There are greenfly aphids on my broad beans and it has taken resolve to leave them be for the last week. Broad beans are really a temperate climate crop and in this subtropical climate it’s always a bit of a gamble giving precious bed space to them at all. So holding your nerve that the ladybeetles will breed up in time is always a test of resolve.
But here they are. On my carrot flowers. Not just beetles but lots of their larvae.
Ladybeetles, like most insectivore pest predators, need a supply of nectar to go with the proteins in an aphid diet, especially if they are to lay eggs and breed. This patch of carrots went to seed at exactly the right time. Umbelliferae family – carrots, fennel, celery, parsley and their relatives – have flowers that are perfect food and attractants for lady beetles. The lady beetles will enjoy the task of aphid eradication much more than I would, and they’ll be a whole lot better at it than me. I’m so glad I left that patch of carrots.
