There are people that find bugs and insects fascinating. This time of year is a time when we need to be focusing on flying pests that might attack the sea buckthorn at Devereux farm. Spotted winged fruit fly (SWD) and sea buckthorn fly are the two in particular that are creating concern across Europe.
So this week when Sam, ( youngest member of the Eagle family ((16)) found not just one but two mystery bugs I was concerned. Our sea buckthorn is sourced from Siberia so knowledge as to what insects are good and which will be pests is an issue. One of the principle reasons for sticking to a concept of growing sea buckthorn with organic principles is to protect beneficial insects when trying to control pests. Beneficial insects are part of a wider diversity that needs environmental balance.Destroy any part of it and we create a situation when intervention to control pests becomes more and more intensive. The concept of light management requires a reactive approach to control issues when they appear as opposed. The alternative proactive approach would require imposing control measures on an insurance basis incurring cost and environmental impact that might not be necessary. As year’s go by, identifying which pests are an issue and when they appear will provide annual program of management that will react to the first appearance of a recognised problem. This is something that is already an action that looks to control the vapourer moth caterpillers.
So what were Sam’s bugs. He poured over google identification sites and came up with the fact that not just one but both were of foreign origin. Both thankfully for Devereux are not a pest for the sea buckthorn but they might have implications for our native species.
The first is a larva from the Asian multi-coloured ladybird bettle ( Harmonia axyridis). A handsome black insect with six legs and orange spots on its back. The second a grey, six legged insect again with orange, but also black spots on its back. This he identified as the 7 spotted ladybird ( Coccinella Septempunctata). Both of these are insect eaters and therefore I see as beneficial for our crop for the future. The fact that there are a lot of them may have implications for other competing insects living within the same environment. For there to be a significant population they must be feeding on a good food source.