This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the
PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in
Animal Care.
For this BB, you will control aphids with permaculture!
For this BB, the minimum requirements are:
- Not
- DE
- buy ladybugs
- any kind of spray
- squishing
- Do
three of these things
- improve diversity of plants to reduce aphid load
- some species discourage aphids
- some species draw aphids away from other species (sacrifice)
- Predator buffet line
- Butterfly weed
- Some species provide nectar/food/habitat for aphid predators
- Some species take up excess nitrogen
- Many believe excessive Nitrogen make a plant attractive to aphids
- Rhubarb, any grass, corn, nettles, asparagus
- create habitat for stuff that eats aphids (spiders, lacewings, ladybugs, etc)
- ladybug houses
- Research Thread:
https://permies.com/t/139109
- Insect hotels
- Brush piles?
- create habitat for stuff that discourages aphids (green and brown lacewings, lady beetles, midges, bigeyed bugs, damsel bugs, soldier beetles, blister beetles, etc)
- use permaculture techniques to improve the soil and support the health of an aphid affected plant
- bring tiny/immature fowl in to eat the ants, preferably in a paddock shift system
To document your completion, provide proof of the following as pics or video (less than two minutes):
- state which
three aphid control measures you will implement
- before, during, and after construction/implementation of each of the
three aphid control measures you select to implement
- Prove your efforts mitigated aphids. Here are two possible ways to prove it:
- Have a “control” patch and document results during the time of year when aphids are a problem
- Document one year without and one year with controls, same time of year
Control Aphids with Permaculture - PEP BB animal.straw.aphids
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