Y. went out to cut some lupines, which have been growing vigorously under the pear tree, only to find they were massively infested with aphids.This led me to do a bit of research on aphid lions, lacewings, hoverflies and lady beetles.Turns out all these things feast on aphids, especially the aphid lions (stage of development of the lacewing) which drinks aphids for breakfast!

It also got me looking more closely at what I’ve got there. The lupines are pretty crowded around the base of the pear. At the base of another pear nearby, are yarrow, which this morning had a bunch of flies sitting on them- hmm. While the lupines provide nitrogen fixation for the pear, I put in some walking onions without thinking. Onions and peas don’t much like eachother from what I’ve read. But its also probable that the lupines look like a monoculture to the aphids. I’m thinking I should swap two lupines with two yarrow from the other tree. I read some interesting things about volatiles being released from the injured plant attracting the predatory bugs. But Permaculture is about placing things such that their inputs are close at hand. There’s always room for improvement.
Lacewings, turns out, have this interesting relationship with cicadas, who pierce into sap layers in trees. When they are singing, the lacewing moves in and sucks sap from the cicada’s piercing, then moves back when the cicada’s ready to drink.

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