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#aphids

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🧵 If you listened to my micro-macro-amplifyer you could hear a "roaaarrr!" against #aphids on my rose. In German, #ladybird larvae are called Blattlauslöwen, #aphid lions.

Because of the warm winter and the terrible dryness, we have myriads of aphids. And because of farmers using more pesticides, we have less #insects and insect eating #birds. So more aphids*. Everything is #interconnected. Read ALT!

Replied in thread

@acm_redfox "Researchers observed that larval lacewings that do feed on [oleander aphids] may not mature normally, that ladybug larvae may have deformed wings as adults, and that afflicted spiders spin aberrant webs." uwm.edu/field-station/bug-of-t

It seems that some ladybugs can be harmed by oleander aphids, although perhaps others can tolerate their poisons.

Which bugs, ladybugs or otherwise, can eat these aphids without taking damage? It's not clear to me.

Field Station · Oleander Aphid (Family Aphididae)Oleander Aphids' native haunts are the Mediterranean region, but now it enjoys warm locations everywhere. They are found everywhere that their host plants grow, and within certain constraints, they are generalist feeders. Oleander, a member of the dogbane family, is found throughout the southern U.S., but in this neck of the woods, they mainly grow on milkweeds.

Oleander aphids (Aphis nerii) are on my milkweed again. They are unsightly, and may stress the plants and spread plant disease. Insecticides or even jets of water risk harming monarch caterpillars.

So I want biological control. What natural predators can kill oleander aphids without being hurt by their toxins? Are any of them native?

This paper suggests planting "service plants" to attract predators, but I don't know which predators I want to attract: mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/11/1038

The #Norwaymaple #Acer #platanoides is a native #tree of (Central) #Europe that spread northward after the last #IceAge along with mixed oak forests and is still commonly found in such #treecommunities today. Like all #trees, it offers #habitats for numerous organisms, forming complex macro#ecosystems, e.g., the #leaves, where #aphids feed, while the #ant #Formica #fusca is collecting their excretions (honeydew) as food.
#ecology #evolution
© #StefanFWirth #Berlin May 2025

#Photos
© S.F. Wirth