black fly, and catterpillars, is it ok to leave them??

[lynda66]

black fly, and catterpillars, is it ok to leave them??

i had a good look at my nasturtiums while weeding today, and there were lots of caterpillars, and blackfly, is it ok to leave them? or are the black fly likely to multiply and fly off to my veg??

i've had very few on my veg at all, the odd green caterpillar, and a few yellow eggs, even though they arent covered with fleece or anything, i even left some cauli plants in the corner of the garden with no chilli/garlic spray, but none of them have had any bugs either. just this mass of blackfly and yellow/black caterpillars on the nasturtiums.

[sewer rat]

You can leave them or spray them - your choice. That's why we grow nasturtiums after all - sacrificial plants
As long as your nasturtiums are still growing, your veg should be okay

[Alice]

If you're averse to spraying them Lynda, then leave them on the Nasturiums. While they're there they won't be on your veg. I always grow nasturiums close to the veg for that reason. But you are breeding them up for next year. I don't spray my veg but I do spray the Nasturiums - Im not going to eat them - and I do what I can to make sure nothing else does either.

[marigold007]

I pick off the really badly infected leaves and compost them.

[lynda66]

i don't mind getting rid of the blackfly, but the caterpillars are actually really cute, i was watching them munch, they ate a whole leaf, the nasturtiums could do with a bit of munching, they have taken over, the garden, i pulled a load up the other day, cos they were stopping the pansies and violas growing.

i think i'll chuck the blackfly leaves then, i don't really want millions next year.

[Two_Sheds]

i don't mind getting rid of the blackfly, but the caterpillars are actually really cute,

what's your address, I'll post you all of mine
they aren't cute. Each one will turn into a butterfly and produce many, many more caterpillars next year.

I drowned 64 of the blighters over the last two days ... they were underneath my netting.

[BarleySugar]

I was watching a programme about how the weather has had a serious impact on most butterflies this year, except for the cabbage whites, which are thriving
I would get rid of as many as you can, they aren't endangered!

[Capsid]

Getting rid of them this year is no guarantee of there being less next year. Blackfly numbers can increase very quickly since they reproduce asexually, even the young are born pregnant! So each year is a new battle I'm afraid.

[lainey lou]

Getting rid of them this year is no guarantee of there being less next year. Blackfly numbers can increase very quickly since they reproduce asexually, even the young are born pregnant! So each year is a new battle I'm afraid.

darn it!

[lynda66]

i don't have a problem with squishing the eggs on my caulis, but once they turn into caterpillars i can't squish em,and if they aren't on the veg, then they aren't really a problem. mind you there won't be much left of the nasturtiums if they carry on lol, and if they go anywhere near my rose bush they will be in big trubble........ i think maybe i'll take them to find a nettle patch, then they wont turn into butterflies in the garden.

the blackfly are history, i just sprayed em with chilli/garlic, and put the infected leaves in the brown bin ...... there aren't any ladybirds about to eat them.

so do the little green ones from the yellow eggs turn into these?

[Two_Sheds]

caterpillars ... i think maybe i'll take them to find a nettle patch, then they wont turn into butterflies in the garden.

But cabbage white caterpillars don't eat (or live on) nettles. They eat ... cabbages and nasturtiums, radish, charlock ...

Once they've turned into butterflies, they will fly back to your garden to search for food