12 June 2023

Customer Question – Aphids in Cherry Tree

Q. “I have a couple of questions, but just for context, I ordered 50 ladybirds and a ladybird lodge for a cherry tree that is covered in aphids :-

1. It’s been a day, and there don’t seem to be any ladybirds in the lodge anymore, I can, however, see there are some eggs in the lodge. Do you think for the size of the tree, I should order more? (pic attached)
2. The tree was sprayed a few days before with water and vinegar (1 part vinegar 3 parts water). Is this okay for the ladybirds? Should the tree be re-sprayed with water to remove any vinegar?

I’ve attached some pictures to get an idea of the size of the tree and a picture of some of the aphids on it.” from Diana by email

A. Thanks for the message and the lodge looks great in the tree. Vinegar won’t harm the ladybirds so that is fine. Establishing ladybirds does take time i.e. it is totally normal for the ladybirds to disperses once you release them, so they can get on with their job i.e. eating and breeding. Green Gardening and releasing living predators especially is a leap of faith, so rather than seeing more ladybirds, success is the lack of pests, so keep avoiding chemical sprays and as the ladybirds breed, over a period of time the number of beneficial insects in your garden will increase (and you will see more ladybirds) and the number of pests will decrease. Are there any ants running up and down the truck? If so pop some Barrier Glue / Glue Band or Vaseline around the truck to stop them as the ants will protect the aphids from the aphids as they harvest the honeydew they produce. The more Ladybird Larvae you release the quicker a colony will establish, so you could introduce some larvae or just wait for them to breed – depends how patient you are.

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