South African Gardening Blog » insects

Question for spriggies

BridgetM — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:25:18 +0000

Does anyone know a natural caterpillar repellant? Small black caterpillars have been eating my succulents to bits and I don’t want to use chemicals. Any suggestions?

Bridget McNulty

Follow me on Twitter: @bridgetmcnulty

Unknown caterpillar

JennyE — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:31:36 +0000

Can anyone ID this caterpillar found on the Nuxia floribunda?

unknown caterpillar

Garden Bug

JennyE — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:05:04 +0000

Could anyone ID this bug,it is being cared for by ants so it could be an aphid of some sort? JennyE

Ants taking over our buffalo lawn!

via Email — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:49:40 +0000

I have noticed a few ‘dry’ patches where ants infested our lawn, I applied 3:2:1 fertiliser a week ago followed by watering the garden… went away for 4 days only to return and half my lawn is ‘dead’! I now have large dry areas infested by ants with visible ant nests (looks sandy). What do I do to recover my lawn and how do I control or prevent this is future?

Please advice.

Naretha

lawn spiders

Niall — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:03:19 +0000

On a recent trip to the Free State I noticed these circular webs all over the lawn at the resort we were staying. On closer inspection, it turned out that these webs were concave, with a small hole in the centre where the spider sits and waits for its prey – interesting hey?

Organic insect killer

Angela — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:01:52 +0000

Any suggestions for an earth friendly way to kill cockroaches?

Angela

Bats in the Belfry

Niall — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:59:36 +0000

I’ve moved into a new house with a new garden (more on that later). It is a more established garden than my old one, with large trees and a jungly feel. It also has many more insects and animals, including these super bats who take off each evening at dusk and can be watched from the comfort of the balcony, drink in hand.

In the third photograph, it looks as if the bat is holding a youngster on its belly. Any idea if it is common for a bat to fly around with its young? Also, please post any more information on these fascinating creatures in the comment section.

Bats in the Belfry

Strange bug

mol-d — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:15:43 +0000

Having lived in England, I am conscious of the amount and variety of bugs we have in Durban, especially in summer. But this one in particular caught my attention. I was sitting in my lounge one night and heard an unusual whining sound, like that of an animal. I looked around the house for the source of the sound and eventually found this large, luminous green insect, and manage to snap a few pics. Has anyone come across this bug and heard the weird noise it makes?

Strange bug 1

Strange bug 2

Bats in Trouble!!

mol-d — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:01:31 +0000

I came across some papers I had lying around, one of which was a Bat Interest Group of KZN pamphlet. Is it good to have bats in the garden? What do they do? Which plants attract them? Click below and all will be revealed (excuse the teacup stain and typos – not mine):

Bats in Trouble!

Welcome to the bug motel!

Niall — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:29:34 +0000

In an article about this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, I saw a photograph of an elaborate bug hotel consisting of different sizes of wood piled up in a wire frame. It looked great and, more importantly, performed a valuable service.

Bugs love an untidy garden. So do I. Piles of dead wood and leaves lying around the place are a source of food to some bugs and provide shelter for others. So, in the spirit of attracting more insects, I have launched my first bug motel consisting of a couple of branches I pruned off a tree and a pile of fallen leaves. Looks cosy!

The benefits of creating a habitat for insects is twofold. Firstly, some insects prey on pests such as aphids which means you don’t have to resort to insecticides and, secondly, you start to attract more insect-eating birds into your garden.

Welcome to the bug motel!