Aphids
Forum Archives
Marilynn
Location: Outside the Maritime Pacific Northwest
Posted: Jun-12-2007 at 9:39am
Hi Deb,
I was wondering if there was a good bug killer that I could use on my roses that wouldn't kill the foliage and buds on my roses. I used End All on my apple tree and it killed all the blossoms and leaves. This is the worst time I have ever had with aphids and it is a constant battle.
Marilynn
P.S. no spit balls or pigtail pulling okay..
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Jun-12-2007 at 10:09am
Darn it Marilynn, you're no fun! Sorry everyone, inside joke from years ago.
Safer's Insecticidal soap is a good aphid killer and is non toxic. You have to actually spray the aphid for it to work so hit the undersides of the leaves too. You can also hose the suckers off with a blast of the hose.
Did you sell your place yet?
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Jun-12-2007 at 10:23am
I have never heard of End All. But it's not kidding about ending it all. It's a good thing you didn't try it on your roses, since they are in the same Rosaceae family as the apples. it might have ended your roses too!
I hope your apple trees are coming back in leaf.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jun-12-2007 at 6:20pm
I too am having an awful year with aphids. I am tired of buying Safer soaps. I would like to make my own but am I going to be killing all the other bugs in the area? I could always encourage the ladybugs to leave the plant when I spray the aphids. I have aphids on some roses, fennel, lupine, hellebore and the shasta daisy. Only on one daisy, there are 4 daisy plants in a row and they are only on one! Of the multitude of plants in my yard I guess it is good they are on so few plants. The plants they are on though are infested!
~BakingBarb
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jun-13-2007 at 8:16am
Same here, Barb. They are on the lupine and the lonicera. I tried to get rid of this Russel hybrid lupine because of aphids but it keeps coming back every spring, flowers for 1 day and then the aphids find it! Very frustrating, isn't it? But yes, I am glad they are only on select plants. If I get rid of the two problem plants, will the aphids no longer visit? Jeanne
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jun-13-2007 at 6:23pm
LOL Jeanne somehow I doubt it! The hose has visited my lupines repeatedly but the aphids are tenacious they just crawl back when I walk away! I'm starting to think they multiply like rabbits! ~BakingBarb
What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. ~Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden, 1871
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jun-14-2007 at 9:06am Originally posted by bakingbarb
I'm starting to think they multiply like rabbits!
They are worse than rabbits! Aphids can give birth to pregnant aphids. Now isn't that a scary thought!
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jun-14-2007 at 5:59pm
Lisa, I am lol so much! I want to meet the people that studied the ahpids to find out that info! That is some amazing information though and an amazing thought. Cripes all of mine must be born pregnant then! So does anyone have a good recipe for treating them? I am probably going to do a search and see what I can find.
~BakingBarb
Marilynn
Location: Outside the Maritime Pacific Northwest
Posted: Jun-16-2007 at 12:18pm
Thanks for the info and boy am I glad I didn't spray my roses either! The apple tree has apples on it and lots of them too so I guess I sprayed them at the right time.
No luck in selling this motel yet..
Marilynn
Location: Outside the Maritime Pacific Northwest
Posted: Jun-16-2007 at 12:20pm
Hi there!
I too would like to make my own safers soap to kill these darn aphids so if you get a recipe I sure hope you will post it.
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Jun-16-2007 at 10:59pm
Several times I have tried to get an answer to the question when you say soap, do you mean detergent, or old fashioned soap?
I found some bars of fels naptha (sp?) soap, and shredded it and added water, It didnt kill the plants and it did slow down the aphid population. Dont know about Dawn or other detergents, because I was afraid to use it if it wasnt safe!
How the heck do you check the uterus of an aphid? Never saw a speculum that small! Not in my Dr. office!
Carol
Cathyinwa
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jun-22-2007 at 10:14am
I was coming here about aphids too.
I've sprayed mine with a hose. They have come back but not as bad. They are on my mock orange which has a lovely scent right now.
I guess I'll have to get out and buy some Safer's soap.
Cathy
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Jun-22-2007 at 11:01am
Originally posted by cjmiller
How the heck do you check the uterus of an aphid? Never saw a speculum that small!Not in my Dr. office!
LOL, Carol! Leave it to a nurse to ask that question!
Aphids give birth to live young. Because their bodies are fairly translucent, close-up shots can capture one aphid giving birth to another aphid pregnant with another aphid. I've seen pictures in my OSU Master Gardener training classes. I tried to find a google image for you but I couldn't in my brief search.
I spray aphids, squish them with my gloved hand, and rely on my birds and ladybugs to gobble them up. So far, so good (knocking on wood, of course).
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jul-10-2007 at 9:10pm
The aphids have moved onto a tree, the tree is literally dripping from them onto all the plants in my new flower bed. The tree is covered in them. UGH
This has been a bad year with them.
~BakingBarb
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jul-10-2007 at 9:16pm
Aphids, this talks about how they give birth ready to give birth.
http://www.centralsan.org/education/ipm/aphids.html
~BakingBarb
GardenNut
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Jul-11-2007 at 7:54am
Oh, are you supposed to squish them with a gloved hand? I thought that's where "green thumb" came from....
Chris Sunset 4 USDA 8a
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Jul-11-2007 at 10:18pm
DOH! That explains so much
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton