Lack of aphids

[YumYum]

The worst bug I've ever had on my tomatoes by far has been the aphid. They are also called plant lice and they will suck the life out of a plant to be so little. This year I haven't had the first problem with aphids and I can't figure out why. Not even the first aphid. Not on my peppers, not on my potatoes, not on my eggplants. Plenty of flea beetles and june bugs. I've only used and insecticide a couple times only because of flea beetles and june bugs and cabbage worm larvae. Cabbage worms were even light on me this year. Haven't saw the first lady bug. I'm really baffled about the aphids because without them I haven't had to work so hard on the insect pressure. Any one else noticed this situation this year?

 

[oneeye]

Aphids thrive due to conditions. When the conditions change they leave and come back when the conditions are right.

 

[Heirloom farmer1969]

I've not seen hardly any kind of bugs. I think oneeye is right, and here it's just not been the best conditions for them.

 

[pepper]

I have only seen a couple of slugs so far, they should be out by now. It's been dry but not overly dry here. I also haven't seen any tent caterpillars, usually I am constantly pulling their web tents out of my apple and plum trees. Actually come to think of it the only pests I've had are cucumber beetles and leaf miners. I haven't seen many bees either and only a few ladybugs. And I stay up and go out at night sometimes to watch the fireflies but even they are not out, only a few. Tons of mosquitoes though, I think even if it was the Armageddon apocalypse there would still be tons of mosquitoes lol.

 

[Susan BBPM]

We've had a very hot, dry spring this year (Scotland). I've noticed very few ladybirds, aphids and slugs (something we usually get a lot of).
However, I'm now noticing what I'm pretty certain is earwig damage to many of my plants (not something I've noticed before). I've read that earwigs eat baby slugs and aphids. As ladybirds feed off aphids the lack of food would explain their absence. I'm also seeing far fewer ants (is this also due to the reduced aphid population?

So, has the hot, dry spring favoured earwigs? It seems unlikely as they like damp conditions and rotting wood. I put rotten wood at the bottom of some of my containers - has that created ideal earwig habitat? Another possibility is that I grew LOADS of sunflowers last year, and whilst I didn't see earwig damage I did notice that earwigs loved setting up home in the flower heads. So perhaps I supported the population last year and now they're repaying me by eating my young plants?

I'm not seeing earwigs - just the damage they cause.

 

[YumYum]

I'm not seeing earwigs - just the damage they cause.

Are you looking for them at night time?

 

[Susan BBPM]

Are you looking for them at night time?

Not yet. When I get a dry night I'll go out and confirm. But I'm pretty confident the damage I'm seeing is from earwigs.

 

[pepper]

Not yet. When I get a dry night I'll go out and confirm. But I'm pretty confident the damage I'm seeing is from earwigs.

If you dampen corrugated cardboard stacked in a cardboard box the earwigs will go in the grooves during the day. You can then burn the little buggers or spray then with soapy water. It works great to bring their numbers down. Soapy water kills them instantly.

 

[Susan BBPM]

If you dampen corrugated cardboard stacked in a cardboard box the earwigs will go in the grooves during the day. You can then burn the little buggers or spray then with soapy water. It works great to bring their numbers down. Soapy water kills them instantly.

i've been spraying the affected plants (cucumber, morning glory, asters) with neem and that does the trick to stop the nibbling. Although I think they've been having a go at my potatoes too!