May 7, 2022. In a corner of our farm, we found a peach tree on which the aphid damage is relatively serious. However, we were glad to find that the main harm is on the vertical branches or branch tips, while aphids do little harm to the branches and leaves that transport nutrients, which is very important for the yield of peach trees.

In the practice of planting fruit trees, the branches and shoots seriously damaged by aphids generally need to be removed artificially. But we keep them, while at the same time, we can find that Ladybug larvae appear on the branches and leaves with aphids, and there are two or three Ladybug larvae on almost every damaged shoot.

In fact, these days are the most serious period of aphids, but we can't see too many of them. Why is that? This is because that when aphids outbreak, its natural enemy ladybugs also appear, which basically reach a dynamic balance, and therefore the harm of aphids can be controlled.

So maybe we could think: if the aphid damage can be controlled, will it still be a pest? Or maybe in some way a beneficial insect?

We have always had a view that the so-called pests and beneficial insects have coexisted and evolved for hundreds of millions of years. They restrict each other and are indispensable.

At this stage, the outbreak of aphids will lead to the reproduction of ladybugs. The newly hatched ladybugs do not have the ability to fly and can only live on leaves. From late May to early June, the harm of aphids will start to disappear, but other pests such as red spider etc will appear. A large number of ladybugs which can be fed by aphids now will seek other insects for food, or sometimes they will end up in killing each other, and then ladybugs play the role of controlling other pests in June and July. This proves that in the in ecological agriculture, any kind of insect, whether it is the so-called "pest" or the so-called "beneficial insect", has its role. In this way, the so-called "pests" may also be beneficial insects under the control of natural enemies.

Therefore, biological methods of disease prevention and control in ecological agriculture is quite magical. As long as we comply with nature, use biodiversity to promote ecological balance and reduce artificial interference, we can carry out agricultural production without pesticides, including agricultural production of peach trees.

In addition, here in our farm,not every peach tree is damaged by aphids. Some fruit trees are almost aphid free.

Therefore, biodiversity could help to achieve ecological balance, we can make agricultural production very simple without using pesticides, which is almost regarded as a myth by others. We reiterate once again: ecological agriculture is the inevitable trend of agricultural development, and it is an irreversible trend.

Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2k55zvXtjLc9Tc8iHe96oQ

Translator: Sara

Editor: Lucy      

Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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