Yesterday, during my inspection walk (sounds like military talk, eh?) I was happy to see tons of ladybugs doing their thing in the garden. The last few weeks of consistent (and unusual) temps over 80 degrees has brought about lots of bugs too early for my taste...so I take all the natural help I can get.
In one of the Jasmine bushes I saw what I thought was a little white scale on the surface. Today, I went to prune the offending bugs and ended up up rooting the entire bush. Plus, I had to throw out the store-bought mulch which seemed to have a fungus on it and the soil surrounding the area. with things going as well as they possibly could pest-wise during the last year or so I had forgotten the cardinal rule: Look Up Yer Garden's Skirt!
So, if you are in Florida, or in any area where you are getting uncommon heat this time of the year don't sit on your arse! Go out there and check the underside of all your plants. Seriously.
On the Photo: ladybug feeding on what looks like Mexican Bean Beetle eggs...normally found cow peas, lima beans, pole beans, soybeans, snap beans...you get the idea...oh also, sometimes in some brassicas (e.g., kale, cabbage, etc.).
By the way, last year I bought lady bugs, and it was an utter waste of money. I followed the package's instructions perfectly and by the next day there was not one to be found. I think they are trained (like doves) to go back to where they came from by the breeders ☺...anyway, yesterday I was looking around online to learn more about bugs (a gardener can never know enough about bugs and soil) and found this wonderful bug site...it will be in my permanent blog/website list if you ever need the address again.
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