Mir fiel vorhin eine einzelne alate #Formica s. str. (Waldameise) Königin an einem kleinen Ahorn auf und offenbar war da irgendwo ein Nest in der Nähe. Am Nachbarbaum waren eine Menge Arbeiterinnen unterwegs, die Blattläuse hoch an die jungen Knospen gebracht und gegen Marienkäfer verteidigt haben.

#ants #ameisen #aphids

Photobombed by more #aphids when taking photos of #flowers. There are going to be so many of them in #Portland this year.

#BloomScrolling #MacroMonday #MacroPhotography

Aphids. Algonquin Park, Ontario.

#aphid #aphids #Algonquinpark #photography #wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #photo #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #photographie

It's that time of the year! And now I've been transporting #AsianLadyBeetles from the upstairs (where kitty spends a lot of her time), to the downstairs where I grow plants because ALB's eat #Aphids! Now, of course, they could crowd out #Ladybugs if they get out of control, so I won't be saving every single one of them. But still...

Multicolored Asian lady beetles

Quick facts

- The multicolored Asian lady beetle has become a nuisance in Minnesota.
- They cluster around buildings in large numbers during fall in search of protected sites for the winter
- Control measures should only be used to prevent entry of Asian lady beetles indoors.
- Multicolored Asian lady beetle and other lady beetle species feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects that can damage plants in agricultural crops, gardens and landscapes.
- These are beneficial insects to farmers and gardeners.

Asian lady beetle as a household pest

Multicolored Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance when they occur in large numbers inside homes.

- They do not infest wood, destroy fabrics, eat food or damage other property.
- These lady beetles cannot sting and do not carry disease.

Some concerns with multicolored Asian lady beetles are:

- Some can bite hard enough to break human skin, causing minor, short-lived discomfort. These bites happen when the beetles are searching for moisture or food.
- They can secrete a strong-smelling yellowish liquid from the joints of their legs. This liquid can stain light-colored surfaces.
- Exposure to dead lady beetles in buildings can cause allergic reactions in some people"

[Not mentioned: They can be toxic to cats and dogs if ingested!]

Learn more:
https://extension.umn.edu/nuisance-insects/multicolored-asian-lady-beetles

#SolarPunkSunday #NaturalPestControl #LadyBeetles

On my way to AAB Advances in Integrated Pest and Pathogen Management meeting - looking forward to a couple of days hearing about what's happening in applied IPPM research. https://www.aab.org.uk/event/advances-in-integrated-pest-and-pathogen-management/

I'll be talking about aphids on soft fruit, and how to optimise different aspects of biocontrol to improve the approach overall.

#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology