Our cherry orchard has aphids.
I didn’t think they were a huge deal, but looking at the trees “infected” with aphids, it turns out they are. They cover the leaves in some cases, and their sheer numbers can cause serious damage to the trees. On the advice of a few people, I bought some ladybugs.
Three thousand of them.
They come in bags of (apparently) 750 ladybugs each. I didn’t count them. It was kind of fun to watch these little bugs scurry around inside their bags, just waiting for some juicy aphids to munch on.
I spread some around the bases of the trees…
… And sprinkled others on the leaves directly.
I have no idea what to expect from these little guys; will they take care of the aphids within days? Are 3,000 of them enough?
These two need to stop chattering and get to work:
I feel like every few months, we have some crazy new adventure at our house. From chainsaws to raking gravel to v-bar chains, it’s anyone’s guess what disaster will befall us next and require us to learn some new Montana skill.