Aphids on my Acers

clarawicks · April 2017

Evening All

my acers are absolutely covered in aphids.. I have drenched with a bug spray but no impact Can you recommend anything to thwart them?

clara

Fairygirl · April 2017

A jet of water from the hose, or wipe off with your hand. Far better than using chemicals.

Encourage birds into the garden too - they'll eat them up readily at this time of year.

clarawicks · April 2017

oooh this gardening lark... I'm having to get over all kinds of things that previously made me shudder! Last weekend collecting slugs, now aphids ?

Fairygirl · April 2017

Cloggie · April 2017

Or ignore the problem and next year the balance will be restored - Zen-like!

I'm being serious. I would jet wash this year as Fairy says but only to stem the invasion.

Don't spray with chemicals, that's what throws things out of kilter. Your jet wash or hand wipe this year will keep it under control to save the plant but it'll still probably look a bit rubbish for this season.

Next year you'll have double the predators because they know there's a free lunch so let that process happen.

My philosophy .. for what it's worth!

Buttercupdays · April 2017

You could always wear thin surgical gloves

Kitty 2 · April 2017

I'm not that squeamish and squish aphids bare handed. Heavy infestations get blasted off with the hose... but I wonder where they go to? I jetted a shrub beside a low boundary fence last summer and worried that I was simply spraying them into next doors plants

I draw the line at scale insect on my acer, and use a bit of tissue paper to scrape them off....I don't like the fluff

Those disposable gloves are good for slug picking Buttercup, the slime is a beggar to scrub off your fingers

clarawicks · April 2017

Lol we call those gloves "anals" in our house... ?

I got my boys on a ladybird hunt, this morning the worst affected acer is nearly clear, and we have some fat happy ladybirds.. This afternoon we are going to make some bug hotels, all inclusive board available

Cloggie · April 2017

Kitty, isn't the idea that they can't fly ... ? (might have this wrong?). I thought that what you're doing is knocking them to the ground (a bit wet) and they can't recover from that. Or is that spider mite? Dunno.

Kitty 2 · April 2017

I dunno either Cloggie . I was blasting horizontally in the front garden where the fence is only 3ft high (5ft shrub). Some of them could have landed directly onto the shrubs on the other side

Maybe someone clever will enlighten us as to whether I'm a bad neighbour or not?

yarrow2 · April 2017

I was plagued with so many aphids last summer - from very early spring - that I got so fed up I started digging up plants. Had some lovely Leucanthemum 'Bright Lights' but as soon as they came into bud all six plants were covered in them the entire season. I was getting into very negative thinking wondering if there was some weakness in the soil making the plants weak and therefore over-appealing to aphids. I don't use chemicals, but daily squishing and hose blasting didn't get rid of them at all.

For the past week, a large hellibore is absolutely covered in them, every single flower has a mixture of them in different colours, shapes and sizes and I'm going to chop the flowers down because it looks terrible and for some reason the birds don't go anywhere near it. All the 'tits', robins, blackbirds, finches are concentrating on things in the soil at the moment - little clear egg-type things and small beasties - but they never go for the greenfly and aphids on the plants. Drives me nuts., LOL, and I suspect they know it!!!

I am bereft of ladybirds in this garden. Only ever see one or two each year. I know people buy them and am wondering if I should go down that route - when is the best time to buy some? Then again, because they never appear in this garden - bar one - maybe the garden isn't a good home for them here. Wouldn't want to give them a miserable life!

Last edited: 23 April 2017 20:35:19

Aphids on my Acers

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