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Greenfly.. or lack of !

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Greenfly.. or lack of !

Fri 26-Aug-11
9:11 pm

Glen

Northumberland

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For the first year ever, I've seen hardly any greenfly where I live. Just taking a climbing rose I have for example, it gets absolutely hammered by greenfly every year without fail, and the young lupins too always get hit extremely hard. In the 15 years I've lived where I do, it's the first year I've not had a single greenlfly! Not even one.

But while I've only seen one of two ladybirds, I have seen more Hoverflys than I have ever seen in my entire life. Normaly we see one or two, but there are so many this year that even our conservatory had over 30 in it a few days ago " took me ages to get them out as obviously I did not want to kill them. I'm guessing it's thanks to all these hoverflies that we have no greenfly this year.

No pests of any form on my tomatos either - it's a bit uncanny!

Has anyone else noticed this insect population inversion this year or is it local to me?

Meus terra erro est frigus

Fri 26-Aug-11
10:31 pm

Terrier

York

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glen

I normally have afew on my roses, and did so earlier in the summer, but now you mention it, I've not seen as many, lots of wasps, my tomatoes have been (and usually are, fingers crossed) pest free, but this year I've been growing marigolds amongst them. Seen plenty of ladybirds. No had any aphid problems on my lupins this year, which I usually have.

Sat 27-Aug-11
5:00 am

Hattie

Bucks/Oxon Border

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Same for me¦.I had put it down to the very cold winter. Fewer blackfly too.

We do have a lot of hover flies this tear & masses of ladybirds. I noticed there seem to be more butterflies & damselflies this year.

"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."

from Les Miserables

Sat 27-Aug-11
6:22 am

JoannaS

Latvia

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I have never seen much in the way of greenfly here in Latvia so perhaps your right about the cold winters cheers

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Sat 27-Aug-11
7:51 am

Bulgaria

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JoannaS said:

I have never seen much in the way of greenfly here in Latvia so perhaps your right about the cold winters

Same here...lots of butterflies, big beetles that shouldn't be able to take off let alone stay airborne and lacewings earlier in the season.... shoo_fly

Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria

Sat 27-Aug-11
7:58 am

JoannaS

Latvia

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Big beetles that sound like an bomber plane? The only thing which sounds similar are hornets, so they always make me look up and trying to make out what on earth it is that is flying around, they look like a flying DeLorean big_laugh

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Sat 27-Aug-11
8:39 am

Toffeeapple

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Same here, few aphids at all this year. Lots of Hoverflies and Ladybirds.

I'll try that again!

Sat 27-Aug-11
8:53 am

Sooliz

Somerset

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And here too. Like others, tons of hoverflies and bees (yay!) - more bees than last year. And loads and loads of little butterflies.....I'm not very up on insect life, but I assume they're butterflies and not moths, but could be wrong (it has been known big_laugh ).

learning to love veg…..except celery :-O

Sat 27-Aug-11
10:01 am

Toffeeapple

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There are quite a few day-flying moths so it is possible.

I'll try that again!

Sun 28-Aug-11
12:39 pm

Glen

Northumberland

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Yes - we've got millions of SMJs (Small Brown Jobs - a descriptive term of the hundreds of species of very similar looking small brown moths I once heard a lepidopterist use) in the fields behind our house this year - noticeably so as you walk through longer grass lots come flying up out of it this year. You usually see one or two but not as many as this time.

Meus terra erro est frigus

Sun 28-Aug-11
6:47 pm

JoannaS

Latvia

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I have a confession to make, I have started squishing butterflies - they were white ones though and they are decimating the broccoli we have in the greenhouse to see us through cooler days aargh