White aphids are the smallest insects, but size is by no means a sign of harmlessness. This species is a dangerous pest that can destroy indoor plants, garden beds, and garden crops.
Aphids not only literally suck all the juices out of greenery, but are also carriers of viral diseases of flowers, shrubs and other plantings. What to do if there are white aphids on plants: how to quickly get rid of the pest?
It seems incredible how such a tiny creature can destroy a plant. But it is so. Even if there is only one female, she will quickly reproduce thousands of her own kind, because pests multiply at a fantastic speed.
Aphids feel equally comfortable both on the site and in the house. The earlier the presence of insects is detected, the sooner measures should be taken to get rid of it. By letting their vital activity take its course, you can quickly lose both flower and fruit plants.
Appearance
It is not difficult to understand that there are white aphids on an indoor flower. Examine the plant carefully. Insects make their presence known very clearly. Adults are small, whitish, barely reaching half a centimeter in length.
Externally, the body shape is drop-shaped. If you look at an individual under a microscope, you can see that its mouthparts consist of a proboscis - with which the aphid pierces the surface of plants (shoots or leaves). The head is equipped with long antennae - it is on them that tactile sensors are located. This species has both winged and wingless forms.
The former promote mass reproduction through parthenogenesis, while the latter promote movement and change of host. Winged aphids travel very long distances, which gives them the opportunity to establish their colonies everywhere. Researchers believe that the birth of aphids with wings is associated with a kind of stress that insects are exposed to when they are attacked, for example, by ladybugs or ground beetles.
As a result of a special chemical reaction in the body of pests, special odorous substances are produced, forcing the herd of aphids to move at increased speed. This creates an overpopulation effect, and offspring equipped with wings quickly reproduce.
It is assumed that only females capable of reproduction without mating are born this way.
Wingless aphids appear in both sexes. They mate. Aphids lay many eggs, and under favorable conditions, within a week or two, they develop into adults ready for reproduction.
Where do white aphids come from?
It can be difficult to say exactly where the white aphids came from on the flowers. One thing is obvious - the pest was brought in from outside. There are many ways for insects to enter a flower garden or apartment. If the plants are outdoors, a colony of aphids may have grown from a single winged female.
You shouldn’t be surprised that white aphids have appeared on indoor plants either.
Pests enter the house very easily:
- with a bouquet of wild flowers;
- with garden herbs;
- with contaminated soil;
- with new, newly purchased plants that have not been thoroughly inspected.
It is quite possible to carry aphids on outdoor shoes, clothing, and the fur of pets.
How to detect a pest
Carefully visually inspect the plant. Typically, pests prefer the lower part of leaves or young shoots. Slowly moving adult aphids and yellow oblong eggs are visible to the naked eye.
You can suspect that the plants have been attacked by aphids based on external signs:
- young shoots and flower buds darken and disappear;
- the foliage turns black and curls;
- stems and greens become covered with a sticky coating.
If you don’t know how to deal with white aphids, you can lose not only the infected plant, but also your entire flower collection, since, having feasted in one pot, the pest is transferred to another.
Among indoor flora representatives, aphids choose:
- violet;
- chrysanthemum;
- primrose;
- calla lilies;
- cyclomen.
How to remove white aphids from plants
There are many ways and methods to fight white aphids on plants. Destruction can be carried out either by one of them, or by using an integrated approach.
Mechanical method
A simple, cost-free way to get rid of aphids is to remove them manually. By regularly inspecting plants and removing larvae and insects from them, you can prevent the massive spread of aphids.
However, this method requires certain conditions:
- availability of free time and such character traits as perseverance;
- lack of disgust;
- the initial stage of plant infection.
If there are already quite a lot of aphids, it is very difficult to collect them all manually.
Chemicals
What to do if there are white aphids on indoor plants, how to fight them and save your green pets? Poisons will come to the rescue. In every department for gardeners and gardeners you can find a lot of remedies against white aphids.
These include pesticides. Chemicals help destroy pests from the first treatment. How to get rid of white aphids is outlined in detailed instructions for each such drug.
The most in demand are those that have proven their effectiveness, such as:
- Intra-vir;
- Hostakvik.
The active components in them are pyrethroids, synthetic insecticides. They are characterized by low toxicity and low volatility. All this makes them suitable for treating indoor plants. It should be remembered that aphids quickly get used to chemicals. Therefore, periodic spraying in the event of constant infection will soon become useless - the drugs will need to be replaced.
They use the method of spraying with chemicals, making a solution based on them. The dosage of the drug is selected following the instructions in the instructions. At the same time, we must not forget about precautions: use gloves, a respirator, ventilate the premises well and do not allow people and animals to be in them at this time.
Traditional methods
If white aphids are found on flowers, folk wisdom will tell you how to get rid of the pest. Simple means at hand are no less effective against pests than pesticides.
Ammonia for spraying
There's probably a bottle of ammonia lying around in your first aid kit. The product is dissolved in water in proportions of one to one. A spray bottle is filled with the solution, irrigating the plant. Repeated treatment is carried out after 2-4 days.
Ammonia-soap solution
For 5 liters of water, take a tablespoon of alcohol-ammonia, pour in a couple of drops of liquid soap or shampoo. The solution is sprayed with a spray bottle onto those plants where white aphids have settled.
Dry onion peel
It is easy to make an infusion from these food scraps. Take a handful of husks per liter of boiling water. Turning the stove on at low power, steam the broth for 5 minutes, then let it sit for a day.
The filtered liquid is sprayed onto the plants through a spray bottle. At the same time, white aphids on tomatoes and flower crops also die well from onions.
Table vinegar
The treatment is carried out with an acidic aqueous solution. Add a tablespoon of 9% acetic acid per liter of water.
Spraying is carried out at intervals of 3-5 days until the infected plant is completely cleared of the pest.
Laundry soap solution
The block is rubbed through a fine-mesh grater. The shavings are dissolved in warm water (a couple of tablespoons per liter). Spray the plants with cooled soapy water.
Citrus peel
Lemon and orange peels repel aphids with their scent. You can simply put the crusts in a flower pot, and it is also recommended to prepare a decoction for sprinkling.
The peel is first crushed and an infusion is prepared from it: a liter of boiling water is required for a handful of citrus crumbs. The infusion is left to stand for three days, then filtered and used for its intended purpose.
Self-planted tobacco
It is enough to sprinkle tobacco dust on the leaves and soil of the plant, and the aphids will leave it alone. You can also spray it with infusion: take a tablespoon of shag for a glass of boiling water and let it infuse for two days.
Then the infected plants are sprayed with filtered liquid, repeating the procedure once a week until the aphids are completely eliminated.
Decoction of celandine herb
You will need to take 1 cup of crushed fresh raw materials. It is poured with a liter of boiling water.
Celandine decoction
After infusion for a day, the broth is filtered and used for spraying plants (both indoor and outdoor). Repeated treatments are carried out once a week.
Traditional methods of combating white aphids are safe for the health of people and pets.
Conclusion
White aphids are a scourge that both flower growers and gardeners face. The pest causes significant damage by destroying plants or infecting them with viruses. Removing aphids is not so easy. However, affordable and effective remedies against it exist.
So, if white aphids have appeared, what to do with it depends on the degree of infestation of the plants. If the pests are isolated, you can get by with manual control; in more advanced cases, you will have to choose between pesticides and traditional methods.
Video: Saving indoor plants from aphids
Yellowing, deformed leaves, slow growth and, most importantly, a cluster of small insects on the tops of young shoots - all these are signs that aphids have infested your plantings. This small pest feeds on plant sap, as a result of which the affected plant withers, dries and, ultimately, may die. And since aphids reproduce simply at lightning speed, absolutely all crops that suit their taste can be destroyed. Don't let the situation become irreversible! After all, you will learn right now how to get rid of aphids in your garden, garden and indoor flowers, using your choice of chemical or folk remedies.
Aphids are clearly visible on the plant - they create crowded groups on the tops of the shoots
Aphids are small pests, but not tiny, like, for example. Therefore, we don’t have to arm ourselves with a magnifying glass to identify him. Its body is wide, pear-shaped, reaching a length of 0.5-6 mm. On top it is covered with “armor” - a protective waxy or woolly coating. There are two long antennae on the head, two tubes and a small elongated tail on the back.
Aphids can be anything in color: black, green, yellow, white, gray, red, pink. The color depends on the type of pest and its food preferences.
In the photo below you can see the aphids in all their glory:
Our heroine - aphid - at multiple magnification Most adult individuals are wingless, but as the population expands, when food on an established plant becomes catastrophically scarce, winged forms appear. They can fly to other plants, reproduce there and create new colonies.
Signs of defeat
Aphids do not sit idle on the plant, they actively eat it and leave traces of their vital activity.
In this case, you can notice the following manifestations of infection:
- Accumulation of small pests on the tops of shoots, on flower buds or on young stems. Aphids do not have a very powerful sucking apparatus, so they prefer young, succulent leaves and stems, which they can easily bite through.
- Damaged leaves curl and grow deformed. Some types of aphids inject a toxin into the leaves, so they curl, becoming natural armor for the pest. A whole population of aphids can hide in such “twists”.
- The leaves and stems are covered with a sticky, sweet liquid called honeydew. This is what aphids secrete as they feed on plant sap. Honeydew quickly becomes covered with a black coating - a sooty fungus, which not only spoils the appearance of the plant, but also slows down the processes of photosynthesis.
- Aphids are carriers of many plant viruses. For example, diseases such as sugar beet jaundice and barley yellow dwarf are viral in nature and are spread through aphids.
- Some species of aphids, such as the phylloxera aphid, are capable of forming galls (swells) on leaves and roots.
Reasons for appearance
Sometimes it seems that aphids materialize on plants literally out of thin air. In fact, there are several variants of infection:
- Migration of winged individuals born in a colony due to overpopulation. They can fly to your plantings, for example, from a neighboring area.
- The activity of ants, which in the literal sense of the word are carriers of aphids. Garden workers create a symbiosis with pests that is beneficial to both of them. Aphids, while feeding, secrete a sweet nutritious liquid - honeydew, which the ants feast on. The ants, in turn, protect the aphids from the attacks of other insects and transfer them from one plant to another. Neither give nor take farmers who drive their cows out to pasture! Aphids, in fact, are for ants a kind of analogue of cows, which are not only milked, but also taken care of. Even in winter, so that the “livestock” does not die, they are brought into an anthill. And in the spring they are taken out and planted on nutritious plants to be grown and “milked” again. So, if you have ants on your property, there will almost certainly be aphids as well. And you will have to destroy not only the direct pest, but also the insect carriers.
- On a personal plot, aphids can appear in the spring - from eggs that survived the winter in the soil and fallen leaves.
- On indoor flowers, infection often occurs after transplantation into soil contaminated with eggs.
The carriers of aphids are usually garden workers - ants. 
Aphids on roses are a common occurrence Some aphids have food preferences. For example, potato aphids usually cause damage to potatoes. But there are other, less picky species that, once on your plot or balcony, will feed on almost everything. For example, the green peach aphid, despite being very favorable to peaches and plums, will not refuse peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, melon, corn, spinach, lettuce, roses, etc. There are also species such as beet root aphid, which attack not the leaves and stems, but the roots of the plant. They live in the soil, so they are more difficult to identify, but they cause damage similar to other types of aphids.
How to deal with aphids: a list of methods
You can fight a dangerous pest using:
- Folk remedies are a method that often requires persistence and lengthy treatments. Usually used for the treatment of vegetable and garden fruit crops. The substances used are absolutely safe; the fruits can be eaten any day after treatment. In indoor floriculture, folk remedies are usually used for preventive purposes (to protect against aphids) or during the initial stage of infection.
- Chemical pesticides - this method is faster. However, the pesticides used can poison not only the aphids, but also your crop. Therefore, they should be used to treat garden crops 2-3 weeks before harvest, strictly following the instructions.
- Insect predators are a completely natural biological method that involves involving their natural enemies in the fight against aphids: ladybugs, hoverflies, green lacewings, etc.
- Protective plants are an auxiliary method that can be used in addition to the main one.
Folk remedies for aphids - victory without chemicals
If aphids appear on crops whose fruits you will eat, you should start fighting them without chemicals. This is especially true if the infection is in the initial stage and has not become an epidemic. As a rule, fighting aphids in this case will take longer, but it will be safer.
Soapy water
A very effective remedy for aphids, which can be used in the countryside and on your own plot without fear. Soap dissolves the waxy shell of the aphid, dehydrates it and leads to death. To prepare the drug, use laundry soap, liquid soap (preferably laundry or tar), and dishwashing detergent (for example, Fairy).
Make a solution in the following proportion:
- 30 g of grated laundry soap per 1 liter of warm water.
- 1 tbsp. spoon of liquid soap per 1 liter of water.
When using grated bar soap, you should wait until the solids are completely dissolved. When using liquid soap, just stir it thoroughly in water. The resulting solution is sprayed on the affected plants once every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.
Soap solution is the most popular folk remedy against aphids and many other pests. Onion peel infusion
20 g of husks (onion scales) are poured into a liter of water, infused and sprayed on diseased plants every 5 days until the aphids are completely defeated.
Garlic infusion
Grind 200 g of garlic (preferably in a blender), add 1 liter of water and leave covered for 4-5 days. For watering and spraying, use a solution: 25 ml of the resulting infusion-concentrate is mixed with 10 liters of water.
More complex recipe. 10-12 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste, are poured with 1.5-2 glasses of water, stirred until completely dissolved. Filter through gauze. Then add 2 tbsp to the resulting solution. spoons of vegetable oil and a little (1/4 teaspoon) liquid soap. Mix well until the oil and soap are mixed with the garlic water. This solution is sprayed on the plants every day for a week. Then it can be used once a week to protect against aphids.
Soda ash solution
Pour 3 teaspoons of soda ash into 10 liters of water (bucket), mix and pour into a spray bottle.
Ash-soap solution
3 cups of ash are poured into 10 liters of warm water and stirred. Leave for 2 days, then filter. Add 40 g of liquid or grated soap to the resulting solution.
Mustard infusion
20 g of mustard powder is poured into 1 liter of water and left for 24 hours. For greater effectiveness, you can add liquid soap to the infusion (dosage - 4 g per 1 liter).
Camomile tea
100 g of dried chamomile (stems, flowers, leaves) are poured into 1 liter of hot water, left for 12 hours, then filtered. For spraying, dilute the infusion with water in a ratio of 1:3 and mix in liquid soap (4 g per 1 liter).
Yarrow infusion
80 g of dried yarrow (stems, flowers, leaves) are poured into 1 liter of boiling water and left for 1.5-2 days. An accelerated option is to prepare a decoction. To do this, the raw materials are not infused, but boiled for 30 minutes (in the same ratio with water). Then cool and add soap (2 g per 1 l).
Tobacco infusion
100 g of dry tobacco (shag) is poured into 1 liter of hot water and left for 2-3 hours. Then it is filtered and, before use, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5.
Vinegar solution
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of 9% vinegar in 1 liter of water. The resulting solution is used for spraying.
A solution of ammonia 10% (ammonia) with soap
Dissolve 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. spoons of ammonia and 2 tbsp. spoons of liquid soap (preferably tar), mix. Since ammonia is a source of nitrogen, it is advisable to use this product before mid-summer.
We invite you to watch a video about preparing ammonia-soap solution:
Soap and iodine solution
Dissolve 1/3 of a piece of grated laundry soap in 10 liters of water, then pour in 2 caps of iodine. The prepared solution is used immediately for spraying.
Iodine and soap on guard against aphids Orange peel infusion
100 g of dry peel is poured into 1 liter of warm water and left for 3 days.
Essential oil solution
In a glass (250 ml) of water, dissolve 4-5 drops of essential oils of thyme, mint, cloves, rosemary. Stir well, shake and spray the liquid onto diseased plants every morning for a week. This powerful essential oil blend will kill most insect pests, as well as their eggs and larvae.
Vodka
Regular vodka can be used as an effective insecticide against aphids. It’s easy to use: just pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray the plants. Instead of vodka, you can use alcohol diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio.
Coca Cola
It is used in the fight against aphids according to the same principle as vodka. Pour into a spray bottle and spray the plantings.
Note!
Before using any aphid treatment in full, do a test spray on a small part of the plant. Then watch him for several days. In the absence of adverse reactions (leaf deformation, yellowing, burns), the proven method can be given the green light.
Spraying is carried out early in the morning or in the evening, alternatively in cloudy weather. When exposed to the sun and high temperatures, even organic pesticides can burn leaves. If rain is expected, treatment begins only when the weather clears. Otherwise, rain will wash away the solution and render it useless.
Chemical preparations for aphids
If folk remedies fail to destroy aphids, you should turn your attention to chemical preparations from a series of insecticides.
The rules for spraying with chemicals are the same as when using folk remedies. And be sure to first do a test treatment on a small area to check for an adverse reaction.
The following drugs are used against aphids:
- Green soap is the most non-toxic, gentle contact insecticide available in the form of liquid soap. It is used for spraying affected plants, but is most effective for prevention.
- Aktara is a systemic insecticidal preparation for controlling aphids in the garden and at home. It penetrates the vascular system of the plant and spreads through the tissues, while its juice becomes poisonous and poisons aphids. The good thing about this product is that it works effectively both when watering and when spraying. It is especially convenient to treat trees and shrubs on the site with Aktara - to remove aphids, you do not need to spray every branch, just water the affected plants and the pest will disappear.
- Iskra series of preparations (BIO, M, Gold, Double effect) are insecticides with different active ingredients that destroy aphids and many other pests. The form of treatment is watering and/or spraying.
- Fitoverm is an insectoacaricide and belongs to biological products. It is very popular as a means of destroying almost all pests on indoor flowers; it kills aphids outright. It has an intestinal contact effect, the method of treatment is spraying.
- Actellik is an enteric contact insectoacaricide, very toxic, classified as hazard class 2. An armor-piercing agent, it has a specific odor characteristic of FOS (such as dichlorvos, karbofos). It is used against aphids in exceptional cases; its use is justified if more “complex” pests are present on plants, for example, spider mites.
- Fufanon is another FOS, the active ingredient is malathion. An analogue of karbofos, Iskra M. Effectively destroys aphids and other sucking and gnawing pests. Treatment method: spraying.
- Komandor, Konfidor, Tanrek, Biotlin are analogues, systemic preparations for the destruction of aphids and other insects. The active ingredient is imidacloprid. The insecticide enters the plant tissue and makes it poisonous to aphids. Treatment – watering and spraying.
- Intavir is an enteric-contact chemical that can rid the garden of aphids and a host of other insects. The active ingredient is cypermethrin. Spraying required.
- Alatar is a complex remedy for intestinal contact action. Contains: malathion (karbofos) and cypermethrin (the active ingredient of Intavir). Treatment method: spraying.
It usually takes 2-3 applications at 7-day intervals to completely get rid of aphids. If after this period part of the population survives, the drug should be changed, since all chemical pesticides can cause resistance (addiction). When replacing, you should select a drug with a different active ingredient.
Any chemical, especially used in gardens and vegetable gardens, on food crops, is fraught with danger. Firstly, there are risks of fruit poisoning. They can be eaten only 2-3 weeks after treatment with pesticides. Secondly, chemicals can destroy not only pests, but also beneficial insects, primarily bees. Therefore, they should be used only before the flowers on the plant open.
Controlling aphids using natural enemies
Aphids can be destroyed not only by various sprays, but also with the help of predatory insects - entomophages. They eat the pest and/or its eggs and thus keep the population under control or completely exterminate it. Entomophages can be bought in specialized stores (many are available on the Internet) or brought to your site yourself. Often this method allows you to get rid of aphids both in the greenhouse and in the garden forever.
Ladybug
This insect is capable of consuming 50-60 aphids per day, and it also destroys mealybugs, mites and a number of other pests.
The ladybug, both in adulthood and in the larval stage, is a tireless predator in the fight against aphids Hoverfly, syrphid (Syrphidae)
The larvae of this species feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests, including spider mites, keeping their numbers under control. During the day, the hoverfly larva eats about 200 aphids.
Hoverfly larvae, which look like fat caterpillars, eat aphids and many other pests Green lacewing (Chrysoperla rufilabris)
The adult lacewing feeds on the nectar of flowers, but its larvae, which look like miniature alligators, are real predators. In the larval stage, the insect eats about 600 aphids, as well as other harmful insects and mites.
Aphids also feed on:
- some wasps (Aphidius);
- cicadas;
- crickets;
- ground beetles;
- earwigs (pincers);
- riders.
To attract beneficial insect predators to your plot, you should plant dill, fennel, carrots, parsley, celery, dandelion and tansy.
Planting protective plants
Another biomethod. It is based on planting plants that either repel aphids, or, conversely, attract them and take the “brunt” of the blow, thus protecting the crops being grown.
Repellent plants
They have phytoncidal properties that repel aphids and many other pests. To improve the health of the area, garlic, mustard, parsley, basil, wormwood, marigolds, calendula, tansy, and mint are planted on it.
Marigolds are repellent plants that will help repel aphids from cabbage Plants that Attract Aphids
There is another option: do the opposite. And plant plants that attract aphids next to the infected crop: petunia, cosmos, beans, cleome, mallow. The pest switches to a more palatable bait, after which you can remove it from the area along with the aphids. Or, if you feel sorry, use chemical sprays with pesticides on it.
After killing aphids, be vigilant to prevent reinfestation. Inspect your plants frequently, especially the undersides of the leaves. If you see signs of a pest, take action immediately. And your plants will thank you!
Many housewives are engaged in home floriculture. Green, fresh leaves are pleasing to the eye. Blooming buds decorate gray everyday life, especially on autumn and winter days, when bright colors are so scarce. But it happens that aphids appear on indoor flowers and the question arises: how to fight and get rid of the scourge, preferably using safe folk remedies.
Sometimes the presence of aphids can be determined by small growths on stems or leaves. They cannot be seen on tree trunks of plants, since the insect’s proboscis is designed in such a way that it is not able to bite through the bark.
Causes and signs of aphids on indoor plants
The pest itself cannot appear on indoor flowers.
This means that the aphids were brought in from outside.
From all that has been said, it is clear: it is quite simple to see and understand that a home flower is affected by aphids, but the method and method of combating the pest is chosen by the owner of the plant.
Of course, the easiest way is to buy a chemical aphid control agent in the store, but is this always justified and safe for people and animals living in an apartment? It may be better to use folk remedies. These are simple and effective methods, and completely safe for others.
Methods of pest control with folk remedies
Do not forget about preventive measures and before you buy a particular plant in a store, from hand at the market, or take it from friends, it must be inspected for aphid infestation.
If insects are not noticed when purchasing a flower, but they subsequently appear, you should immediately think about destroying them. Simple folk methods are suitable for this.
Infusions against aphids on tops
A frequently used product, but it is only good in the spring and summer. When culling low-quality seedlings, pinching or removing excess leaves on tomato stems, take 400-500 grams of raw materials, crush them and boil in 1 liter of water for about half an hour.
After filtering and cooling, grated soap is added to the solution. It’s better to take brown household stuff, grated. This soap contains fewer chemical additives and will ensure the best adhesion of the composition.
After adding soap to the broth, stir it until a homogeneous mass is obtained and completely dissolved. Perhaps the composition turned out to be too concentrated, so it is better to dilute it 1:1. Only after this can you test a few leaves.
Only after making sure that the plant has withstood the procedure in the control area are the infected plants processed. They are either sprayed with a spray bottle, or, if the solution is thick, the diseased plant is wiped with a cotton swab.
Vegetable infusions
Various infusions on vegetables will also help get rid of aphids on home flowers. A decoction of onions or onion peels, an infusion of garlic, and hot peppers in an infusion help well.
Among flower growers, the use of vinegar to combat aphids is quite popular. Take a tablespoon of 9% vinegar per liter of water and wipe or spray the leaves of the infected plant.
For preventive purposes, it can be used to treat healthy flowers where sick ones are present.
Infusions of celandine and marigolds
Such infusions are good because you can buy dried herbs at any time at a pharmacy or cut them up in a country plot and prepare them yourself.
Take dry plants: 40 g (marigolds) or 100 g (celandine), infuse in a liter of water for about one to two days, filter and treat the affected plants. The leaves can either be sprayed or wiped.
Tobacco or wood ash
One of the popular remedies is tobacco infusion. Take 40 g (or a pack of shag), leave it in a liter jar of water for a day, drain it from the sediment and wipe or spray the plant.
Wood ash is not only a successful means of pest control, but also an excellent fertilizer, so this infusion can be used to treat leaves and stems and water the soil in a pot.
A glass of ash is added to 5 liters of water and infused for 3 hours or more. For spraying, soap is added, but then you need to make sure that the solution does not fall on the ground. When wiping the leaves, you don’t have to add soap, but use the remaining infusion as fertilizer.
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when fighting aphids
Baking soda and soda solution are an irreplaceable lifesaver in the household. An effective remedy for controlling aphids on flowers. A teaspoon of the composition is enough for half a liter of water. You can either spray the flower or wipe the leaves and stems.
Experts recommend adding a little liquid soap and 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Application interval – once every 2 weeks. To avoid burns, spraying should be carried out either in the evening, or in cloudy weather, or by shading the flower.
Hydrogen peroxide is used in solution at the rate of: 1 tablespoon of 3% preparation per half liter jar of water. Treatment is carried out either by spraying or wiping the leaves of the plant.
Prevention of aphids
As experts say, “It is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it,” so you need to know how to prevent the appearance of aphids on flowers:
- periodically inspect the plants and, at the first signs, treat them with any available means. Newly acquired plants are quarantined for at least a week;
- timely fertilizing and replanting in specially selected soil mixtures will allow the plant to develop normally, and a well-growing flower is less susceptible to the risk of infection;
- In the summer, as a preventive measure, it is good to place mint leaves between pots with indoor plants; aphids do not tolerate them well. In winter, it is worth placing indoor geraniums on the windowsill with other flowers;
- it is necessary to monitor the microclimate of the room. The higher the temperature and drier the air, the faster the pest multiplies.
Now let's figure out what aphids look like. This is a small insect whose body length is several millimeters. Depending on the species, the body will be painted a certain color. In garden plots, aphids are most often found in green, white, red and black colors. An insect can be winged or wingless. Winged individuals quickly spread throughout the territory and contribute to the change of host plant, while wingless ones mainly reproduce.
On a note! Based on what aphids feed on, it’s easy to imagine the damage they can cause to agricultural land!
Reproduction
Now it’s worth considering how aphids reproduce. In autumn, females lay eggs on plants and they calmly survive the winter on them. In the spring, larvae emerge from the eggs and immediately begin to actively feed on the juices of their “host”. Having passed the molting stage, young individuals give birth to wingless females without fertilization.
On a note! As a result of parthenogenetic reproduction, in just a month, one female can become the ancestor of three generations, which will number several hundred thousand insects!
Closer to autumn, the production of winged males begins. They return to their “host”, on which the females lay eggs again.
Aphids belong to insects with incomplete metamorphosis, that is, they do not have a pupal stage. Some species reproduce without laying eggs - viviparity. Living larvae are formed parthenogenetically, and their embryonic period exceeds the life span of aphids, so females are born already pregnant.
Most common types
As mentioned above, there are about 4 thousand species of aphids. It is not possible to consider all of them, so we will pay attention to those that occur most often.
What is the danger?
The damage caused by aphids can be quite widespread, especially if you do not notice this pest in time and do not start fighting it.
Who eats aphids? The most well-known natural enemies include:
- ladybug larvae;
- lacewing larvae;
- larvae;
- crickets;
- cicadas;
- ground beetles;
- earwigs;
- rider.
And in order for these insects to help you in the fight against aphids, it is enough to attract them to your site by planting certain varieties of plants along its perimeter.
And finally, we invite you to familiarize yourself with some interesting facts about aphids:
Aphids often plague gardeners and gardeners. It sucks the juice from the leaves and thereby destroys the plantings. The pest does not only appear in areas. It also attacks domestic flowers. To effectively fight it, you should know where aphids come from on plants.
How aphids appear in areas
Many people encounter an “invader” in their summer cottages and gardens. As soon as warm weather sets in, young leaves and shoots on trees and plantings are attacked. It seems like she appears out of nowhere.
But infection occurs in two ways:
- She's being torn apart.
- New individuals hatch from eggs overwintering in tree trunks.
During the cold season, ants carry aphids and their eggs from plants to their nest so that they do not die from frost and icy wind. With the onset of warm days, foragers place their “pets” on young leaves and begin grazing, jealously guarding the “food supply” from ladybugs. Aphids can appear on any plants and seedlings.
Interesting!
The little workers feed on honeydew, a lice secreted by plant louses. They tickle the aphid's abdomen with their antennae, and the aphid gives them a drop of the sweet drink.
If there are too many insatiable pests on a tree or shrub, then worker ants begin to spread them to other fruit crops and weeds. So, thanks to the efforts of the garden species, aphids appear on plants.
But the insect is capable of independently taking care of the continuation of its kind. The eggs hatch into females that reproduce new offspring. In mid-summer, winged females and males appear from the next clutch. They fly to other plants and lay eggs in the bark of trees and shrubs, which must survive the winter.
With the onset of warmth, new individuals emerge from the clutch. The cycle repeats itself again.
Those who suffer most from aphid infestations are:
- (including , and );
How aphids appear on house flowers
Pests manage to spread throughout. This happens in the warm season, when flower growers send their “pets” to the balcony - and they are attacked by winged individuals.
On a note!
But this is not the only way the pest gets into apartments. Aphids are formed in the following ways:
- flies through open windows and doors;
- brought by people on their clothes and shoes;
- gets into the house with other plants, bouquets of flowers.
All purchased potted flowers are processed or kept in quarantine for 2-3 weeks, and wildflower bouquets collected in a field or forest are placed away from indoor plants.
Aphids reproduce quickly and spread throughout plants. It creeps from weeds to trees, bushes and fruit crops. Foragers often help her with this. To protect the garden, you need to fight not only aphids, but also.
