Ladybug vs. Aphid week heats up today as the aphids seriously get serious. Today’s picture comes from Jeremiah Fargo, who had this to say about it:
I was out all day today, and got a shock when I looked at my garlic. It seemed as though it was very, very dirty.
Of course, a closer look revealed that the little black spots weren’t just dirt. They were insects thriving off of my lovely garlic shoots! Gah.
A quick look at bugguide.net told me what I already pretty much knew: Black Aphids. Well, I’m just glad they’re there and not on my other plants that are a quarter of an acre away. knock on wood
So… yeah. The aphids are calling the ladybugs out right here and right now. They’re all like “Hey Ladybugs! You got nothin’!” (They really said that. Aphids are well known for their trash talk.)
The ladybugs are all like “Yeah, whatever, one of us could eat all of you in an afternoon.”
And the aphids are all like, “Oh yeah? Well, how about this?”
This little guy landed on my laptop last night. Look at the size of that stabbing beak! This bug doesn’t just like blood, it likes arterial blood.
Okay, actually that’s just an antenna.
I think.
Oh man. I hope.
A really funny thing happened next: it began fussing around on my laptop and I couldn’t figure out why. So I did what any rational human would do when confronted with a seizure: I grabbed my camera and videotaped it.
My laptop has an anodized aluminum surface. To a human, it’s a satiny finish to the metal. To a gnat, however, it’s covered in cobbles exactly the right size to snag the hooks on your feet!
I’ll post the video if I can get it compressed enough while still being able to see the leg flapping action.
Scott Roche sends in today’s picture of ants milking aphids on a pine tree. I am reminded of a highly refined bit of operatic culture from my childhood:
There’s a place in France
Where the nekkid ladies dance
Because their pants
Are fuuuuull of aaaaants!
In case you grew up culturally impoverished with regard to this particular bit of bardic lore, you might be wondering how nekkid ladies could be wearing pants. Well, they can’t, silly! They’re nekkid because they took them off. Because they were fuuuuull of aaaaants!
Every child who grew up on a farm knows how to deal with fire ants: stop, drop trou, and roll.
In a related childhood safety tip, this technique also works for liar, liars.
