pests Pest or Beneficial

Robisburning

Robisburning

Seem to have a few Psyllids hanging about.  Where ever they are these have appeared in good numbers so I am hoping they are on my side.  Is it a hoverfly?
 

 
 
 
It's a bit hard to tell from that photo but it doesn't look like a hover fly. Just watch its flight characteristics, you'll soon see if it's a hoverfly or not because they ... err ... hover.
I wouldn't mind betting its a type of wasp maybe a Copidosoma species (not native to NZ)
Either way, they won't hurt chillies. If it is a wasp, then it is beneficial 'cause it will 'nuke' things like catepillars (which may munch on your chillies)
 
Got plenty of them in my greenhouse as well. Don't seem to be anything other than a nuisance. The parasitic wasps we have here are smaller. This seems to be a fly.
 
nuclearDays said:
It's a bit hard to tell from that photo but it doesn't look like a hover fly. Just watch its flight characteristics, you'll soon see if it's a hoverfly or not because they ... err ... hover.
I wouldn't mind betting its a type of wasp maybe a Copidosoma species (not native to NZ)
Either way, they won't hurt chillies. If it is a wasp, then it is beneficial 'cause it will 'nuke' things like catepillars (which may munch on your chillies)
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response.  I know the photo is not great, insect photos seem like a bit of an art form.  I am going to buy a macro lens for my camera.
 
Watching their flight characteristics is a great idea. 
 
 
Rush35 said:
Got plenty of them in my greenhouse as well. Don't seem to be anything other than a nuisance. The parasitic wasps we have here are smaller. This seems to be a fly.
Click to expand...
 
The most distinctive feature of it are that the wings are an iridescent blue in the right light. It is hard to tell from the photo but this is perhaps 3mm long so maybe 1/4 length of a house fly.
 
Mmmm...i not did reliase the scale from the photo, but if you say 3mm then i suspect that is an adult psyllid.
 
tpp.jpg
 
I have a lot of Psyllids:( They seem to be on every plant along with their eggs.  There are quite a few dusky ladybirds so hopefully these will be doing their part.  I have been talking with Bioforce and will get some of their Orius bugs.  Other than that I want to see if it will sort itself out without spraying.  I understand that if it does not I risk losing my plants.
 
Robisburning said:
I have a lot of Psyllids:( They seem to be on every plant along with their eggs.  There are quite a few dusky ladybirds so hopefully these will be doing their part.  I have been talking with Bioforce and will get some of their Orius bugs.  Other than that I want to see if it will sort itself out without spraying.  I understand that if it does not I risk losing my plants.
Click to expand...
good luck, am interested to know the outcome.
the plants directly around my marigolds are the only ones without at least some psyllids on them. maybe try more marigolds if you dont already have lots and want go natural. 
 
I have quite a few psyllids around since coming back from holiday am slowly getting them under control again
 
I am not an organic zealot. Last season was mixed so this season I thought I would try all organic with no sprays.  It was looking much better than last season but now the Psyllids have appeared. Will the beneficial insects have a fighting chance against a recently introduced insect I guess is the question. Interesting you mentioned the marigolds. i had none until yesterday, now I have 12 in the garden, fingers crossed
 
Yeah nzchilli is probably correct. I know that the nymph stage looks like and the eggs. I don't spend time trying to exam the adults ....they get sticky trapped!
 
Finish quite a few dead Psyllids which I hope means something is killing them:

My girlfriends comment was how do you know he didn't die from old age after a life of munching on hot peppers and producing many offspring.
 
I found the family of the fly in original post:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichopodidae
 
Keys points are:
  • The adults are predators, feeding on small invertebrates including Collembola, aphids,and the larvae of Oligochaeta. Species of the genus Dolichopus commonly prey on the larvae of mosquitoes.
  • In colour most species have a green-to-blue metallic lustre
  • In many species the males have unusually large genitalia which are taxonomically useful in identifying species
Regarding their genitalia, there was not a lot to go bragging about in my opinion.
 
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