STOP! Don't Kill the Aphids!

[Bigmallly]

Please tell me you're not naming the baby Pip.......................

[BUFFS]

congratulations, as our aussie pals would say...that sure is a little beaut.. got an aaaaaagggghhh
from OH looking over my shoulder...well done..

[binley100]

aww.congratulations to you both ....

[Jeanied]

Lovely news FB and what a lovely baby - you must be so proud and congratulations to you both.

[Bal]

How adorable, congratulations, is wish I could give ?him (blue cardi) a cuddle.

[Bren In Pots]

Congrats to Mr and Mrs FB plus cuddles to baby FB

[Bill HH]

Congratulations, great time of year to be born, birthdays in the garden etc.

[FB.]

Thanks folks.

I've added some pictures to my previous 'outage' thread.
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1247061

[alldigging]

Aww fab! Congrats!

[Richard Eldritch]

Sorry bees but the aphids will suck the life out of my garden and have to go.

[FB.]

Sorry bees but the aphids will suck the life out of my garden and have to go.

Yes, aphids are a very damaging pest, but if we spray the aphids the bees will come into contact with the spray and without bees there won't be pollination.

[Richard Eldritch]

Not quite true. Hover flys and solitary bees do most of the work and they aren't interested in Aphids. That beeing said, I usually just spray once before the bees are out which doesn't kill everything but seems to strike a fair balance and keeps the aphids managable. Later on just use a soapy solution and jet wash teh little bleeders.....
Congrats by the way.

[Alison]

I remember about 35 / 40 years ago my old granddad saying that these sprays were mucking up the natural order of things and when you started spraying then you never stopped. What he meant was that you need to be very careful of killing one thing that you think is a pest as it may well cause damage to things you want by removing part of the food chain / another preditor or whatever. He was a very wise man.

[Knight of Albion]

He was a wise man indeed. You can't cut into one part of the natural chain without impacting on other parts of the chain.

I'll never forget how my neighbour called me round to his house one day. He had a nesting box which a pair of blue tits, I think they were if my memory is correct, had taken up residence in.
He had seen no activity that day, so had peeped inside... 4 fledglings all dead. Eyes popped.
I'm guessing someone hadn't wanted aphids on their roses or caterpillars on their cabbage and had sprayed, and subsequently the parent birds had unwittingly been ferrying back poisoned food...

[Bigmallly]

Or maybe a cat got hold of the parent.