Re: Aphids and soapy spray

"Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:db49c957-cabc-4b63-971b-934b94365ed9@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On May 12, 12:42 pm, n...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
>> In article <48282bf8$0$912$ba4ac...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>> David in Normandy <davidinnorma...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:|> Mary Fisher
wrote:
>>
>> |> > I don't grow lupins because of the huge blue aphids which infested

>> them when
>> |> > I did.
>> |> >
>> |> > There was a question on GQT about this yesterday. Someone said
that 
>> they
>> |> > were big enough to barbecue - as kebabs.
>>
>> More nutritious than steak, too.
>>
>> |> Yes, there seems to be all sizes from tiny to Godzilla. I'm
surprised
>> |> the plant was still alive considering the amount of them sucking
it's
>> |> sap. It was wilting and looked really poorly yesterday. Today it has
>> |> perked up and looking happy again.
>> |>
>> |> I noticed the aphids had a bluish tinge about them so wasn't 100%
sure
>> |> if they were aphids or blackfly. Are they a specific species that 
>> preys
>> |> on lupins?

I've only seen them on lupins.
>>
>> Essentially, yes.  There are dozens of species of aphid common in
>> the UK (and France), and most are partially host-specific.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Nick Maclaren.
>
>
> I remember informally seeing mention of "lupin aphids" and you
> certainly tend to see them on most lupin plants sooner or later and
> they are distinctive through sheer size but here is the lowdown as
> found by google:
>
> http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0401/lupin_aphid.asp

But that site says: "This aphid is native to North America and was first 
detected in England in 1981"

Well, sorry, but the ones in my garden were in the 1960s. We moved into
this 
house in 1964 and lupins were already in the garden. I saw the aphids 
shortly after and pulled up the plants, never had them (lupins) since.

Perhaps it was only defined as a different aphid from the ones already
here 
in 1981 but the ones on our lupins were so distinctive that they were 
memorable. My mother was a great gardener and always had lupins, I never
saw 
the aphids on hers but that was before we moved here.

I'm not claiming to be a First ...

Mary