In our greenhouse, we have a seven-year-old grape vine. It has served us well since we first planted it, producing plenty of grapes that have made some delicious preserves.
Our vine just coming into leaf.
However, over the last few years, we have been plagued by an infestation of Scale insects.
Scale insects covering a branch with honeydew hanging down.
These pesky little critters cover almost all of the upper branches of the vine and have resisted our best efforts to eradicate them.
Not only do they weaken the vine by sucking the sap they also excrete a sticky honeydew which then encourages the growth of sooty mould.
The use of chemicals for control isn't an option so in the past I have had to resort to scraping the branches with my hands. A messy and unpleasant task that doesn't solve the problem permanently.
This year we have gone for a different approach and have called in reinforcements.
After a bit of research, I sent off for a box of 50 Ladybird larvae (Adalia bipunctata to be precise). According to the blurb I have read on the internet, it should be a bit like releasing a pride of hungry lions into a field of sheep. The problem of the scale would go away.
Having suffered at the hands (claws?) of these creatures for a number of years we would finally be free!. You can imagine my excitement the other day when they arrived through the post.
50 larvae - who counts them?
As you can see the larvae are packaged in a small plastic box containing paper shreds. In the picture below you can just see the larvae as small black specks. Very small.
I tried to take a closer picture but the camera wasn't good enough - or it could have been my shaky hands! - so sorry for the blurriness. You can see one of the larvae in the centre of the picture.
Here's a more professional picture taken from the Internet to give you some idea as to what they look like.
These larvae feed on the pests and will then pupate into the two-spotted ladybird. These ladybirds will then continue the feeding, lay eggs and start the whole cycle round again.
The instructions said to introduce 1 or 2 larvae to the base of each branch. Easier said than done! For some reason, they refused to crawl out obediently and had to be teased out with the end of a pencil.
I must admit to a rather satisfying feeling of revenge when I released my little lions. "Go my little ones." "Feed, grow big and feed some more." "Enjoy."
Obviously, the results will take a little time to become apparent but if this works we should have an ongoing pest control system. Not only should they control the Scale but also aphids and other small insects.
Fingers crossed.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and would consider following me (I will reciprocate). Some of my posts are about mental health issues while others cover a wide range of subjects. For a taster of my musings please follow these links:-
How Gardening May Be Good For Us
A local landmark created by a giant....well maybe.
Space Debris - Part 1 - The Problem
More about Space Debris - Part 2 - The Effects
Why it might be a bad idea to blow up a satellite - Space Debris Part 3
A Dome For All Seasons - Part 1
A Dome For All Seasons - Part 2 - The saga continues.....
Is social media a force for good?
Sunset over the North Yorkshire Moors
How too much news may not be good for us
Another one on how dogs can help us
Until next time - take care of yourselves....