Aphids suck up plant sap.
They excrete a sticky sap, called honeydew, back on the plant’s leaves and stems.
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Gently rub the leaves and stems between your fingers to scuff the aphids off or to crush them.
Aphids proliferate rapidly, and each egg produces about 40 to 50 more aphids.
The spray doesn’t kill the aphids but it does knock them off of the plants.
Knocking off the aphids is a fast, short-term solution.
It removes more aphids than rubbing them off by hand.
But it does so indiscriminately, so flowers and other desirable plant parts may be removed.
Also, it can damage delicate leaves.
Thebest hose nozzlefor spraying aphids off plants will offer many spray patterns.
Choose a low-pressure spray pattern to protect your plants.
In this case, use a hand-pump spray bottle filled with clean water or remove the aphids by hand.
Spray Plants With Garlic
Apply ahomemade spray for fighting aphids.
Garlic has long been used to get rid of aphids.
Garlic has an added benefit: sulfur.
Sulfur slows the growth of bacteria and fungi.
Add two cups of water.
Strain out the solid pieces, leaving only the garlic solution.
Dilute the garlic solution even more when you add it to the garden sprayer.
Test the solution in one section of the plant before spraying the entire plant.
It’s simple to make.
Some trees, such asflowering dogwoodandColorado blue spruce, respond especially well to neem oil treatments.
Start with a teaspoon of dish detergent in a gallon of lukewarm water.
Then, add a teaspoon of neem oil.
Pour in the garden sprayer and liberally coat the plants.
“Ladybugs and lacewings are nature’s little guardians against these sap-sucking pests.”
Other aphid predators include syrphid fly larvae, soldier beetles, and minute pirate bugs.
Do not introduce ants to aphids.
Ants and aphids help each othersymbiosis.
Ants consume aphids' honeydew and ward off aphids' predators.
Ivanov, too, recommends planting marigolds.
“The best marigold varieties for insect repellent purposes are African and French marigolds.
Both varieties contain natural compounds that repel insects.”
Add companion plants near the host plants affected by aphids.
Aphids find the companion plants more attractive than the host plants.
But it can be used on its own, too.
He adds that dish soap can also deter spider mites and whiteflies.
Use Reflective Mulch
To get rid of aphids around garden beds, roll out silver-colored plastic.
you’ve got the option to alsoinstall landscape fabriccoated with silver paint.
Bright, silver-colored reflective mulches are proven to repel aphids on garden beds.
In addition, reflective mulches send more solar energy to the plants, resulting in larger, healthier vegetables.
Reflective mulch can be as simple and cheap as aluminum foil.
But foil tends to be too fragile for exterior use.
It’s best to look for a silver or gray reflective mulch or mesh made expressly for this purpose.
Reduce the Nitrogen
Remove aphids by reducing thenitrogen content in over-fertilizedplants or switching to organic fertilizers.
All plants requirenitrogen in their soil.
But excessive nitrogen sends plants into overgrowth mode.
The aphids notice the overgrowth, respond to it, and reproduce more rapidly.
Switch from a chemical fertilizer to an organic fertilizer.
Aphids, Scales and Mites on Home Garden and Landscape Plants.University of Minnesota Extension.
Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California.
Managing and Controlling Aphids.
Ben-Issa R, Gomez L, Gautier H. Companion Plants for Aphid Pest Management.
2017 Oct 20;8(4):112. doi: 10.3390/insects8040112.
PMID: 29053585; PMCID: PMC5746795.
The Best of Enemies: A Brief Guide to Companion Planting.
Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, University of California Regents of the University of California.
Controlling Aphids in Your Garden.
University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
