The Green Spot 



Operation Clover 



I'd like to think I was outstanding in my 

 field . . . but I don't have a field, just a garden. 

 And at the very edge of that garden is some clover (a 

 trap-crop, if you will). And on that clover live some 

 aphids. I'm going to release some ladybugs out there. 

 Wanna come with me? I'll show you how. 



It's raining gently this evening. The clover is 

 glossy from the rain. It's warm. It's muggy. This is 

 the perfect time to release ladybugs. They'll probably 

 devour the aphids. There are other pests out there 

 too, but the ladybugs will probably only prey on the 

 aphids— that's what they prefer. If they do happen to 

 eat something else, itTl be a bonus, I guess. 



I have a whole bag of ladybugs, but I'm not go- 

 ing to release them all. Putting out too many at once 

 can have a negative effect: they may aggregate, which 

 would aggravate . . . me. Then I'd have to collect and 

 re-release them. I took out just what I needed to do 

 the job — while they were still in the fridge and man- 

 ageable. If I did the separation while they were out 

 of cold storage, I'd have a real mess on my hands: 

 ladybugs everywhere! 



Out in the garden, I'm careful to sprinkle the 

 ladybugs evenly throughout the clover. But I'm con- 

 centrating them a little on the aphid hot spots. It's 

 often discouraging to watch ladybugs just after a re- 

 lease. I'm watching some drink warm rainwater; oth- 

 ers are stepping over aphids to get somewhere. Some 

 are just laying on their backs twirling stuff with their 

 six tiny black legs. Some are dead. I just don't get it 

 sometimes. I wish they'd perform for me. I know 

 what will happen, though — they will perform. 



Well, that's it. That's a ladybug release. No big 

 deal — it was kinda fun, I suppose. My kids loved it! 

 A few evenings from now, I'll release another batch, 

 then another a few evenings after that, and so on, as 

 necessity dictates. If it's not raining, I'll water the 

 plants — whatever it takes, but I will release my 

 beetles. And the routine will be the same. 



I may note the presence of orange, football- 

 shaped ladybug eggs and the subsequent black, alli- 

 gator-like larvae in a week or two. The aphids will 

 likely diminish, the clover probably thrive, and most 

 of the ladybugs fly away. Oh well. They won't do it 

 in front of me, but they'll do it all the same. 



Mike Cherim, president of The Green Spot, Depart- 

 ment of Bio-Ingenuity, ^j Priest Road, Nottingham, 

 NH oj2go-6204, can be reached at 60^-^42-8^2^. 



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