Green aphids on raspberry plant?

My raspberry plants have little green bugs. I've tried googling it and it seems to be green aphids. What can I get to kill it? Will they come back? How do they even get on it? I'm high up on a balcony. I have strawberry plants nearby. I can't see anything on it yet but I don't want then to get infected.

Thank you.

 

Hi,

Yes, they are Greenfly , one of the many variants of Aphids, they can be white, orange, black etc, basically all doing the same thing, sucking the sap out of the plant.

Several way to deal with them, simply run you fingers over them an squash them, blast them off with water or a spray of soap and water, or use a commercial bug spray.

If using a commercial one, check the label in detail as you want a type that is safe to use on edible crops otherwise the pesticide could end up in the fruit you eat !

The little white things nearby as usually their outer skin husks when they moult, not to be confused with the larger Whitefly.

 

Thank you. I thought the white part might have been eggs at first. I managed to get some spray from wilko which mentions for fruit and veg.

I was quite anxious as I don't want to ruin any future fruit. Last summer was it's first year so no fruit. Hopefully this year I'll get some berries. Just my luck they would turn up just as I was getting excited

I have strawberry plants in a different container about 0.5/1 meter away. I'm hoping they don't attract my little green friends as their looking really healthy.

I have some liquid fruit + veg plant feed. Would it be worth using this or will my raspberry plant be fine?

Thank you.

 

The spray I purchased.

 

Thats spray should say how many times you can use it on you fruit.
Come morning once the sun is on the plants, you may still see the Aphids, but they will probably be dead, but brush or wash them off to be sure.
Hopefull the fruit buds will recover.

Aphids are always around, carried by their wings and the wind, so your need to check every few days for them all during the growing season.

Assume its a summer fruiting raspberry, what type / name is it.

Worth checking your Strawberry, it may or not not have Aphids, but do give it a close inspection, parting the leaves to look down on the crown of the plant where they may be hiding.

Yes, do give them a feed as per the instructions as this is the time when they really need it , along with plenty of watering as they need loads to make the new growth and fruit.

Think you might need some more protection as red fruit will be a real treat for any passing gulls or pigeons !

 

I don't have a clue what variety it is. It's come from my mums plant which is a summer fruiting variety but she doesn't know which. Neither of us are hugely clued up on it all, learning as we go. I will remove all I see tomorrow.

I had quite a good look and didn't see anything on the strawberry but I will have a closer look tomorrow. Its leaves are beautiful at the moment and it's just flowered. I'll definitely be keeping a closer look on them.

They get plenty of water and I'll add the feed tomorrow.

The birds haven't been a problem so far. 2 years growing strawberries on the balcony and they've kept away. Probably helps that the curtains tend to be open and the door wide open most of the day. They'll see my little girl coming for them and they'll fly a mile

I live near the town and sea so they're probably stuffed full of Greggs/chips/fish.

Would netting be best? I have a bit of time before fruit comes up.

 

Yes any netting should work fine, better you enjoy the fruits than them !

 

If they have not bothered your berries in the past, probably you are safe.
If you buy netting, make sure it is fine enough and is not fitted loose, so birds will not get entangled in it, which might lead to damage to your plants and to the birds too.
The type I used last year is fine enough but I did the mistake to leaving it loose on my grape vine. When I removed it this spring I found the skeleton of a bird in it, poor thing..

 

Finger and thumb and gently braise the affected areas, either that or get the hose out and drown the little 'B's

 

Sorry guys as I'm a newbie but like the o'natural way... I'm assuming you are too high for most ladybirds to be passing by. Why not try capturing a few on a walk out or buying some. They will do the work for you and are natural. Ants get everywhere, so again if you are lower treat for the ants as they protect aphids

 

I've cleared as much as I can now. Haven't seen any moving so hopefully they were all dead. I've had a good look at the strawberry plant and can't see any greenflies.

I've given them a feed so hopefully they'll grow stronger.

I'm too high up to get many bugs. I haven't seen ants up here and don't really see ladybugs very often.

I've looked at the bug bottle and it doesn't mention strawberry/raspberry plants. Is that ok?

 

I always prefer someone else doing the hard work for me, keep a tiny pot on you (like the old camera film ones). Then if you do see a ladybird you can save yourself some money and and reduce your carbon foot print

 

Brilliant idea. I'm going to kidnap them if I see any. Cheers for that tip

 

I'm only starting my garden journey but like the easy options. Currently trying to find a natural solution to keep my ants under control. Its interesting how everything balances out. My frogs and birds eat everything, the spiders eat some bugs, the bugs try to eat my plants. This is why I intend on leaving some of my produce to the wild.

 

The bug spray would probably kill the ladybirds as well so you will have to stop applying that if you want nature to sort your aphid problem.