Bio Control on the farm.

This is kind of interesting.

This is the first year we've ever had this happen but all of our citrus has aphids. Not sure exactly why they appeared one day but here they are and they are yucky!!!

An organic way to control aphids is to us ladybugs as a bio control. Ladybugs eat aphids. So, my dear husband gets the info from cousin Jeff, and before you know it there are 15,000 ladybugs in my refrigerator awaiting to feast on a tasty treat.

The aphids secrete a sweet honey like substance that attracts other bugs and flies. Ants for instance farm aphids. They like the sweet stuff the aphids produce so they keep the aphids around and kill their preditors. The citrus trees are covered in all sorts of things that are attracted to the aphids. Some little flies, some ants, some wasp looking things. Its a whole coloney of insects moving in and out.

Bruce has been putting the ladybugs on the trees by hand and tonight Hannah wanted to help. The ladybugs came in a box and in a bag and you have to reach in and pull them out and put them on the trees. Hannah was into it. She had no problem reaching into the bag and pulling out a handful and putting them on the tree. She loved it. We started about 5 days ago and the ladybugs are already reproducing, laying eggs on the trees and eatting til their hearts content on aphids.

Ladybugs are cool.