posted
Hi, this is my first post! I've just popped out into the garden on what feels lke the first warm morning of the year, and noticed that my camellia shrub/tree is covered in flies.
Has anyone else experienced this, and is there anything I can do to encourage them to leave? I like to garden as organically as possible if that makes any difference?
I could really do with a hand! Plants: 3 | From: UK | Registered: Mar 2006
| Seeded: 85.210.24.229
posted
are the flies hurting the plant in anyway? or are they just hanging out and sunning themselves? any photos? know what kind of flies they are?
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 64.12.117.7
posted
I think they're just houseflys, possibly a couple of bluebottles. There are a lot of brown flecks on the leaves, but it's just starting to flower and it's covered in buds, so I guess it's healthy enough. Do the flies eat aphids? The tree was really suffering with aphids last year, so if they will eat the aphids they can stay with pleasure!
Plants: 3 | From: UK | Registered: Mar 2006
| Seeded: 85.210.24.229
posted
long legged flies will eat aphids and some of the other fly species.. also being UK I don't know your insect complexes like here in the state. I highly doubt they are a problem.
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 64.12.117.7
posted
I've noticed i get a lot of flies on plants which are affected by scale insect. They are attracted to the sweet sticky stuff the scale exude. Aphids have a similar effect. In these cases, the flies are a symptom of the scale/aphid problem. Do you have a sticky substance or a black sooty substance on the camellia?
* * * * The secret is the soil. Plants: 1184 | From: East Coast | Registered: Sep 2004
| Seeded: 146.38.90.16
posted
well some flies will lap up the honeydew, but you do not need to treat for the flies, you need to treat for the soft scale, whitefly, or aphids. A hort oil would work. But also predatory flies just sit on plants and perch looking for food.
FYI hard scale does not drip honey dew but mealybugs do because mealybugs are a type of scale.
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
login | 
| 
| 
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this garden