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Aphids on Senecio Angel Wings

PlantyPruPlantyPru Posts: 142
in Problem solving
After some googling I have come to the conclusion my poor angel wings has got an aphid infestation ☹ I wanted to move it out of the pot into a bed but then am I just putting all my other plants at risk from them? At the minute I'm just trying to wash it down with the water sprayer, not sure what else to do really

Posts

  • PlantyPruPlantyPru Posts: 142
    Anyone please? I bought it last year after my father in law passed and really don't want to lose it 
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    It seems odd that the plant would have a bad infestation of aphids at this time of year. Has it been outside all winter? If they are aphids, you can squish them by hand if you aren't too squeamish. They are unlikely to spread to any  nearby plants unless those are varieties that are prone to attack by aphids. They are fairly particular about which species they attack.
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    As @Ceres says, manual control by squishing them definitely works. Washing them off will work to a degree, but I have noticed the ants emerging for the Spring in my garden and starting to farm the aphids again, so if you are battling against a colony of diligent farmers then they may just bring them back to the pasture shortly afterwards! However, if you are able to keep on top of the worst of them for a bit by squishing them, then in later Spring/Summer the ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies will emerge and they will help to keep the numbers down.

    I've heard that an applied washing up liquid solution might work, as I think it affects the aphid's body/coating somehow, but I've never tried this so it would be worth doing an internet search to double check.

    As to whether the aphids would spread to other plants, that's hard to tell. Most of the plants & shrubs in my garden are affected by aphids to some degree, because they like the tender shoots and buds where everything is juciest. However, most stuff I find survives pretty well, and insects and birds see aphids as a tasty snack.
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