Beginner Gardening: bees, 1 by glendalekid

glendalekid wrote:
Nature,

Last year we had a swarm of ladybugs in the late summer. Have you seen this? Thousands and thousands of them everywhere -- in the house, all over the decks. I counted over a hundred just on the canopy of my porch swing. I wish I could have gotten a photo, but, like the swarm of dragonflies we had for a couple of weeks, it just wouldn't show up to any advantage in a photo.

We also have toads and lizards everywhere. I think they take care of a lot of the garden insect problems, too. I only had aphids on two of my tomato plants last year. Soapy water took care of that. And I had Jap beetles, but only on the cannas. They didn't bother anything else, even the rose bushes just six feet away from the cannas. Of course, I did have to squash the squash bugs.

I did try organic solutions for the fireants -- didn't work. But I don't like general insecticides. There are too many "good critters" in the yard and garden.

Karen

I tried to get a better shot of this guy, but he wouldn't hold still. LOL.