arsenal
Gardening is not without it's creepy crawlies,
The aubergine went through a patch where it was covered in aphids. The creatures littered the plant daily, and didn't seem to move. Cue lots of thwacking the leaves to shift them. The things are awful persistent.
Recently, whilst the green aphids that were the aubergine are having some respite. A whole squadron of black ones have appeared on the runner beans. These, are accompanied by ants who scurry around amongst the aphids. The black smudges that litter the runner are apparently black bean aphids, that are farmed by the ants.
At first, I simply used the organic pest control that was found in the shed. Before stumbling on the washing up liquid concoction that you see top right, There are lots and lots of different anti bug sprays out there. I have no idea whether or not this one is effective, but it does need to be sprayed regularly. These black aphids, are just as persistent as the green ones.
Another pest, or rather group, are slugs and snails. These things make short work of chewing and chomping; creating leaves that look like a cross between net curtains and filligree. At the moment, Slug Stoppa copper tape is being utilised. When a slug or a snail passes over it, the tape gives a non-fatal shock. Shall see if that makes any difference.