When my friend, the excellent wine writer Elaine Chukan Brown of Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews, posted on Facebook that she’d be releasing thousands of ladybugs into a vineyard today, I have to admit I was stung with envy. Fortunately, modern technology enabled me to get the scoop by texting her, and I was immediately transported to the setting of her whimsical day:
“Grgich Hills Estate does all organic farming and uses biological pest controls instead of spraying. Last night they released 35,000 ladybugs to combat mealy bugs. They asked me if I’d like to help them spread some today. They spread several different species of ladybug at different parts of the season as different means of combating the mealy bugs, which are a pest in Napa Valley (and elsewhere). The goal is not to eradicate any particular pest, but to foster healthy biological balance instead. The shredded paper is to help transport them but also means you can spread them without squishing them and then the paper just degrades.” Cool, right? And how was YOUR morning? Comments are closed.
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