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Hydrangea Pest ID?

sunnysidersunnysider Posts: 15
in Problem solving
Can anyone help me identify this bug growing on my hydrangea please? When I looked it up I thought maybe it's scale because most of them are white, but it doesn't quite look like the photos to me. Are they green flies? I'm new to gardening so apologies if it's something obvious! Thanks!

Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    It's just aphids. The white ones are empty skins that they moult as they grow and the green ones are the live bugs. Unless they're killing the plant you can just leave them for birds and bugs to pick off or blast them off with a hose.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • sunnysidersunnysider Posts: 15
    wild edges said:
    It's just aphids. The white ones are empty skins that they moult as they grow and the green ones are the live bugs. Unless they're killing the plant you can just leave them for birds and bugs to pick off or blast them off with a hose.
    Thank you! I actually don't have access to a hose, if I leave them on will they do any damage to my hydrangea or neighbouring plants?
  • sunnysidersunnysider Posts: 15
    An update in case anyone else has any much appreciated advice- I sprayed off the bugs  I originally spotted, only to find there were many, many more. They were on almost every new leaf, I sprayed off as many as I could. That's grand, but they have now spread to my other plants, including my dahlias that I have only been hardening off for a couple of days. I can't bring them back into the house as I have some mature houseplants that I don't want to get infected. Are they going to damage my dahlias and other plants in any way? I can't seem to find a definitive answer on Google. I'm also worried now that my dahlias won't like being outside yet :( I've put them in my zippy greenhouse but they're a bit squished, not really ideal!
  • purplebear87hpXYcF45purplebear87hpXYcF45 Posts: 1
    So I am new to gardening as well and have been going through the same exact thing! They have killed so many of my new plants...but my mother-in-law just gave me this new stuff called seven dust and it has helped me sooo much! I just took one of those foam paint brushes and dusted the leaves on top and underneath...especially on the lower leaves. They all seem to gather on those the most. Anyways, I hope this helps!
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Sevin dust is massively harmful to all kinds of benefical insects including bees. Please don't use stuff like that in the garden. Aphids are easily controlled with soapy water if they become a problem.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    A balance in the garden makes aphids relatively easy to deal with if there's a sudden infestation @sunnysider. Encouraging birds will help, especially blue tits feeding their young,  but it's not unusual for aphids to suddenly appear as new growth gets underway. They love soft green fleshy growth that many perennials have.  You'll find they decrease as time goes on. Keeping plants healthy and not over feeding makes for stronger plants which shrug off pests more readily. There's a tendency to go mad with food in spring, but it's often a case of less is more. 

    You can also just wipe aphids off with your hand when you see them, to stop them getting too big a hold on plants.   :)

    Chemical sprays harm everything beneficial, as @wild edges indicates. Absolutely no need for them. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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