An update and photos from Drew, one of our amazing Horticultural Apprentices, on the biological treatment being carried out on the Ficus trees in The Forum Street:
“So yesterday at work I got to apply biological controls to our very poorly Ficus trees. They are suffering from a serious bout of Mealybug which suck the sap and are vectors for diseases. To help combat this in an eco-friendly way, we have applied a healthy dose of Australian ladybirds (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) which will spend the next few weeks munching on the Mealybugs and hopefully leaving the Ficus much happier”.
![](http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/buddingnews/files/2021/02/Forum-Ficus-Trees-Cryptolaemus-treatment-for-Mealy-Bugs-Feb-2021-3.png.jpg)
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![](http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/buddingnews/files/2021/02/Forum-Ficus-Trees-Cryptolaemus-treatment-for-Mealy-Bugs-Feb-2021-5.png.jpg)
![](http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/buddingnews/files/2021/02/Forum-Ficus-Trees-Cryptolaemus-treatment-for-Mealy-Bugs-Feb-2021-6.png.jpg)
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