Why so many aphids this year?

I have swarms of aphids at the moment They seem to have taken a particular liking to my Rhododendrons. I walked through a swarm of them flying around at the bottom of my garden the other day

I usually just squish the odd few which I find here and there but no matter how many I squish, more appear, so I've just used a full bottle of spray to clear them I don't like using chemical sprays as a rule but this was beyond a flippin' joke.

Why are there so many this year? Don't think I've ever seen it this bad before.

I've also got red mites on a couple of my plants, which I've been squishing/spraying as well. Would these be red spider mites (they are on the young leaves and I've read that they usually reside at the bottom of the plant)?

 

I haven't seen many ladybirds this year. In fact I'm just trying to think if I've seen any yet. Not seen many hover flies yet either, and not a single lacewing. Maybe the cold spring was bad for natural predators of aphids, and therefore good for aphids perhaps.

 

I was only thinking yesterday that I haven't seen many ladybirds. In fact I've only seen two.

 

Caterpillars will devour Nasturtiums FC, you were right to get rid.

 

There was something on the bbc news site a few weeks back about last summer and thcold spring desecrating the ladybird species
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22933452

 

I've not seen a single Ladyboy yet this year.

 

Ello Freddy

I was in Bristol earlier & didn't even see one there, thought I would have because of the warmer micro climate of the city.

Maybe I was in the wrong district?

 

Next time someone says we need a hard winter to get rid of the pests, bear in mind it also kills the predators.

Merleworld, I very much doubt that the red bugs you are squashing are RSM, probably those red velvet like, slow moving creatures which are harmless.
RSM are very near microscopic.

 

Ladyboys like a certain climate? Ain't seen a single Ladybird though...

 

They prefer the warm, damp weather makes the mascara run.

 

What mascara do you use ?!?! generally it is the heat that makes make up run!

 

Not me, the Ladyboys probably Harlequin brand.

 

You obviously know nuffink about make up Zigs - everybody knows Ladybugs use eyeliner to draw the dots on