I use the “blast from the hose” on the plants that are affected and it is effective but only a few seem to suffer. Bob Flowerdew suggests putting jam on affected plants for ants to feed on so they then see the aphids as a meaty snack? Not tried it but maybe worth a try?
Otherwise as others have said lots of birds and ladybirds 🐞 will eventually create a balance.
My own pet hate are lupin aphids, they seem indestructible.
The farming press is reporting that because of the prolonged cold snap thus winter there are far fewer aphids around and they will be far less of a problem this year ... so much so that the special permission to use neonicotinoid pesticides on sugar beet crops in the UK this year has been withdrawn. 😊
Last year the aphids were particularly bad because we’d had a mild winter with hardly any frost.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If you want to encourage natural predators like ladybirds then my advice would be to avoid all chemical based sprays. None are species specific and will affect any insect, good or bad, which has the vulnerability or body/organ mechanisms the chemical is targeting.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I had this problem a few years ago and was advised to put a thick band of vaseline around the trunk. As a result the trunk rotted and snapped and the ants managed to walk through it anyway. Don't do what I did! I saved the tree and turned it into a pleached effect. Is planted it in memory of my grandfather and didn't want to lose it.
If you want to encourage natural predators like ladybirds then my advice would be to avoid all chemical based sprays. None are species specific and will affect any insect, good or bad, which has the vulnerability or body/organ mechanisms the chemical is targeting.
I couldn’t agree more. I haven’t used chemical spray insecticides/herbicides in 10 years.
I had this problem a few years ago and was advised to put a thick band of vaseline around the trunk. As a result the trunk rotted and snapped and the ants managed to walk through it anyway. Don't do what I did! I saved the tree and turned it into a pleached effect. Is planted it in memory of my grandfather and didn't want to lose it.
I use the “blast from the hose” on the plants that are affected and it is effective but only a few seem to suffer. Bob Flowerdew suggests putting jam on affected plants for ants to feed on so they then see the aphids as a meaty snack? Not tried it but maybe worth a try?
Otherwise as others have said lots of birds and ladybirds 🐞 will eventually create a balance.
My own pet hate are lupin aphids, they seem indestructible.
I have tried water blasts and even wiping them off, but there was loads of damson and apple blossom I didn’t want to destroy.
Brilliant news @Dovefromabove, I really hope you're right. My lupins were so covered in them last year, I lost my rag and dug them up! They had mildew on them too, so that was also a factor in my decision. My aphid method is to get a stick and run it over the plant and knock them all off , it's quite enjoyable. Then I try and cover them in soil to squidge them. Brutal!
I make a paste of garlic, ginger and green chillies, mix about 1 tbsp of this in a litre of water, filter it and spray to control aphid infestation in roses. This needs to be done weekly though. HTH.
Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
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Last year the aphids were particularly bad because we’d had a mild winter with hardly any frost.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I saved the tree and turned it into a pleached effect. Is planted it in memory of my grandfather and didn't want to lose it.
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/comment/2308045#Comment_2308045
but no one responded ... its sad, sometimes I think no one wants to hear good news from the farming community.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.