Our micro-composters are bringing a whole little eco-system onto our balcony. Not only are they giving our plants a significant boost, they are attracting insects as well, some of which are helping to stave off pests.
Our first visitors were fruit flies. Harmless but annoying, some find their way into our kitchen where they flutter about. This irritation is something we can live with. They stay mostly in the bins on the balcony, and the few that venture into our kitchen get out of our way when we go in there. There's also a good chance that they will be culled in numbers pretty soon due to hoverflies that have recently arrived. These serene little insects that are able to hover magically in the air above leaves and flowers, are veracious hunters when in their larva state. They grow up in composts, eating a mix of compost and larvae of other insects.
This is probably why we've seen a dramatic drop in aphids on our wax plant. We used to see aphids attack new leaves and shoots on this plant, forcing us to clean these to keep them from shrivelling up before they had chance to grow large and pest resistant. But with our micro-composters and associated hoverflies, this is no longer a problem. The wax plant is sprouting new leaves and shoots without any infections. It appears that our hoverfly friends are protecting the shoots more effectively than we were ever able to do by hand.
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| Hoverflies |
By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
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