Biological Pest Control
28 May
A few aphids have appeared on a Physocarpus bush (aka: nine bark) and soon after ladybirds settled amongst them. The adults don’t cause some threat to the aphids but their larvae are voracious. Over a lifetime, I have seen it estimated that a ladybird can account for up to 5000 aphids. No sprays needed, just let the other creatures do the job for you.
Wandering down a rabbit hole …
When Bacteria Turn Medical Devices Into Food
Research from Brunel University London reveals a worrisome development in hospital safety. Scientists have discovered that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium commonly found in hospitals, has evolved to digest polycaprolactone, a plastic used in sutures, stents, wound dressings, and implants.
The bacteria can consume medical devices, using the plastic parts as a food source to survive longer in hospital environments and inside patients. Even more alarming, the broken-down plastic fragments enable these bacteria to form stronger biofilms that resist antibiotics, making infections much harder to treat. Researchers warn that this could lead to medical device failure within the human body, resulting in more severe and persistent infections.
While we worried about plastic pollution in oceans and hoped for a germ that would enjoy eating our waste, hospital bacteria were quietly learning to turn our life-saving medical devices into their dinner. The fire keeps burning in ways we never anticipated.
I've seen a lot of ladybird larvae around in hte past couple of days.