Aphids ruining my kale

[Digity]

Most years I seem to have a problem with aphids eating my kale. If I introduced ladybugs to my garden, which eat them is that a form of killing? Is it okay to spray the plants with organic pesticides? Just wonder how far one can go as a Buddhist to protect his garden, since I want to avoid killing.

[Sam Vara]

I had a really heavy infestation of what are called whitefly in the UK - very small, delicate white moth-like critters which flutter away a few inches when disturbed. Might these be what you are calling aphids? If so, the good news is that they look bad en masse, but do very little damage to kale. We agreed to co-exist!

Like you, I tried to grow veg without breaking the 1st precept, and ended up settling for a narrow range of plants which didn't attract too many pests...

[Aloka]

I had a really heavy infestation of what are called whitefly in the UK - very small, delicate white moth-like critters which flutter away a few inches when disturbed. Might these be what you are calling aphids?

In the UK, greenfly, blackfly and whitefly are known as "aphids".

"Ladybugs" are called "Ladybirds" in the Uk and are small flying beetles with black-spotted red wings . They eat aphids.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I don't suppose the aphids will be too happy about you ruining their kale by spraying it or picking it.

[Mr Man]

I don't suppose the aphids will be too happy about you ruining their kale by spraying it or picking it.

I wonder if aphids think like that.

[Sam Vara]

I had a really heavy infestation of what are called whitefly in the UK - very small, delicate white moth-like critters which flutter away a few inches when disturbed. Might these be what you are calling aphids?

In the UK, greenfly, blackfly and whitefly are known as "aphids".

Thanks for this useful comparative entomoloy! If they are the same, then they can be coexisted with quite easily. My kale had a very heavy infestation. They thanked me for growing it, but left more than enough for me and my family. They didn't even seem to make holes in the plants.

[Jetavan]

Most years I seem to have a problem with aphids eating my kale. If I introduced ladybugs to my garden, which eat them is that a form of killing? Is it okay to spray the plants with organic pesticides? Just wonder how far one can go as a Buddhist to protect his garden, since I want to avoid killing.

I'm not sure if laypeople are bound to the strict requirement of not intentionally killing any living being whatsoever.

[daverupa]

Most years I seem to have a problem with aphids eating my kale. If I introduced ladybugs to my garden, which eat them is that a form of killing? Is it okay to spray the plants with organic pesticides? Just wonder how far one can go as a Buddhist to protect his garden, since I want to avoid killing.

I'm not sure if laypeople are bound to the strict requirement of not intentionally killing any living being whatsoever.

I'm not sure people are really grokking the point of the precept... this sort of extreme version would certainly make antibiotics a little bit awkward...

[Sam Vara]

What is protected by the precept was briefly discussed earlier:
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=16494
I personally won't bother growing anything that involves me waging war upon the competition. That's why I think Kale is such a beautiful plant. It is incredibly hardy, yet full of goodness.

[Coyote]

I would think that purposefully adding ladybirds in order to lower the aphid population might involve some unwholesomeness but I'm not sure it would break the first precept.

[Dhammanando]

I would think that purposefully adding ladybirds in order to lower the aphid population might involve some unwholesomeness but I'm not sure it would break the first precept.

Aside from the precept issue, several studies have shown that introducing bishy-barnabies (as ladybirds are called in Norfolk) into one's garden won't actually help much, in large part because they're so awfully picky about which aphids they eat.

• http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150506 ... -ladybirds
  
  These ladybirds lay their eggs on leaves close to an aphid colony, but they have to be smart about it. Aphids are parthenogenetic, capable of birthing clones without the hassle of sex. This means that an aphid colony can grow extremely fast and may suddenly crash, with a few winged aphids flying off to pastures new.
  
  To be sure that her larvae will enjoy a plentiful diet of aphids, a female ladybird must lay her eggs when the aphid colony is in its early stages. She achieves this by assessing several cues, including the density of the aphids, the honeydew the aphids produce, and the volatile chemicals released by an aphid-infested plant.
  
  "They can also pick up one another's footprint chemicals," says Roy. There are at least 40 different components – mostly alkanes – that larvae leave in their tracks. If a female ladybird gets a whiff of them, she'll usually go somewhere else to lay her eggs.