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With summer finally here, the unwanted bugs and insects are out and about, with the warm weather said to be the best time for mating season, particularly for greenflies. One green fly can
produce 50 offspring. This means that within just a month it can have six million descendants. Greenflies are indigenous to the United Kingdom. It just appears that they have invaded the
country when favourable conditions create hot spots. The lighter breeze or lack of it means they tend to be concentrated in larger groups in smaller spots. WHY ARE GREENFLIES A CAUSE FOR
CONCERN? Greenflies are part of a wider group of insects called aphids, are one of the most common 'pests' in our gardens. They are attracted to all types of plants and flowers
because they like to eat the sap they exude. They are commonly associated with their love of roses but they can be found on any plant. Often they stick to roses, which is pretty much a
nightmare for any gardener, as they’re known to spread disease from plant to plant, stunt growth and deform leaves and stems. Sometimes people will find them on the windscreen of their car,
or perhaps most annoyingly, crawling on legs and arms. SO HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THEM? It’s no surprise gardeners will want to get rid of greenflies when it jeopardises the appearance of
their plants. However, the chemicals in some sprays can do just as much damage to plants, as the greenflies themselves. Instead, gardeners could be better off filling an empty spray bottle
with some soapy water, which they can then spray over plants to protect them from any greenflies. Rose specialist Michael Marriott recently revealed that some gardeners may want to keep a
few greenflies around. Speaking to Country Living magazine, he explained that some bugs are actually beneficial to the growth of plants. Therefore by spraying plants with pesticides,
gardeners could also be killing off other bugs such as ladybirds, microscopic wasps, hover flies and lacewings, which feed on aphids like greenfly and are a great way to naturally control
plant pests. It is good to have a few green aphids on plants as they provide the food for the beneficial insects. Without them, other insects will find a new home elsewhere and there will be
nothing to naturally deter an aphid attack. So, if gardeners see a few greenflies on their plants, Michael advises that they let them be. However, gardeners should take action if they see
multiple aphids covering the whole plant. In this case, it’s best to gently shake the plant off so the greenfly can fall off. The likelihood of the flies getting back onto the plant is
actually slim, as despite their name many greenfly cannot actually fly. Homeowners may also struggle with house moths. According to the British Pest Control Association, there are roughly
165,000 species in the world, and many species of moths are household pests. From a deep home clean, to sealing food properly, people could find that they’re able to eradicate their moth
issue.