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yellow and black lady bird
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Posted by paradisi Sunshine Coast (My Page) on Wed, Sep 28, 05 at 3:11
| is the yellow and black ladybird a goodie or a baddie??
i've got a dozen or so on a zucchini and I don't know if they are causing the damage or they are eating what has caused the damage |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: yellow and black lady bird
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| The only one you have to worry about is the 26-28 spot ladybird they are orange/yellow and tend to feed on the upper surfaces of leaves the leaves may become brown amd papery, removal by hand is suggested Do not confuse these pests with the common spotted ladybird which has only 18 spots and eat aphids and other small plant pests.... Cheers..MM. |
RE: yellow and black lady bird
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Hi
I had the same problem! The 26-28 spotted ones are bad, it has taken us 3 seasons to finally get them under control! Thankfully we have many of the 'good' lady bugs in both yellow and red, which are attracted to the powdery mildew on leaves. If they are affecting your plants growth I would suggest culling them, or else do as I did move them to a friends garden who needed them.
Happy gardening |
RE: yellow and black lady bird
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| The yellow & black ladybird is definately a goodie, they are attracted to powdery mildew because they feed on it and it's only the yellow & black ones that do eat it, most other ladybirds are predatory, except the 26-28 spot ones, they attack plants in the cucurbitacea family, that is your zucchinis, cucumbers & pumpkins etc, If you are having a problem with powdery mildew, which is caused by a fungi, there are a number of things you can do to try and prevent it from spreading, don't crowd your plants, make sure they have good air circulation around them, always water them in the morning rather than evening, and try not to wet the leaves, give the plant/plants a regular seaweed extract spray ( leaves and all with this, a morning application) and I have read that a milk mix (1 part milk to 9 parts water) regularly sprayed on young plants will help prevent it, although I haven't tried this myself, but if your plants are mature and already badly infected it maybe too late for this, I do know that the powdery mildew does not affect the fruit but it does affect the plants growth often shortening zucchini's life, but hey, the weather is beautiful so get some more seeds in, zucchinis grow and produce so fast, what are you waiting for!!!!!!!!Kindest regards, Annette. |
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