move fast or slow? Like sunny places or hide away...

Is there any way you can post a photo or put one in the scanner?

Some beetles are good.. Others are bad..

Courtyards are fun and have a good range for climbers, ferns, and a
number of plants that like sheltered sites..

Try a search for 'Courtyard' at http://www.bookbrain.co.uk

It brings up 27 hits the majority of which are about gardens..

Good thing about this site is it gives you the cheapest supplier
(including P&P) for your chosen book
//
Jim

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1fw5ave.xkdc481xhc87oN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Sharon Hughes wrote:

Big Snip

Brown beetles.. A harder one.. Can you describe them a bit better?
How long are they in mm (or in relation to a 1p or something??) Have
you seen them fly? Do they have any spots? Antennae, long or short? Do
they move fast or slow? Like sunny places or hide away...

Jim

Jim - Thanks for the info. Woodlice are one of the few bugs I find least
scary considering how many legs they have! Quite happy to let them stay.
Same with the ants really so long as I manage not to sit along one of their
'runs', then they are annoying! As for the beetles, will get out there with
the digi camera as soon as it stops raining! It's not one I've seen before,
not very interesting, very dull brownish but quite long-legged, though slow
moving, short antennae I think, no spots, not the most attractive bug going
but so long as their not killing off anything I'm spending my pocket money
on, I don't mind (Oh, and I did see a Blackbird (male) come down and pick
one off the wall real quick yesterday morning.)

Will check out the link you posted - after Gardeners' World!!! Thank You.
Shaz

Happy to live with the woodlice. Ants? Few, slow, did I read you wrong?
They seem pretty frenetic and move a few pots around and hey, loads more!
Have tried to work out where they're going or coming from ...... hmm, have
managed to be successfully distracted so far! Happy for them to stay so
long as not killing off anything more 'worthy'!!

Shaz


"The Devil's Advocate" wrote in
message ...
Woodlice do no harm unless something is already damaged, say a wasp has
been
at a strawberry for instance. Antsm well some people go crackers over them
but I live and let live. If you let a few ants worry you then ..... start
of
a rant , did you notice. They reckon if it's fast it's friendly and if
it's
slow it's a baddy but I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt unil
proved
otherwise

Sharon Hughes wrote:
: Hi all - any advice please on whether or not I should be worried
: about the woodlice in my courtyard?
:
: I inherited an inner-city concrete wasteland (aka the courtyard) and
: am now transforming the space - at the moment I have predominantly
: large pots etc on the go. It's so nice to see some wildlife coming
: in the space (had my first ladybird visit the other day) but I've
: noticed ants, woodlice and some funny brown looking beetle type thing
: that likes the walls. I'm real keen on getting wildlife in but
: should I be worried that any of this lot are going to ruin my minor
: achievements so far?
:
: Advice gratefully received (don't yet have a book on bugs!).
:
: PS: if anyone else has undertaken such a project I would be really
: interested in any tips you may have - it's not a huge space but I
: just know it has potential (probably more than I have the imagination
: for!!)
:
: Thanks. Shaz

Robert

In article 1fw5ave.xkdc481xhc87oN%00senetnospamtodayta@macun limited.net
, Jim W writes

Brown beetles.. A harder one.. Can you describe them a bit better?
How long are they in mm (or in relation to a 1p or something??) Have
you seen them fly? Do they have any spots? Antennae, long or short? Do
they move fast or slow? Like sunny places or hide away...

Is there any way you can post a photo or put one in the scanner?

Some beetles are good.. Others are bad..

One of the main things seems to be - has it got a long nose? Long nose =
weevil and weevils seem more likely to be 'bad'.
Although a colleague of mine whose job was the study of weevils told me
how much more intelligent they were than beetles - beetles scurry all
over the place, weevils travel cautiously, trying out the way before
taking a step.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article 1fw5ave.xkdc481xhc87oN%00senetnospamtodayta@macun limited.net
, Jim W writes

Brown beetles.. A harder one.. Can you describe them a bit better?
How long are they in mm (or in relation to a 1p or something??) Have
you seen them fly? Do they have any spots? Antennae, long or short? Do
they move fast or slow? Like sunny places or hide away...

Is there any way you can post a photo or put one in the scanner?

Some beetles are good.. Others are bad..

One of the main things seems to be - has it got a long nose? Long nose =
weevil and weevils seem more likely to be 'bad'.
Although a colleague of mine whose job was the study of weevils told me
how much more intelligent they were than beetles - beetles scurry all
over the place, weevils travel cautiously, trying out the way before
taking a step.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Hi Kay

Don't like the sound of the slow-moving bit, as for getting a looks at the
nose, well, it stopped raining today but not a beetle in sight ....

Yours, faithfully hoping I don't have weevil and have to throw all my new
pots out!! Will Google go see if there's a picture - thanks anyway! Shaz

Pooh! Just called up vine weevil on Google, and that's the infernal beetle
looking at me! Funnily enough I first noticed them around a large pot I
moved, complete with Schumach baby in it, from the last house. Sooo not
impressed with now having a pot-filled courtyard garden! Still, seems to be
a plethora of products on the market to deal with them.

Well at least I know now. Next question: can anyone recommend, from
experience, the best product around please?

Yours, now slumping off to sit in front of the TV as I can't bear to go
outside again ......and after all that hard work { :~ (


"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article 1fw5ave.xkdc481xhc87oN%00senetnospamtodayta@macun limited.net
, Jim W writes

Brown beetles.. A harder one.. Can you describe them a bit better?
How long are they in mm (or in relation to a 1p or something??) Have
you seen them fly? Do they have any spots? Antennae, long or short? Do
they move fast or slow? Like sunny places or hide away...

Is there any way you can post a photo or put one in the scanner?

Some beetles are good.. Others are bad..

One of the main things seems to be - has it got a long nose? Long nose =
weevil and weevils seem more likely to be 'bad'.
Although a colleague of mine whose job was the study of weevils told me
how much more intelligent they were than beetles - beetles scurry all
over the place, weevils travel cautiously, trying out the way before
taking a step.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Sharon Hughes wrote:


Pooh! Just called up vine weevil on Google, and that's the infernal beetle
looking at me! Funnily enough I first noticed them around a large pot I
moved, complete with Schumach baby in it, from the last house. Sooo not
impressed with now having a pot-filled courtyard garden! Still, seems to be
a plethora of products on the market to deal with them.

Well at least I know now. Next question: can anyone recommend, from
experience, the best product around please?

Yours, now slumping off to sit in front of the TV as I can't bear to go
outside again ......and after all that hard work { :~ (

First check the pots.. If you have anything looking abit sickly, check
that first.. Small white grubs near the roots about 7mm long.. Could
WELL be vine weevil.. Bit if you look closely you will see that they are
in fact dark grey/brown with orange spots.. That is why I was asking
before..
the other thing is that they are flightless and will drop when
disturbed.

Once you've done a 100% ID then decide how to treat them..

Chemical means.. 1 main method.. Suscon green aka Bio Provado (IIRC,
this could be wrong).. Anyway there is one main retail, chmical method
available..

More biological or non chemical methods include trapping adults, using
grease around pots to prevent climbing, repottong badly affected plants
and washing roots and treating EVERY pot with a nematode biological
control.. THis will involve keeping pots moist for about 2 weeks after
so make sure you do it when you are around.

The other thing is that Vine weevil thrive particularly well in modern,
soft, peat based composts and in containers filled with it. We've made
life a lot easier for them by providing plenty of ideal habitat and free
global transportation!-)

So a change to 'old style' loam composts and using gritty mulches may
discourage them quite a bit. As it makes their egg laying harder.

Plenty of information on all the products online.. I get my nematode
control when needed (not very often) from:
http://www.organiccatalogue.com
//
JimW