When planting out herbs in the tunnel yesterday, I noticed some juicy aphids on the red basil. Time for my Pooter, I thought.

I spotted the Pooter in a Bob Flowerdew book a few years back and have spent many hours scouring the undergrowth for Ladybirds. A stubble field is best, or the area where I was scything yesterday – it was hoaching with Ladybirds!

So, here’s my Pooter:

It’s simple to make – the photo needs little explanation, apart that the holes for the 2 pieces of pipe need to be a close match for the diameter of the pipe – you could of course seal them with some silicone/glue/chewed scone. There should be a piece of gauze (I cut the corner off a new dish cloth) on the shorter piece of pipe – this stops the Ladybirds ending up in the back of your throat.

Once it’s made, put some grass in the jam jar and screw on the lid. Then away and search for Ladybirds! Once the Ladybird is located, put the short piece of pipe in your mouth and position the end of the longer piece of pipe over the Ladybird. A short, sharp suck is all that’s needed to relocate the Ladybird into the safe repository of the jar.

It becomes pretty addictive (even Brook barks enthusiastically as the Ladybird shoots up the pipe!) and after 20 minutes groveling on my knees, this was the result:

Easily 50 aphid munchers ready to be released into my polytunnel. Come on Ladies, dinner time…….

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