Aphid Control
Eric Ronning
Identification
Most aphids measure between 1/10 and 1/8 of an inch in length. They come in many colors including green, red, brown, gray, pink, bluish, yellow, black, and white. Some have wings and some don't, but they all have soft, pear-shaped bodies with two little tubes poking out either side of the rear of the abdomen called cornicles.
Single Aphid
Aphids
Aphid
Imagine, if you would, that your body is covered with hundreds of tiny little insects that are continuously poking you and sucking out your juices with sharp little straw-like appendages that protrude menacingly from their faces. Now imagine being a plant and being able to do absolutely nothing as the little bastards sucking the life out of you decide it would be fun to add a little insult to injury by transmitting some lovely, fresh-picked viruses directly into your leaves, flowers, and stems. To make matters worse, they even have the audacity to leave sweet, sticky anal secretions called honeydew all over your leaves, where, unless it's eaten by ants, quickly turns grayish black with mold and blocks the sun. Now imagine watching your leaves as they curl up, yellow, die, and drop into oblivion. Finally, pull yourself out of this little reverie, pat yourself on the back for getting through it, and read on to learn how to control aphids.
Controlling Aphids
Inspect for aphids on a regular basis. Get off your keester and start taking 15–20 minutes out of your day a couple times a week to thoroughly inspect for aphids on plants, flowers, and trees. An aphid infestation is far easier to control if you catch it early. It doesn't really matter what time of day you do this, just remember to pay close attention to the underside of leaves. This sort of inspection may also help you find and stave off other infestations and plant maladies.
Handpicking and pruning helps to thin the herd. Your fingers and a good pair of garden shears are pretty good mechanisms for killing aphids. When, on your forays through your gardeny glen, you find large congregations of aphids on your plants, snip or snap off the sections where they are thickest and drop the infested chunk of plant into a plastic bag or a bucket of soapy water.
Control aphids with plain old water. A strong jet of water is one of the most efficient means of aphid control and the very first thing I would do upon finding aphids. The water knocks the aphids off of the plant and onto the ground. Once on the ground they are seldom able to return to the plant. Use your thumb to concentrate the spray from a regular garden hose or buy yourself a Bug Blaster hose attachment.
Diatomaceous earth is a great natural product for controlling aphids. This organic aphid insecticide is a powder derived from extremely sharp little fossilized diatoms. Sprinkle DE onto plants after a rain, after watering, or better yet, after using the hose or Bug Blaster. DE works by inflicting aphids with small lacerations when they crawl over and through the stuff. These lacerations cause the aphids to dehydrate and die. Not only is this an extremely effective method for killing aphids, but DE is 100 percent natural and quite safe for you, your children, and your pets.
Control aphids with insecticidal soaps. Insecticidal soaps kill aphids by causing their cell membranes to weaken and collapse. When this happens, the insects' internal fluids leak out and they dehydrate. Look for brands like Safer, Bon-Neem, Ortho, or make your own. Do this by mixing 2–3 tablespoons of clear liquid dish detergent with one gallon of water. Put the whole mess in a sprayer and go to town. Remember to rinse the homemade stuff off of your plants with fresh water after 2–3 hours.
Pyrethrins and pyrethroids for killing aphids. Pyrethrins are an insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum flower and pyrethroids are their synthetic doppelgangers. Both the real and the synthetic can be sprayed on plants for aphid genocide. Pyrethrins are perhaps the most readily available aphid insecticide. Go to your gardening store, pick up the first jug of pesticide that claims to control aphids, and read the label. If it contains pyrethrins or pyrethroids as the active ingredient, consider yourself golden and your aphids dead.
Control aphids with insect growth regulators (IGR). IGRs are insecticides that kill aphids in a couple possible ways. Some IGRs keep aphids from reaching sexual maturity and thus they cannot reproduce. Others interfere with the insects' chitin production for exoskeletons and disrupt the molting process. The result? Dead aphids. Look for brands like Azatin, Enstar II, Preclude, or any product containing neem.
Biological Aphid Control
Ladybugs find aphids to be delicious. Ladybugs and their larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids. A single ladybug can eat about 100 aphids a day. For starters, put up a ladybug house and some commercial ladybug food such as Wheast or Formula 57 to lure them in. If these tactics are not bringing in as many as you would like, you can actually purchase ladybugs from online vendors and nurseries.
Lacewings think they're pretty tasty too. Lacewing larvae are also quite fond of eating aphids. They too can be lured into your yard with Wheast or Formula 57 and are readily available for purchase if you need a little extra help.
Birds know how to kill aphids and look cute doing it. Chickadees and wrens are two types of birds that love to eat aphids. Since these birds will readily utilize bird houses, they are easy to lure to your yard.
Honey dishes lure away the aphids' protectors. Sometimes you run across aphid colonies that are being protected by ants that want to eat their honeydew. In situations like these, place small containers of honey below the infested plant. The honey will lure the protective ants away from the aphids. Without the ants' protection, natural aphid predators will be far more productive at keeping your aphid population in check.
Natural Aphid Control
Yellow sticky traps kill aphids. Not much explanation required here. These garden pest control devices are yellow cards covered in a sticky substance that traps aphids when they crawl across it. Depending on the brand you get, they can be hung directly from the plants or attached to stakes that are placed right up next to them. Look for brands like Yellow Sticky Traps, Tanglefoot, or BioCare.
Use water traps for aphid control. A yellow pan or bowl filled with water and a few drops of liquid dish soap placed in areas where aphid control is required is a good method for killing aphids with wings. If you don't have a yellow dish, get yourself a can of yellow RustOleum spray paint and make one. Keep a close eye on your results to make sure you're not also catching predatory wasps that would otherwise be eating aphids. If you find these wasps (see below for more details), discontinue use.
Isopropyl alcohol spray helps to control aphids. Put some plain old 70 percent isopropyl alcohol in a sprayer to use for killing aphids. Do a test spray on just a couple of leaves 24 hours before use to make sure it won't damage your plants. If you find that it's safe for your plants, concentrate on the undersides of the leaves.