Aphids

Does anyone grow anything to help get rid of aphids or do you just use sprays and kill them???

 

Having lots of flowers helps attract hover flies and predatory wasps which then help control aphids. Don't spray them here and leave it to the ladybirds and others to reduce the numbers in the garden. Seen good numbers of ladybird larvae and some solitary wasps about already this year but only the odd mature ladybird. Have some aphids on my sweet peppers which are indoors and are not accessible for the friendly bugs to eat them so taking some time to squash them when I notice them.
Happy gardening!

 

In the greenhouse I use an organic soap spray if necessary. Outside I don't use anything relying on predators to sort things out takes a week or two sometimes. If I think they might become a problem I use the hose to blast them off when watering usually French and runner beans. Blackfly on broad beans I pinch the top couple of inches off. On roses and lupins I squash with fingers, especially the dread lupin aphid.

 

We tried a few home made remedies ourselves.

First was a really, REALLY strong black tea. We brewed it specifically for this reason, let it cool and then sprayed it onto the leaves.
Within a day there was a giant aphid party. It looked like a Techno-Rave and they multiplied like crazy. Another two days later almost all of them disappeared so I guess the hangover killed them.... Success in that regard.

My mother in law swears on another remedy to kill them off. She collects wild growing stinging nettles and (giant) hogweed (please wear gloves while doing so), puts them into a water filled bucket with a lid on it and lets them rot for about 1-2 weeks in warm weather. The resulting mixture can be sprayed onto the plants. The nettles provide nutrients whereas the hogweed kills "all them nasty critters".

 

You still get aphids even in the greenhouse???

 

Yes; the overwintering freesias are prone to them in spring time, also found them on the young shoots of the pitcher plants.
From the aphids point of view: they've got shelter from the weather, from predators and a supply of food, nice easy life for them.

 

People on the other thread pointed out that the beetle below is a vine weevil, and not a ground beetle.

I am not sure what has been eating my aphids (greenfly). Maybe hoverflies, maybe ladybirds. Something that starts working when the weather gets a bit warmer and things start flowering.

 

Seems very few predators around this year, hardly any Ladybirds, only the odd Hoverfly and Beetles so seldom seen for many years.
Even the Sparrows used to feed on them, but again so few around these days ?

Loads of greenfly on the Rose buds and even the Blackfly have already arrived on the young outdoor Dahlias

Surprised at @jowwy s surprise at there being aphids in the greenhouse, they can be there all year round, we have even put up a fine door mesh curtain to try and reduce the number coming.
Sadly, have little choice but to use a systemic bug killer in the greenhouse, soaps etc just not effective enough, we have tried !

 

Having never had a greenhouse and only just starting out on my beg and fruit growing journey, yes i was surprised they could get into wht should be a more controlled environemnt.

 

Hi,

Its for that very reason, its a warm controlled area to some degree with little wind and few predators so with the automaic window openers etc they can fly straight in and overtake things very quickly.

Being older and the eyesight poorer, we have to put on reading glasses to inspect the plants at least once a week to avoid a massive infestation of white and green aphids.
The early clue is that you can see little white specks on the surface of the pots compost, basically the remains of their shells when they shed their outer skins or the dead ones ?
As they usually start on the underside of the leaves, so by the time you see them on the upper side as well you really have a bad infestation.

They have been very bad on the veg plot this so far year, almost ruined the loose leaf lettuce and moved onto many others.

Still, just part of gardening fun and natures cycle of life.

 

Well so far i have only had them on the apple tree and now after a few squirts of water over a few days they have all gone………and no ants in the area now either to farm them

 

I've had some success by planting a good row of nasturgiums adjacent to the veg patch (i sowed tom thumb mixed.. Great colours)
Blackfly love them and are drawn away from your precious produce.
I've put a load of marigolds there too cos they attract attention from our friends the bees and aphid munching insects.

 

Thats what im adding to the area now is marigolds, to keep the aphids away……..

 

Hopefully there'll be some frogs/hedgehogs n birds around because slugs n snails can soon obliterate marigolds.

 

Main problem I'm having at the moment is black fly.
The ants are spreading them.