Things have developed quite a bit since the last time I sampled. Expecting to see a few aphids on the Okra and surrounding plants I was shocked to find loads of mealy bug all over everything!? Well maybe not over everything but on five different species of plant. Of the worst effected was a pomegranate plant behind the Okra and it’s not looking good…Which makes me feel a bit guilty, am I responsible for this poor pomegranates misfortune? I’ll be seeing how the situation plays out but it may require action if the mealy bugs continue at this rate. Other than that, Whitefly are still infesting Chaenostoma cordatum and a few scale insects have been found.
It seems like most of the pests have been loving the Okra, which is most likely because it’s one of the only plants in the greenhouse currently producing fruit. Otherwise known as lady fingers, I’ve found that our species of Okra-with red pods- is very tasty in a vindaloo.
I certainly wouldn't want mealy bugs on my lady's fingers