Claire asked 16 years ago
Hello Gerry,I wonder if you can tell me where I could purchase some lacewing larvae to eat all the greenfly in my garden? I’ve already got some ladybirds but can’t locate anywhere in Ireland that sells the Lacewings, and it doesn’t seem that English companies will send them to Ireland. Many thanks for your help.
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
The thing about nature is balance … if your garden has a lot of greenflies, predators, such as ladybirds and lacewings, hoverflies and parasites will arrive, sooner or later, to eat them. After a time, balance will be restored.
The thing to do is to have a rich mixture of plants: annuals such as limnanthes, perennials, shrubs and trees. Plenty of flowers and fruiting plants enocurage wildlife. Wild life means insect life as much as birds and larger animals. If you do this, your garden will be well-supplied naturally with beneficial insects to keep pest species at acceptable levels.
While commercially available biological control agents can have a role, they are a temporary expedient.
