I don't know how the Mandevilla will overwinter in Alameda, Kell. This will be their first winter. Hopefully if they are mulched well, they will do ok. The vines looked great when last saw them a few weeks ago.
I don't know the zone there. I'm sure it's lower than ours with the fog and bay breezes. Pure sand in the garden, though! Just the opposite of my heavy clay.
Take care of your back, Kin. You're right, Kell, this weather can't last forever, but I sure had fun planting all day.
So DISGUSTING!!!
oh dear! Sorry Kell - you know I'm not on often anymore. But that is gross! are they causing damage? The first photo I saw didn't look like flies but the latter ones did as I saw the wings.
Have you tried the easy organic ways first? Like soap/water and maybe even peroxide? And have you added that systemic Bayer you latched me on to that you only apply once a year? I'd hate to see all of your many and BEAUTIFUL Brugs get infested.
Miss chattin' with ya girlfriend. I only peep in here once in awhile. D mail me and I'll give you my regular addy that I do check daily. Life is just too complicated for me at this point. I hope you fix the prob.
Karebear
Angela, Thanks I was taking it slow didn't want to strain my back again. That would have been a mess at this time if I did.
Kell I hope you have some time to get your plants ready for winter. It was such a mild fall here and then BANG the Cold Hit!! My brugs held up nice the few days it got down to 30 but the 26 did the ones in that I just didn't have room for.
Here is a pic from last week.
are they going to come back next spring? oh, that is so sad looking.
LOL. If I start vacuuming my flowers that just gives my DH more proof to have me committed. His file is getting huge.
HI KARRIE!!! Good to see you. I hope you are settling into your new life and that all is well. We all sure miss you around here. I hope you have a grand Thanksgiving, Karrie! So far I can detect no damage from these bugs, they just look terrible.
Oh Kin, that is a sad looking brug. Really sad. My DH will put up the hoophouse on Thanksgiving. I hope. LOL I will cry if we get such a hard freeze here as you had.
Thanks Crystal, I had no clue.
you have a sense of humor! lol! I'm having trouble sleeping so I'm up very early and bored - but you made me laugh Gerris!
you were kidding?
OH NO! =))) too late for the smiths.
I just found this thread - horrors!!! They look like Western Flower Thrips and, or a Coffin Fly, sometimes called Sewer Fly. All are revolting!! I had thrips, first time ever here and they were blown in from OK by Katrina. My guru had me use:
Thiodan - 4 tablespoons per gallon
Mountain Dew Code Red - 1/2 can
Took little more than one spraying. He told me to use Hi Yield Di Syston next spring and that should take care of it. Ruined open blossoms, but otherwise did not injure the brugs, they were obviously happy to be rid of those nasty bugs...I didn't get to read all of the thread, just looked at the pics, hahaha, but I'll try to later and see what others had to say....
Oh gosh, don't be sorry! LOL. Thrips are evil. I really can't see what these bugs do for a living. They just seem to be lazy bums and just hang out smelling the flowers.
LOL Annapet, you took my line. LOL LOL
i have these bugs on my brugs too but not that many (although i don't go out at night to check on them).
I get ants on my peonies, but since they don't do any damage, I just leave them be.
You women and your bug stories are too funny !!!! Let's not forget one important thing here ladies: We all like flowers and how they look, smell etc...BUT,....the whole biological function of the flower (whatever it is...) is for the purpose of pollination...the plant produces the flowers to ATTRACT these bugs, be it by their fragrance, color, oils, whatever...so the bugs are only doing what they're SUPPOSED to do...so the pollination can take place...
Our enjoyment of the bloom is the LEAST of the plants concern...sorry to say, but true...besides,...I have been stung inside my nose more times than I can remember by bees while smelling a rose or some other fragrant flower...NOW THAT HURTS !!!!
When I read your posts about how gross bugs are, it reminds me of what my girlfriend used to say about scuba diving: "What's under the ocean is none of our business" !!!!!
Oh we understand that! But it's still ok for us to gross out when we see something we aren't used to seeing that we can't identify!
You haven't seen "disgusting" until you've seen a Jerusalem Cricket...aka Potato Bug...your Brugs Bugs are nothing compared to these things!!!! They've been known to carry off small animals and children...lol...then entire concept of this creature is just WRONG...they look like space aliens..
This last summer I was really disgusted when I was cutting down my spent Double Shirley Poppies. I got gooey, sticky orange stuff all over my hands. Nasty!
As I've said many, many times; over and over 'My tried and true recipe' for
Fungus Gnats:
Mix one teaspoon of household strength peroxide to 8 ounces of non-chlorinated water.
Put into a clean spray bottle. Spray liberally onto potted soil and bottom of stems' of the plants. You will hear popping and crackling in the soil as it kills the bacteria. This will not hurt you plants.
~* Robin
Why nonclorinated water, Robin? I guess I could use distilled.
This is my second year to have a GH and i haven't had bugs. FWIW, I use Mosquito Bits in and around all my plants, and I'm told it stops any number of bugs, not toxic to birds and animals. I put up fly paper but have never even seen a fly in the GH.
Nature Walker - Like the sound of rice crispies? I hear that every time someone touches my neck or my back, lol! I feel sorry for my physical therapist.
Hi Karrie! Welcome back to us. Hope your Christmas is a happy one!
;-) (that was a wink Kell) thanks! Missed ya lots! I am so glad to be back and have my life, as I know it now, but real, back. Things were to messed up. I need to be on my own. Check out the link on the prayer requests that I started. I hope you can find it, it's been updated.
Kell,
Ick, Ick, Ick, just when i think i've seen the last of that picture, it pops back up to the top. LOL
I haven't kept up with the thread, i hope you identified your little flies and found out how to get rid of them!
:)