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queen buff-tailed bumblebee, was examining the compost heap; I guess she was searching out a suitable hibernation site. Every now and then something else would buzz past: rosemary leaf beetles, green shieldbugs and ladybirds were all very active

ladybird. The rest are the usual suspects: vine weevils (No.3 on the list), lily beetles (No.9) etc.No matter how depressed we may get with cushion scale (No.4=) or the depredations of berberis sawfly (No.7) there is always a silver lining. There are worse

by boiling). They also provide food for the caterpillars of some of our loveliest butterflies, including red admirals, small tortoiseshells, peacocks and the lovely comma . They not only feed butterflies and ladybird larvae, but can also feed us (although

’ve been writing this, a long-tailed tit just bobbed into that same apple tree, and a fox just popped through the gap in the fence and trotted up the muddy lawn. I’ve seen the first insect too — a harlequin ladybird. Normal service has been resumed.

jam) and watched the ladybirds stumbling around like the bride's uncle at a wedding reception. I also wandered off to the vegetable garden and sneered at the caterpillars on the kale leaves.And now, as I sit here in my office there is a large and noisy

ready for the council to come and collect. On some of the leaves were ladybird pupae, while spiders spun new webs in the wreckage. There may also have been chrysalises of the holly blue butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on ivy in summer. They

. Try working with ladybird larvae - they eat around 100-200 aphids a day and can be bought online.http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=61_183You simply let them lose on the plant once you get them they work their way round pretty

the lamp and got the hell out of the greenhouse as quickly as possible. Everything left in the place - aphids, lacewings, ladybirds and, probably, rats - was toast.I also found a box of arsenate of lead. This is another ancient insecticide that you

, but hates the shade of my current plot.A crab apple, in the hope that I can cultivate mistletoe on it.A large patch of nettles, for butterflies and ladybirds.Hawthorn, for its spring blossom, hedging potential and autumn berries. The fruits not only feed

, ladybirds etc we encountered. Children are fascinated by bugs of all kinds. I put a capsid bug and a lily beetle in a matchbox to show them how beautiful and different they can be but was never lucky enough to find a monster stag beetle. I saw a stag beetle