John Slejpner
Member
- Location
- Brick clay near Bedford
Spotted a few of each colour in 60% ear emerged Skyfall this pm. At least two lemon for every orange.
I thought one of the fringe benefits of the ground being so dry would be no midge till rainfall...seems i was wrong. Nowhere near spray threshold.
More disappointing in a way, and very surprising, was the number of aphid present. I had noticed a few peach and more green on leaves 1 and especially 2 earlier in the week but their numbers have just exploded. Peach are colonising on the ear..maybe 1 ear in 50 so far..and one colony of black (bean i assume) aphid on ear also.
In 20 years of spraying i have never sprayed aphid at this time of year. Can't remember ever coming close to needing to.
In the 80/90's my father did plenty, but those were different times.
Re natural predators i have to admit to wondering where my spiders have gone. I few ladybirds about, but they are obviously not making an impression. 40 ml of autumn Hallmark on most of what i was looking at this PM.
No autumn insecticide on later drilled wheat not yet on ear, but i know there are a few aphids in these crops also.
I thought one of the fringe benefits of the ground being so dry would be no midge till rainfall...seems i was wrong. Nowhere near spray threshold.
More disappointing in a way, and very surprising, was the number of aphid present. I had noticed a few peach and more green on leaves 1 and especially 2 earlier in the week but their numbers have just exploded. Peach are colonising on the ear..maybe 1 ear in 50 so far..and one colony of black (bean i assume) aphid on ear also.
In 20 years of spraying i have never sprayed aphid at this time of year. Can't remember ever coming close to needing to.
In the 80/90's my father did plenty, but those were different times.
Re natural predators i have to admit to wondering where my spiders have gone. I few ladybirds about, but they are obviously not making an impression. 40 ml of autumn Hallmark on most of what i was looking at this PM.
No autumn insecticide on later drilled wheat not yet on ear, but i know there are a few aphids in these crops also.