Ladybugs for woolly apple aphid
A three-year Washington survey found lady beetles, including the convergent lady beetle, among the commonest predators in woolly apple aphid colonies, alongside hoverfly larvae and lacewings. They work on the colonies on the branches only; the root colonies that do most of the damage are out of reach. Avoiding pyrethroids, which UC IPM links to outbreaks, keeps them and the parasitoid Aphelinus mali working.
Before you act
Everyone's first idea for aphids, and the one beneficial where buying is usually the wrong move. The ladybugs sold by the tub are convergent lady beetles collected from the wild, and UC IPM says most fly away within a day or two of release, even when aphids are plentiful. The larvae do much of the eating, and they turn up on their own wherever there are aphids. How to recognise it, what it is confused with and how to keep it around are on the full Ladybugs profile.
Other controls for woolly apple aphid
- Chrysoperla carneaGreen lacewing larvae · 2–20 /m² per release, weekly
- HoverfliesWild predator (larvae) · Wild — attract adults with open flowers