As the weather has warmed, we’ve seen aphids appear. Aphids are little green (although they can be other colors such as black, yellow or grey) insects that suck the juice from new spring leaves. The subsequent scarring can cause the leaves to warp and curl around the aphids, protecting them.
In addition to weakening the plant, aphids drop a messy, sugary residue on items below their work site and they are also prolific in their reproduction, making problems exponentially worse if left unchecked.
The first line of defense with aphids is to hose them off the plants physically with a spray of water. If you have a small infestation, you can wipe them off the leaves. These techniques would need to be repeated daily.
A favorite way to handle these invaders and also very effective are to release lady bugs into your garden. These beneficial insects are a valuable addition to the toolkit of every Valley gardener. Alden Lane Nursery can provide them in useful quantities and advise you on where and how to use them most effectively. Each adult ladybug will consume over 5,000 aphids in their lifetime.
Don’t panic when you see the black “bug” pictured! That is the ladybug larvae.
For those wishing another organic or natural method of controlling aphids, we suggest a one-two punch, first with Bonide All Seasons Spray Oil followed up with a fresh release of Ladybugs a day or 2 later.
The spray oil simply sprays on at the end of a hose, no mixing. It smothers pests, rather than poisoning them. The Ladybugs mop up the leftovers and stand guard against local aphid uprisings.
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