Ladybirds

[Don Woolley]

Anyone else noticed ladybirds in fancy dress ?

[bluebell]

Hi Don
Check out bbc breathing spaces site for id. I have to say that I had not noticed some of the patterns until I started looking.

[Ros]

I have noticedthat there are hardly any ladybirdsaroundhere in Nottingham – also not many hoverflies. The latter may be one reasonwhy I am getting a very poor set on my runner beans.

[charles]

 Ros I hope that you will see ladybirds any day now, they only recently arrived here and are now everywhere I look!

I wonder if the poor set of beans is from dry soil? when plants are stressed by drought, their flowers drop off.

[Eileen44]

I have just seen my first harlequin ladybird here in Nottingham – shiny black body with two red spots – but like you Ros I haven’t seen any of our common British species.I also have few beans although the plants are healthy and rampant. I have watered regularly and was a little concerned about over-watering.
Charles, I hope you’re right and the ladybirds are on their way and meanwhile should I be pinching out the tips of the beanstalks to encourage the production of beans?

[charles]

 Eileen, I have never pinched out their tops and I wonder why yours are flowering (?) but not setting. Puzzling in this lovely summer and you are watering too.  Are there nearby trees pinching water perhaps?

[Eileen44]

Hi Charles,
Interesting you should mention possible effect of trees. My garden is long and narrow and my neighbours’ gardens running the length of my garden on both sides each contain several large trees including 60ft eucalyptus, even taller sycamore, numerous leylandii-type evergreen trees also fully grown. Our gardens are all the same size(10mtr x 35mtr).

Because of the position and influence of the eucalyptus I have placed my wooden-sided, raised beds in the middle section of my garden and although this particular tree doesn’t block out any light I can see it’s effect on the growth of the sweetcorn which is the veg nearest to it.

But how would these trees which are not overhanging the beans stop them from setting?

[charles]

 I suspect that your beans are not setting because the tree roots are pulling moisture out, even a little faster than you put it in. Try watering little and often perhaps, so the beans can grab it first! 

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