Background Behind Establishing a Lacewing Colony
So last year i lost nearly 100% of my cucumber and tomatoes due to caterpillar munching. We have fruit fly here, but it was the caterpillars that got us.
the previous year i was giving away cucumber by the box load at the Kindy. But last year = disaster.
so this year i am getting in fairly early. Daily checks to squash anything and i want to establish a LACEWING POPULATION in the garden.
They should eat the:
Aphids– One of their primary food sources, especially for larvae. Mealybugs – Lacewing larvae can help control these sap-sucking pests. Whiteflies – They attack both the nymphs and adults. Spider mites – Lacewing larvae are effective predators of mites. Thrips – Lacewings help reduce thrip populations. Caterpillar eggs and small caterpillars – They sometimes consume smaller, soft-bodied caterpillars. Scale insects – Soft-bodied scale insects are another target. Leaf miners – Lacewing larvae feed on leaf miner larvae as well.
Hopefully encouraging lacewings in my garden is going to be a great way to naturally manage these pests! As i also had a huge leaf miner problem last year i'm hoping these will help. EDIT - nope... they did help at first, but then i think we overloaded on CLM and my plants have been eaten again. but i think that is a timing thing and the DID help at first
while i am aware that establishing a great biome is the best way, sometimes they need a hand. I will be buying in a few critters, and trying to make a wonderful home for them full of varied edibles and flowers. I don't like insecticides... so bugs it is. Along with creating lots of varied habitat.
( here is some of the damage from the leaf miner, it weakens trees and makes them look ugly)
Where to Buy The Lacewings?
https://bugsforbugs.com.au/
This is where i have ordered the lacewings from. I ordered lady bugs a few months ago. Great service and i was very happy.
BACKGROUND EDUCATION - what are lacewings?
Lacewings are these incredible little insects that are a must-have for the garden. They’ve got these beautiful, delicate, almost see-through wings, and they’re absolute champions when it comes to pest control. The larvae, which are sometimes called "aphid lions," go after all the pests we don't want—aphids, whiteflies, mites—you name it. My husband is obsessed with bugs, and we're always out in the garden catching and checking out whatever we can find, so lacewings are a bit of a family favourite around here.
Lacewings love a garden that's full of good hiding spots and lots of food—pretty much exactly what we've got going on here! I’ve planted heaps of flowers like stock, marigolds, alyssum, and cornflowers, and I also let my veggies go to seed. The insects absolutely adore the flowers from the broccoli, dill, and coriander. Lacewings seem to enjoy these spaces too, as it gives them shelter during the day, plus a nice buffet of pests when they come out at night.
If you want lacewings in your garden, just plant a few of their favourite flowers and try not to use too many pesticides. I know that we are buying some in to boost the supply, but honestly, if you make your garden a haven with plenty of blooms and good bug food, they’ll probably show up on their own. Once they settle in, they’ll help keep your garden’s pest population in check, which is always a win!
awwwww they are just so darn cute!
Photos from release day
Photos from Harvest day and concluding thoughts
So we had GREAT success from the bug release. It was amazing so many of the little munchie crunchers disapeared and we had an amazing harvest. however i feel that bugs are on the rise again (its mid summer in brisbane and that does not help as the vines stress a bit in the heat making them more vunerable. ) However fingers crossed that this will work.
So as you can see. there is loads of green and loads of cucumber
i have kept the kids munching in cool cucumber all summer so far. we have been eating like 2 whole cucmbers a day. these range i price at the super market from $1 to $4 each. so this has been pretty good.
certainly not super econimical with the price of water and soil. but NOTHING beats fresh cucmber straight from the garden.
am i right?
so BLINGIT is signing off for now
happy days folks
Below is the garden when we moved in - green - but nothing to eat
CONCLUDING MESSAGES
Just another very busy week all in all. I will now sign off and start the next video.. lol... as its already late as well
talk later
happy gardening
Sarah
Anyway thanks so much for stopping along and reading my posts I am just loving my HIVE experience so far. Such a fun platform for sure.
For those that don't know my i'm currently focusing on Daily painting and somewhat amusing my self and my family with Acrylic pouring.. lol.. i wish i had a separate studio for that as it is so messy.
My other HIVE interests are: - cooking sunset photography (i take photos of the sky every night) Art Graphic Design Gardening (just a smidgion) Ballet
Here are a couple of snaps of some of the stuff i do outside what you see up in the posts above.
