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| "Roses? My favorite china pattern! Better than Royal Albert. Aphids are delicious." |
Our granddaughters got some praying mantid egg-cases from me during the last Team Jackson grill event. They bought a terrarium and had them hatching right away. The egg cases must have a thermostatic lever, because the critters emerge only when it is warm enough for bugs to feed them.
Mine were on a cooler window sill, so they hatched later - last night. I put the first set on the bushes in the front, next to the house. Mantids like the shelter and need to grow up a bit as they launch their careers. It will be fun to see if they are prominent on the roses, which are just below the evergreen bushes.
In the backyard I will put the last two egg cases in the wild garden, in the hopes they get established among the asparagus plants. The last time I did this, about 30 years ago, the mantids stopped the asparagus beetles from stripping the plants.
That Terrible Secret about Beneficial Insects
Mantids hatch and build their strengthen devouring their siblings as they come out of the egg case. The female will also make a meal of the male after mating.
Beneficial insects eat have various habits in getting rid of pests. They may attack them directly or lay eggs on or in that pest. They also attack their own kind.
Parisitoid Creatures
This habit shocked and saddened Charles Darwin, laying eggs on another creature and having the babies hatch onto their living food supply. Thus the beneficial hatchlings would end the pest's life life on the run, so to speak.
Darwin could not see a compassionate God doing this, so this egg-laying device of beneficials helped turn him from Creation to evolution.
Now that we know so much more about soil microbes, we realize the extent of predators become prey, moving the soil chemicals around and keeping them in the top foot of soil, where almost all feeding roots do their work.
A believer is simply more impressed than ever about the engineering and managerial genius of the Creator. Luther pointed that out in one of my favorite quotations, above.
Time for the Roses, Old and New
Our KnockOut roses are budding already, and some new ones are on the way. I am not sure how much difference the mantids will make in the garden, but I know the first aphid invasion will serve as food for a new generation of beneficial insects to patrol the rose garden.
I just let God's Creation take over all aspects of the roses, except extra watering and pruning. Why would I use insecticides that would kill the mantids, spiders, flower flies, ichneumon wasps, and ladybugs. The ladybugs are famous for doing God's work as babies and as adults, but they are just one tribe among the players that battle disease and defeat pests.
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| Veteran's Honor glows in a garden of roses, as if lit by an inner light. |
The epitome of the ultimate red Hybrid Tea, Veterans’ Honor is a fitting tribute to the men and women who’ve served our country over the years. Big shapely buds unfurl perfectly into huge blossoms of impeccable form and stunning red color. All this beauty comes atop extra long cutting stems, perfect for picking up a few blue ribbons or making a grand bouquet just for you.
