I've had these most years in my hops. Are they hop lice?
I think they eat aphids, so I leave them alone
Hop Lice...
- Jocky
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Re: Hop Lice...
It's a ladybug larva. And yes, they'll devour aphids all day and night, so do whatever you can to encourage ladybirds to your hops.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.
Re: Hop Lice...
Brilliant! I love ladybirds, and they love my hops.
My cascades are 3/4 of the way up their lines, my Bramling Cross are just shooting - about 6 weeks behind - the cascades suffer with aphids, but by the time the Bramlings are up the ladybirds are all over them...
Pete
My cascades are 3/4 of the way up their lines, my Bramling Cross are just shooting - about 6 weeks behind - the cascades suffer with aphids, but by the time the Bramlings are up the ladybirds are all over them...
Pete
- Wonkydonkey
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Re: Hop Lice...
Yeh, if there on your hops you must have aphids there as well. Ladybugs don't lay where there's no food.
But let's hope she's laid a few more babe's to munch on the green sap-sucking-buggers.
But let's hope she's laid a few more babe's to munch on the green sap-sucking-buggers.
To Busy To Add,
- jmc
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Re: Hop Lice...
All mine have loads of aphids underneath the leaves this year. Green & black
Ladybirds are few and far between here.
Having said that they are all growing at a rate of knots.
Ladybirds are few and far between here.
Having said that they are all growing at a rate of knots.
Re: Hop Lice...
Much as I like ladybirds, that particular one in the photo I'd not be so pleased to see. It looks to me like a Harlequin Ladybird larva and whilst they'll munch all the aphids they can find, they are also apparently massively outcompeting native British ladybirds (the Harlequin is of Asian origin) and taking over from them. I've even read that they'll eat native ladybird larvae, butterfly eggs and lacewing larvae
James
James
- Jocky
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Re: Hop Lice...
Yes, it's a Harlequin ladybird larva. Unfortunately they're everywhere in the country now, and they were only introduced in 2004 (I've heard that someone introduced them intentionally to combat aphids on crops?).
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.