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Post by fredg on Sept 3, 2021 13:30:36 GMT
I was awakened from the post lunch snooze by a tickle on my hand. It turned out to be this little chap. He's about 3 - 4mm long. By coincidence I'd posted the ID chart for these and their kin on another forum yesterday. It is of course a Harlequin Ladybird larva. It was transported to a Begonia wall basket.
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Post by fredg on Sept 3, 2021 14:38:10 GMT
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Post by stevebooth on Sept 3, 2021 14:59:17 GMT
a welcome addition to any garden.
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Post by dvg on Sept 3, 2021 15:09:43 GMT
Yes indeed, an aphid's nightmare materialized...
dvg
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Post by corky on Sept 3, 2021 15:54:50 GMT
And mealy bugs nemesis , need these guys around your succulents
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Post by fredg on Sept 3, 2021 18:26:11 GMT
Here's a little info.
Now the question is, are they a good thing to have or not.
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Post by dvg on Sept 3, 2021 18:57:05 GMT
Having a voracious appetite is an appealing attribute in an insect predator.
Plus, with your local predatory wasps preying on these ladybirds, their numbers will be kept in check.
And it could always be worse, have any Murder Hornets (Vespa mandarinia),shown up there yet?
We've been seeing them in BC, here.
dvg
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Post by corky on Sept 3, 2021 20:20:41 GMT
Didn't realise it was not a native I just looked at the pic and thought ladybird larvae
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Post by dvg on Sept 3, 2021 22:43:07 GMT
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Post by stevebooth on Sept 4, 2021 11:23:52 GMT
The downsides of having a plethora of self set nasturtiums growing at will is that you gret blackfly and cabbage white caterpillars, on the up side you get a lot of ladybirds. I too have the non native harlequin larvae, I haven’t seen any native larvae as yet. This one is on a Mongolian giant sunflower leaf (which incidentally are fully 10’ tall but regrettably have only just come into flower due to the consistently freezing nighttime temperatures in April).
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Post by stevebooth on Sept 4, 2021 15:46:56 GMT
Well I have found many more larvae all making their way upward and a lot stopping on the roof of the chilli cloche as it is warm. The reason being they are looking for a place to pupate here’s another one looking for a place to pupate and one that has affixed itself quite sturdily to the cloche top, I suspect by penetrating it with some part of its anatomy. Cheers Steve
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Post by stevebooth on Sept 12, 2021 8:47:53 GMT
A dangerous game! Not really I moved it to a nasturtium leaf with blackfy. cheers steve
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