Do you know of any safe organic pesticides?

[Two_Sheds]

I don't know what is doing the harm.

Um, OK.

What harm has been done? Let's do this back-to-front ways

[rustylady]

I am not sure but it was small. If they do not, where do they get food from?

Flies usually feed on rotting meat or vegetation. If they're in the greenhouse they could be compost gnats, or they may have just gone in there for a warm up. The flies that get into my greenhouse usually provide food for the spiders.

[rustylady]

I don't know what is doing the harm.

What harm?

[Nick Blair]

What harm?

Many vegetables have been eaten, even my Land Cress has been attacked.

There are many small black balls which look like poo on many different vegetables.

I think the two are probably a bit connected.

[Two_Sheds]

There are many small black balls which look like poo on many different vegetables.

Could be:

1) caterpillar poo
2) blackfly


I think most likely to be caterpillars: there are many different kinds, and they do eat vegetables (unlike flies). You need to hunt amongst the leaves, especially look very carefully at any rolled up leaves

[rustylady]

Could even be snails, specially in a greenhouse. They eat vegetables, and I seem to remember that you said you usually keep your greenhouse closed and damp, which is the ideal environment for snails.

[Nick Blair]

Could even be snails, specially in a greenhouse. They eat vegetables, and I seem to remember that you said you usually keep your greenhouse closed and damp, which is the ideal environment for snails.

It is the vegetables outdoors that are worsed affected, but they are near a wall.

I have not had much problems with vegetables in the greenhouse for about a month or so. I have not seen any snails inside the greenhouse lately either.

[Nick Blair]

Could be:

1) caterpillar poo
2) blackfly


I think most likely to be caterpillars: there are many different kinds, and they do eat vegetables (unlike flies). You need to hunt amongst the leaves, especially look very carefully at any rolled up leaves

Can blackflys attack vegetables or do much damage?

I will do but its hard when the caterpillers are camaflaged.

[rustylady]

It is the vegetables outdoors that are worsed affected, but they are near a wall.

Snails love walls, specially old brick walls with nooks and crannies where they can hide during the heat of the day.

[Two_Sheds]

Can blackflys attack vegetables or do much damage?

Aphids are variety specific. What vegetables are being affected and how?
Blackfly (black bean aphid) will congregate in huge numbers on beans. There will also be ants present, which milk the aphids.

I will do but its hard when the caterpillers are camaflaged.

Not as hard as letting them eat all your food

[Nick Blair]

Snails love walls, specially old brick walls with nooks and crannies where they can hide during the heat of the day.

Well the wall is wood but it is old and has ivy and holes in it. For the first 10 or so days I had vegetables there, there was no problems and then suddenly damage became bad.

[Nick Blair]

Aphids are variety specific. What vegetables are being affected and how?
Blackfly (black bean aphid) will congregate in huge numbers on beans. There will also be ants present, which milk the aphids.

Not as hard as letting them eat all your food

I have seen huge number of greenflys on spinach but ironically the plant seemed very healthy.

The vegetables that had been harmed the most was a winter salad mix. It was growing very well too. But whole cucumber plants leaves and gone too and Land Cress had been damaged, but appers to survive.

[Two_Sheds]

Well, you done me.

I give up. Maybe it's spiders from Mars?

[rustylady]

Well the wall is wood but it is old and has ivy and holes in it. For the first 10 or so days I had vegetables there, there was no problems and then suddenly damage became bad.

Ivy is a fantastic shelter for snails. When you say you had vegetables for 10 days, do you mean they were newly sown or transplanted? And what sort of veg were they?

[Nick Blair]

Ivy is a fantastic shelter for snails. When you say you had vegetables for 10 days, do you mean they were newly sown or transplanted? And what sort of veg were they?

No, they are vegtables from pots that I moved there, some were small. It is the winter salad mix that has been attacked the most but cucumber and land cress has also been attacked and the land cress has black balls on it.