What do aphids do to leaves? How to get rid of aphids on indoor plants at home

Over many years of gardening, most gardeners have encountered one of the most common pests - aphids. Insects destroy the leaves of cultivated plants, weakening them and making them vulnerable to all kinds of diseases, and lead to partial or complete loss of the crop.

Aphids are dangerous pests, ubiquitous in greenhouses, greenhouses and greenhouses. There are species of aphids that feed on sap. Extensive superfamily of insects (Aphidoidea) recognized as the most active pest of agricultural crops.

Entomological scientists know about 4,000 species of insects, of which about a thousand are common in Europe; aphids number up to 10 families.

The result of the vital activity of aphids This is a slowdown in the growth of affected plants (for example, a colony of green apple aphids slows down the growth and development of shoots by half in 30 days), deformation and drying out of the leaf apparatus, twisted shoots, insufficient flowering and shedding of ovaries. Some species feed on certain types of crops, while others can live on various garden plants.

With the beginning of spring, colonies of various species of these sucking insects become active and cause damage to plantings in summer cottages until late autumn. In addition to the fact that aphids actively suck out plant juices, causing serious damage to plants and destroying future harvests, many species are carriers of viral diseases of various crops and are one of the causes of abnormal plant growth, for example, the formation of galls (growths on the roots).

Morphological characteristics of aphids

Insect coloring is determined by the composition of the hemolymph and can have a variety of colors: gray, for example, Red gall apple aphids, green (Green apple aphids, Plum pollinated aphids), black, brown, ruby, purple, yellow, all shades of brown, etc. Most often, insects have the same color, like the plant they feed on. In particular,

• green aphids live on apple and pear trees,
• black live on cherries and cherries,
• red settle on gooseberry bushes and (both red, white and black),
• yellow-green feed on greens and cucumber flowers (melon aphids),
• pea They prefer legumes.

Aphid body shape most often oval, some species have a drop-shaped, hemispherical, ovoid, ellipsoidal configuration. The average length of an insect is 0.7 mm, only some representatives are up to 7 mm in size.

Pests belong to the class of phytophages (feeding on plant foods) and have a special proboscis with which they pierce young greenery and suck the juices out of it. The insect is characterized high ability to reproduce. Regardless of the type of aphid, the population contains winged and wingless forms.

Aphids feed on the cell sap of young shoots, consuming proteins and amino acids from them, necessary for growth and development, and secrete sugars (carbohydrates) in the form of a sweet sticky substance called honeydew or honeydew. Flies and ants feed on these waste products of pests.

The mutual “cooperation” of ants and aphids has long been known. Ants actively take care of aphids, protect them from predators, move them to new shoots, and even hide females in their anthills for the winter. That is why measures to eliminate aphids also include the fight against ants.

Life cycle of aphids

In the fall, winged, fertilized female aphids lay a batch of eggs on host plants, weeds and unharvested debris. These are mainly plants of the cruciferous family (wild radish, rapeseed, cabbage stalks).

From overwintered eggs in early spring, with the arrival of warmth, larvae appear, feeding on the cell sap of young greenery. After molting begins process of parthenogenetic (asexual) reproduction, the result of which is the appearance of wingless female aphids - they provide a significant increase in the colony, giving birth to ready-made larvae.

Scientists have calculated that in just 30 days of such reproduction, one individual (female) can give 2-3 generations of insects with a total number of more than 10 thousand.

Wingless representatives of aphids are inactive, live at their birth sites, and feed on cell sap through their proboscis (at the beginning of the plant vegetation cycle, insects do not experience a food shortage at all).

If no control or prevention measures are used against insects, then ideal conditions are created for their unhindered reproduction.

An interesting feature of aphids is that all generations breeding in the spring and the first half of summer consist exclusively of females, and since males are not needed for this type of reproduction, more and more new generations appear through parthenogenesis.

Winged individuals that have flown to other crops also give rise to new generations of aphids, and soon equally numerous colonies are formed in the new place. During this period, among the huge number of wingless insects, winged ones are also born, calmly moving to the still undamaged leaves of the plant or to other specimens of crops, either one or several, depending on the type of aphid.

And only at the very end of summer a qualitative change occurs in the life cycle of aphids - the appearance of heterosexual winged representatives (males and females) that mate. Females fertilized in early autumn do not give birth to larvae, but are exclusively engaged in procreation - they lay clutches of eggs, which, after overwintering, will give rise to a new population of pests (first larvae, and then wingless virgin individuals).

With the onset of cold weather, all insects die, thus ending their life cycle.

External signs of aphids on plants

Wingless female aphids lead a sedentary lifestyle, most often concentrating on the underside of leaves, and also cover fresh greenery in a continuous mass, gradually moving on long legs further and further to shoots that have not yet been sucked.

Leaves colonized by pests first become deformed, dry out, then curl and die. The shoots of fruit trees and berry bushes infested with aphids become crooked, and when pests are widespread, they stop growing; The ovaries and fruits fall off without ripening, and the remaining ones become smaller.

In addition to visible damage to trees, bushes and garden crops in the form of deformed tops and twisted leaves, there is a sticky sweet discharge (honeydew, honeydew) on the greens and shoots. Subsequently, if this substance is not consumed by ants, a fungal disease appears there - sooty fungus.

One of the signs of aphid infestation on any crop is the sudden appearance of a large number of ants actively running near the plant.

Biological methods of aphid control

Entomophagous insects

Natural enemies of aphids The following entomophagous insects are:

• ladybugs,
• hoverflies,
• lacewings,
• ground beetles,
• earwigs,
• predatory gall midges,
• rider Aphelinus,
• oviparous Thrips,
• praying mantises.

Ground beetle is an entomophagous insect

Tree mantis (male larva) destroys about 150 alfalfa aphids during 80 days of its development. One bug seven-spotted ladybug eats up to 50 aphids per day, and the larva of this beneficial insect during the development period is capable of destroying up to 850 aphids. Ladybugs systematically exterminate aphids in the most inaccessible places, clearing the bends on the foliage from pests that are inaccessible to treatment with insecticidal compounds.

By cultivating daisies in your area, you can attract hoverflies . This type of predator feeds on daisy pollen, laying eggs near the location of aphids. The hatched larvae of hoverflies absorb pests in huge quantities, since aphids are the best food for them.

Some gardeners release their natural enemies against aphids (sleeping ladybugs are sold in specialized stores, packaged in packages of 1000 pieces) also on their summer cottages. The disadvantage of this method is that the released insects can freely fly to any areas located outside your garden.

Birds vs aphids

In addition to insects, In the fight against dangerous pests, birds should also be involved. Small birds, in particular:

• sparrows,
• warblers (chiffchaffs, willow warblers),
• tits,
• kings,
• linnets,
• wrens,
• robins,

They feed aphid larvae and adults to their rather voracious chicks. To attract birds to your garden plot, simple and accessible methods are used - arranging drinking bowls (they must always have water), swimming places, feeders, birdhouses, houses and natural shelters for them.

Insectivorous birds They will be happy to settle in your garden if you create favorable conditions for their life, and will help in the destruction of not only aphids, but also other pests, which are a potential threat to cultivated plants.

However, it should be noted that we are always responsible for those we tame. Therefore, when attracting birds, you will have to completely abandon the use of chemicals to care for the area.

Plants that repel aphids

There are a number of plants that release powerful volatile compounds (phytoncides) into the air. Most pests, including aphids, absolutely do not like herbs with a pungent odor. That's why, if available on your site repellent plants planted in row spacing, along the perimeter of beds, along fences or in small islands in the garden, aphids have to look for safer places to live.

Such plants include:

• garlic,
• spicy herbs (basil, fennel, coriander, arugula, celery),
• medicinal herbs (melissa, peppermint, thyme, lavender, marigold),
• flowers (marigold, pyrethrum, Dalmatian chamomile).

Experienced gardeners practice the following biological method of controlling aphids. Under or between trees in need of protection, in late autumn. And it doesn’t matter whether you sow aerial bulbs, sets or plant cloves.

In early spring, when elastic young shoots appear, starting in April, garlic leaves should be trimmed a few mm with scissors every 10-12 days. At the same time, a large number of active biological compounds are released into the air, repelling pests for a long time. Carry out the pruning procedure right up to digging out the garlic bulbs.

Plants that Attract Aphids

Planting certain plants on the site helps attract aphids. This:

• mallow,
• cosmea,
• cleome,
• petunia,
• nasturtium,
• legumes,
• tuberous begonias.

Such biological method of insect control is based on the principle distracting them from shrubs, fruit trees and vegetable crops. By planting them away from the main plantings, you can always remove insect-infested specimens or treat them with insecticidal compounds.

Remember that there are a number of trees that are most attractive to aphids - viburnum, bird cherry and linden. They should be located as far as possible from valuable crops that need protection.

• You will be very interested:

Preventative measures against aphids

In autumn, cleaning and disposal is mandatory.(burning) of all plant residues, pruned branches, rotten fruits, fallen leaves, plant tops. This is necessary to minimize the appearance of pests in the spring from eggs laid for the winter.

Based on the life cycle of aphids, the fight against them should begin in early spring, even before the buds swell, spraying garden plants mineral-oil compositions, and during the period of budding of trees and bushes, treating plants along a green cone - these measures are aimed at destroying eggs hatched from the winter clutch.

Throughout the growing season, plants should be inspected in order to notice in time the appearance of aphids on the lower part of the leaves. If insects are detected, you should immediately gardening or vegetable garden treatment.

List of plants used to prepare aqueous extracts effective against aphids:

• potato and tomato tops,
• garlic (all parts of the plant: bulbs, leaves, arrows, husks),
• horseradish,
• tobacco,
• celandine,
• wormwood,
• tansy,
• calendula,
• stinging nettle,
• mustard,
• thermopsis.

Ash, soap and soap-alkaline solutions help against aphids.

Great importance in the fight against aphids is attached to measures aimed at extermination of garden ants. Most often, anthills are destroyed by sprinkling the areas with the greatest concentration of insects with tobacco dust, ground cinnamon, or pouring table vinegar diluted in half with water.

Mila Nabogova, ©

Many housewives are engaged in home floriculture. Green, fresh leaves are pleasing to the eye. Blooming buds decorate gray everyday life, especially on autumn and winter days, when bright colors are so scarce. But it happens that aphids appear on indoor flowers and the question arises: how to fight and get rid of the scourge, preferably using safe folk remedies.

Sometimes the presence of aphids can be determined by small growths on stems or leaves. They cannot be seen on tree trunks of plants, since the insect’s proboscis is designed in such a way that it is not able to bite through the bark.

Causes and signs of aphids on indoor plants

The pest itself cannot appear on indoor flowers.

This means that the aphids were brought in from outside.

From all that has been said, it is clear: it is quite simple to see and understand that a home flower is affected by aphids, but the method and method of combating the pest is chosen by the owner of the plant.

Of course, the easiest way is to buy a chemical aphid control agent in the store, but is this always justified and safe for people and animals living in an apartment? It may be better to use folk remedies. These are simple and effective methods, and completely safe for others.

Methods of pest control with folk remedies

Do not forget about preventive measures and before you buy a particular plant in a store, from hand at the market, or take it from friends, it must be inspected for aphid infestation.

If insects are not noticed when purchasing a flower, but they subsequently appear, you should immediately think about destroying them. Simple folk methods are suitable for this.

Infusions against aphids on tops

A frequently used product, but it is only good in the spring and summer. When culling low-quality seedlings, pinching or removing excess leaves on tomato stems, take 400-500 grams of raw materials, crush them and boil in 1 liter of water for about half an hour.

After filtering and cooling, grated soap is added to the solution. It’s better to take brown household stuff, grated. This soap contains fewer chemical additives and will ensure the best adhesion of the composition.

After adding soap to the broth, stir it until a homogeneous mass is obtained and completely dissolved. Perhaps the composition turned out to be too concentrated, so it is better to dilute it 1:1. Only after this can you test a few leaves.

Only after making sure that the plant has withstood the procedure in the control area are the infected plants processed. They are either sprayed with a spray bottle, or, if the solution is thick, the diseased plant is wiped with a cotton swab.

Vegetable infusions

Various infusions on vegetables will also help get rid of aphids on home flowers. A decoction of onions or onion peels, an infusion of garlic, and hot peppers in an infusion help well.

Among flower growers, the use of vinegar to combat aphids is quite popular. Take a tablespoon of 9% vinegar per liter of water and wipe or spray the leaves of the infected plant.

For preventive purposes, it can be used to treat healthy flowers where sick ones are present.

Infusions of celandine and marigolds

Such infusions are good because you can buy dried herbs at any time at a pharmacy or cut them up in a country plot and prepare them yourself.

Take dry plants: 40 g (marigolds) or 100 g (celandine), infuse in a liter of water for about one to two days, filter and treat the affected plants. The leaves can either be sprayed or wiped.

Tobacco or wood ash

One of the popular remedies is tobacco infusion. Take 40 g (or a pack of shag), leave it in a liter jar of water for a day, drain it from the sediment and wipe or spray the plant.

Wood ash is not only a successful means of pest control, but also an excellent fertilizer, so this infusion can be used to treat leaves and stems and water the soil in a pot.

A glass of ash is added to 5 liters of water and infused for 3 hours or more. For spraying, soap is added, but then you need to make sure that the solution does not fall on the ground. When wiping the leaves, you don’t have to add soap, but use the remaining infusion as fertilizer.

Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when fighting aphids

Baking soda and soda solution are an irreplaceable lifesaver in the household. An effective remedy for controlling aphids on flowers. A teaspoon of the composition is enough for half a liter of water. You can either spray the flower or wipe the leaves and stems.

Experts recommend adding a little liquid soap and 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Application interval – once every 2 weeks. To avoid burns, spraying should be carried out either in the evening, or in cloudy weather, or by shading the flower.

Hydrogen peroxide is used in solution at the rate of: 1 tablespoon of 3% preparation per half liter jar of water. Treatment is carried out either by spraying or wiping the leaves of the plant.

Prevention of aphids

As experts say, “It is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it,” so you need to know how to prevent the appearance of aphids on flowers:

• periodically inspect the plants and, at the first signs, treat them with any available means. Newly acquired plants are quarantined for at least a week;
• timely fertilizing and replanting in specially selected soil mixtures will allow the plant to develop normally, and a well-growing flower is less susceptible to the risk of infection;
• In the summer, as a preventive measure, it is good to place mint leaves between pots with indoor plants; aphids do not tolerate them well. In winter, it is worth placing indoor geraniums on the windowsill with other flowers;
• it is necessary to monitor the microclimate of the room. The higher the temperature and drier the air, the faster the pest multiplies.

Every housewife has to deal with the problem of pests on indoor flowers. Even if she carefully fulfills the care requirements. Aphids can enter the house in various ways, for example, through an open window, cut flowers in the house. At the first symptoms, you can easily deal with uninvited guests.

Aphids are very tiny insects. Its dimensions range from 3 to 7 mm in length. Insects pierce the leaf shoots with a special proboscis and draw out the juice from the plant. Depending on the species, they have different colors: brown, red, black, green, white, pink.

Types of aphids on houseplants

More than 4,000 thousand species of aphids are known. Sometimes it is difficult to determine their variety.

Aphids can have winged or wingless forms. The former, thanks to their wings, infect not only one plant, but also quickly move to other specimens. The latter are characterized by mass population in a short period of time, since reproduction occurs through parthenogenesis, that is, without fertilization of the embryo.

Insects attack the ground parts of the plant and the root system. There are groups of pest colonies covered with wax fluff, which deform the crop and form galls, but there is no honeydew from them.

There are groups that secrete sweet excrement, which attracts ants. People say about such species that if ants appear, wait for aphids, and vice versa.

Insects are divided according to the type of habitat: polyphagous and monophagous aphids. One group feeds only on plants of the same type, the other is not very picky about their diet.

Let's look at the most famous types.

The insect settles on the roots of dicotyledonous plants. Beans, tobacco, beets, and cotton are most susceptible to attack by white aphids.

To stop their existence, you should change the plantings with grain crops, where the reproduction of white aphids is impossible.

White waxy pollen covers the body of the aphid. This species is one of the migratory species. They overwinter on pistachio bushes.

When spring arrives, larvae appear. They penetrate the leaf bud and actively suck the juice from the growing leaf.

During such feeding, saliva with growth substances is released. As a result, a deformed leaf shape grows and a gall forms along its edge. Aphids develop in it. As soon as the insect has grown, the galls open. Aphids migrate to wild and cultivated plants.

Subsequent generations appear on dicotyledonous plants, in their root system. Colonies grow wingless until winged females emerge and return to the pistachio bushes.

Green aphid

The insect is pale green in color. Two juice tubes stand out on the surface of the body. Green aphids are considered a threat to pears, quince, hawthorn, and apple trees.

Before winter, eggs are laid on young shoots near the bud. In the spring, the swollen buds become food for the hatched larvae. When they open, the larvae settle between the leaves. Green aphids can produce up to 17 generations per season.

Black aphid

The insect reaches a length of no more than 5 mm. In order to pierce the surfaces of leaves, there is a proboscis on the body. The insect reproduces without mating, by laying eggs. Moreover, the most aft place is chosen. The increase in offspring continues at a rapid pace.

Other types of aphids

Yellow aphid

A primitive species can be called the yellow aphid. At the first stage, winged aphids lay eggs on coniferous trees, near the buds. Then galls are formed in which non-migratory individuals develop. During the entire season, only one generation is hatched.

Blood aphid

America is considered to be the place of origin of the bloody aphid. Insects overwinter in cracks in elm bark. Two wingless offspring reproduce here. When winged offspring are formed, they emigrate to apple trees. The red body is covered with waxy wool-like threads.

The insect is very dangerous for plants. Damages young leaves and roots. On the surface of the shoots you can notice a white coating resembling cotton wool. Aphids form growths on the roots, which subsequently crack, causing rot.

Fighting bloody aphids is difficult. For example, it has good wax protection against chemicals. It can also be found in the soil.

Therefore, in the fight against it they use a natural enemy in the form Aphelinus rider. He safely lays his eggs directly into the blood aphid. The process of aphid reproduction stops, and the fruits ripen perfectly.

Beet aphid

Euonymus is a refuge for aphids for the winter. Here, the beet aphid continues the process of updating its offspring until winged individuals appear and migrate to beans and beets.

Continued reproduction on new crops can last up to 10 generations or more. Two forms of insects appear here, both winged and wingless.

What causes aphids to appear on indoor plants?

There are many reasons why aphids appear at home:

• the soil;
• accidental hit from the street, when bringing in any objects or cut bouquets;
• ants are considered carriers;
• a new plant that is already infected and has not passed quarantine;
• while airing or walking flowers on the balcony;
• dry soil and high ambient temperature.

What harm does aphids cause to indoor plants?

The invasion of aphids on indoor plants is very dangerous, since the food for aphids is the life-giving sap of the plant, which it needs to maintain strength and growth.

The main problem is that the young shoots and buds are the first to be attacked. It is thanks to them that flowers open in all their glory. And as a result of the attack, the bush becomes deformed, loses its decorative effect, the leaves curl and fall off. Ultimately, we end up with the death of the plant.

Aphids pierce leaves, which creates additional foci for infection by viruses and bacteria.

Signs of aphid damage to plants

Signs of plant infestation by aphids:

• When caring for potted flowers, you should pay attention to the lower part of the leaf, stem, and buds. If clusters of aphid colonies appear, they can be seen with the naked eye.
• Leaves that have lost their juice begin to curl. Transparent sticky discharge can be seen on the surface.
• The buds are underdeveloped and fall off.
• The bush loses its decorative appearance, the tops of the shoots are especially deformed.

How to get rid of aphids on indoor plants?

All pest control products are good at the first stage of infection:

1. Chemical.
2. Biological. Natural enemies are attracted in the form of ladybugs, wasps, and lacewings.
3. Ecological. Spray the leaves, use oil products. Protect the buds from contact with non-toxic agents. Display plants that repel aphids.
4. Folk recipes.

Chemicals

Treating plants with poisonous agents is a standard procedure, as when spraying water, only with the addition of pesticides and insecticides.

Among the chemicals, the following drugs can be noted:

Folk remedies

If for some reason you cannot use chemicals, you can use gentle methods:

1. Red pepper. Pour 25 g of the main ingredient with boiling water (250 ml). Leave for 24 hours, after boiling for 60 minutes. Strain the contents and prepare a solution: 2.5 g of soap, 0.5 ml of water, 5 g of pepper tincture.
2. Alcohol. Dissolve soap (1 tsp) in water (0.5 ml). Add alcohol (1 tsp). Spray the upper parts of the leaves and wipe the lower surface with a brush dipped in the solution. Leave for a quarter of an hour and rinse with water to avoid burns.
3. Wood ash. Pour one glass of the main ingredient with water (5 liters). Add 25 g of soap and leave for 24 hours.
4. Orange peels. Combine warm water in an amount of 1.5 ml with orange or lemon peels (150 g). After 3 days the tincture is ready.
5. Spruce. Combine 1 ml of water and 250 g of spruce branches. Keep in a dark place for 7 days. Dilute the infusion with water in a ratio of 1:7.
6. Celandine. Cut a fresh bush during flowering, 200 g, add water (0.5 ml). After 1-1.5 days the solution is ready for use.
7. Dandelion. Cut 200 g of fresh plant, pour 5 liters of warm water. After 2 hours you can spray the flowers.
8. Nettle. Cut the grass before flowering 250 g, add 2.5 liters of water. Spray every other day.
9. Bulb onions. Pour 15 g of onion with water (1 l). After 7 hours you can use it.
10. Garlic. Crush 10 g of garlic and add 0.5 liters of water. After a day, the solution is ready.
11. Yarrow. Pour boiling water over 40 g of herb and boil for half an hour. Add water to the original 0.5 liter mark and leave for 1 hour. Add 2 g of soap to the solution before use.
12. Tobacco. Take 20 g of tobacco for 0.5 liters of water and leave for 24 hours. Before processing, add 2 g of soap.
13. Tomato tops. Fresh raw materials 800 g, add water and boil for half an hour. Add 8 g of soap before spraying.

How to properly treat plants?

Rules for treating plants against aphids:

• Treatment with drugs will be effective if they are applied to all infected areas. But since aphids roll up the leaves, this is very difficult to do. Some gardeners dip the shoots directly into the solution if the plant is compact enough.
• You can use a plastic bag. Spray the aerosol and close the bag for a day. In this case, 100% death of all pests.
• When processing large specimens, prepare a ladder.
• Optimal rate: for every sq. cm should get up to 50 drops. It is worth paying attention to the sprayer so that its spread is large.
• You need to change them from time to time, as they are addictive.
• Spray preparations with an oil base strictly on the leaves and trunk, but not on the buds and flowers. From such a hit they stick together and fall off.

Prevention

The plant can be protected from pests if you follow the following precautions:

1. Indoor flowers love care; weak, sick specimens require special attention.
2. Send new flowers to quarantine.
3. Keep the environment warm and dry, favorable conditions for aphids.
4. Remove faded and dry leaves.
5. Do not overfeed the flowers.
6. Choose a planting location with diffused light.
7. Get rid of ants.

Conclusion

Flowers in the house require care. If you fulfill all the requirements for caring for plants, aphids are not scary for them. But in case of infection, use any of the listed methods to combat aphids.

A garden, fragrant and decorated with bulbous flowers, lifts your spirits and gives you strength. However, colorful gladioli, fragile lilies and huge peonies often suffer from aphid attacks. Small insects of different colors settle on tender young leaves and suck out nutrients. They especially harm the bulbs when they are stored in winter.

Flower aphids are a common pest of edible and ornamental crops, so a large number of control methods have been invented. Want to know more? Then go ahead with us!

IMPORTANT! The pest's body is not protected in any way, so it is easy to destroy it mechanically.

White aphids multiply at lightning speed on flowers, creating huge communities. In the winter, the female lays eggs, from which larvae emerge in the spring. They do not need males, reproducing independently, without their participation. In one season, about ten generations may appear, including insects with wings. These are females who must find a new home and bring offspring.

Males with wings appear on the new plant only at the end of summer, from where they return to their previous place of residence to fertilize the females there. They easily spread throughout the country and attack flowers growing in open ground. Various are used to combat aphids in the country!

If you have aphids on your flowers, how to get rid of them, how to get rid of them and what to do next - read below!

Aphids on flowers

Black aphids attack flowers and are discovered during winter storage of planting material. Green aphids on flowers multiply quickly and unnoticed by the grower, hiding under the scales of the bulb and sucking out the nutritious juice. Sick bulbs lose strength and cannot grow into strong and healthy flowers.

Development cycle

The eggs of the pest are also helped by ants that feed on the dew they secrete. In winter, they carry eggs into anthills, and in spring they spread them to plants.

From eggs that survive the winter cold, wingless females emerge and reproduce without males.

In early to mid-summer, winged varieties of females appear and, with the help of the wind, move to other similar crops.

There are species with a dioecious development cycle. In the spring they develop on one host, then move to another plant, and in the fall they come back to the first host to lay eggs. After mating in the autumn, the female lays eggs for the winter.

ATTENTION! During the development of insects there are three periods when they are most fragile.

Prevention

An important rule in fighting insects is that it is much easier to prevent their appearance than to try to remove large colonies later. So, now we will look at the basic preventive measures to help eliminate the widespread proliferation of aphids throughout the entire garden plot and in the area where bulbous flowers are planted.

Autumn work

We get rid of all the weeds that grow in the shade of the trees, cut them out along with the roots and take them outside the boundaries of the site, sending them to a compost pit or destroying them. We whitewash the trees with a solution of lime, clay, copper sulfate and PVA glue.

In winter, when you have free time, be sure to find out the composition of your plantings. Remove chamomile, poppy, mallow, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, viburnum and linden away from bulbous flowers, as these plants are the favorite delicacy of merciless aphids.

In the summer, rid the area of ​​anthills, and in the autumn, before the onset of frost, dig out a wider area of ​​the anthill and fill it with water or solution.

Spring prevention

After the snow melts, carry out a preventive inspection, trim the plants for sanitary purposes and remove all debris from the area. Destroy the anthills that remain from the fall. When you see the first ants on the trees, whiten them again and spray them with the preparation. Apply glue to the strain and place special traps (catching belt). The ants will not be able to get out and will die along with the aphid egg laying.

IMPORTANT! One of the most terrible features of aphids is their omnivorous nature; they feed on a huge number of crops, actively reproduce and damage bulbous flowers!

Before the buds bloom, spray the fruit trees with a solution of nicotine sulfate, nitrophen or other modern remedy.

In spring and summer, you should not actively feed plants with fertilizer containing nitrogen.

Active growth of young green mass will create comfortable conditions for the development of aphids. At this time, an excellent method of watering is sprinkling. You will wash aphid eggs and aphids from bulbous flowers. Once on the ground, the insect dies. Such watering is stopped when the bulbous flowers begin to bloom.

Summer site care

Aphids cause the most severe damage to bulbous flowers during bulb storage. It also affects young shoots that are just beginning to grow from the bulb. Bulbous flowers are checked for the presence of aphids even before buds form.

The struggle should be especially merciless and “bloody” if you grow flowers for cutting. Aphids also damage flowers in the field garden. It is a little more difficult to fight if it is not possible to live next to the garden, but there are some methods, more details!

Safe ways

Aphids are easily destroyed due to their vulnerable cover, which is not protected by anything. For this reason, folk remedies can be used to combat it. Almost all recipes contain laundry soap.

ATTENTION! With the help of soap, the solution takes on one viscous consistency and sticks well to the leaves!

In addition, aphids cannot tolerate soap because the leaves become unsuitable for food. So, choose a folk remedy for aphids on flowers:

There are several other folk methods for controlling aphids on bulbous flowers. You will learn more about this on this page!

Chemicals

Often in the battle against aphids it is impossible to do without chemicals. Systemic, contact and intestinal agents are used. Contact drugs have a lightning-fast effect on aphids, intestinal- attack the digestive system. Pay attention to products with minimal chemical content. These include: “Biotlin”, “Fitoverm”, “Strela”, “Entobacterin” and many others. They destroy aphids but do not harm plants. Solutions are prepared in accordance with the attached instructions.

You can read more about the chemicals used to combat aphids on bulbous flowers in a special article!

Biological control measures

If you approach getting rid of pests responsibly, delightful bulbous flowers will delight you with delicate buds for a long time!

Useful video

In this video you will learn how to protect your plants from aphids and caterpillars:

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People say: “To win, you need to know the enemy by sight.” And in order to get rid of aphids in a garden or vegetable garden, you need to know their development cycle and be sure not to miss the period that is most sensitive to pests. For example: it is useless to spray plants if eggs have already been laid on them. They are protected from the effects of poison, they do not use processed plants for food (they do not gnaw or suck the juice from plants), which means they are not afraid of poison. Processing of plants was carried out in vain. You need to wait until the larvae hatch, and then the pest is destroyed by spraying by 70-100%. It is the larvae, feeding day and night, that cause the greatest harm to plants.

Dennis Wiss

Aphid(Aphidoidea) - superfamily of insects. About 4,000 species of aphids are known, of which almost a thousand live in Europe. All aphids feed on plant juices; many are dangerous pests of cultivated plants. In addition, many species are capable of spreading plant diseases in the form of viruses and causing various abnormalities in plants, such as galls and gall-like formations.

I propose to consider the development cycle of aphids and determine the stages of development that are most vulnerable to drug treatments.

Aphid development cycle

An adult fertilized female aphid lays overwintering eggs on branches and bark of trees, perennial shoots of shrubs, trying to place them near the buds, on sprouts. The eggs are oblong-oval, black, up to 0.5 mm long, visible to the naked eye. “Knowing” that it is warm under the snow, the female aphid lays eggs on root shoots and weeds. When wintering under the snow, almost all clutches survive. Aphids and “household” ants take care of the eggs, taking the eggs into their underground homes until spring, and in the spring, with the onset of warmth, they spread the eggs to old branches, young shoots, and leave them on young leaves.

From overwintered eggs, several generations (2-4-8) of wingless females develop, the reproduction of which takes place without males. In June-July, winged forms of disperser aphids appear. Aphids scatter, especially with a fair wind, up to 25 km, and settle in similar crops. These are monoecious aphids, and there are also species with a dioecious development cycle. They begin their spring development on the main host, with the appearance of winged forms, they fly to nurseries (second host) in the summer - various herbaceous plants, weeds, vegetables, and return in the fall to lay eggs on the main host. In the fall, after mating, the female aphid lays fertilized overwintering eggs.

Gloomy statistics! Each female lays up to 100 eggs for the winter. Of these, 100 females develop, which mature in 1.5-2.0 weeks and themselves lay an average of 100 eggs. During the growing season, one female is capable of increasing the offspring of up to 15-20 thousand pests per season.

Thus, aphids have 3 most vulnerable periods when their destruction will contribute to an overall reduction in the number of these pests in the garden: careful autumn preparation for wintering, the period of flight of female dispersers, the appearance of winged males and return to the host. This does not mean that trees do not need to be treated the rest of the time. Hatching occurs every 2 weeks and processing of trees and shrubs accordingly. 3 highlighted periods - maximum damage; during this period maximum attention and mandatory treatment of plants is required.

Preventive measures to combat aphids

Autumn preparation of the garden for wintering

• remove all weeds under the tree crowns, cut out the root shoots, take them outside the garden and destroy them or send them to a compost bin,
• whiten the trunks and skeletal branches of trees with freshly prepared lime mortar with the addition of copper sulfate, clay, and PVA glue. In the spring, whitewashing is repeated at the end of February-March. In summer, it is better not to whiten trees, so as not to disrupt the symbiotic-friendly relationship with the natural enemies of aphids and other pests,
• In winter, in your free time, look at the composition of the plantings and remove away from the garden (and the vegetable garden too) such flower crops as poppy, nasturtium, cosmos, chamomile, mallow, chrysanthemums, from garden crops - Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower, from tree crops - viburnum and linden. These are favorite breeding grounds for aphids. Keep away from currants, gooseberries and other berries planting spicy-flavoring crops, salads, chicory,
• During the summer, destroy anthills and in the fall, before frost, dig out wider and fill with solution or just water.

Joseph O'Brien Shipher Wu Bernard Dupont

Spring work to protect plants from aphids

• As soon as the snow melts, inspect the garden crops, be sure to carry out sanitary pruning, and take out the trash.
• Discovered anthills that have survived since the fall must be destroyed. When the first ants appear on the tree trunks, repeat the whitewashing and spray the trees with the preparation.
• Install trapping belts, soaking them in poisonous powder or solution. Apply special glue to the strain and attach a hunting belt. The ants will not be able to overcome the obstacle and will die, along with the load of aphid eggs.
• Aphids are scary because of their omnivorous nature. More than 4,000 thousand species of aphids and the vast majority harm not one, but several crops. Therefore, even before the buds begin to open, it is necessary to first spray all fruit trees with solutions of nicotine sulfate or nitrophen at the dose recommended in the explanatory note to the drug. Use more modern medications recommended in your region.
• Since berries produce crops early (raspberries, currants, gooseberries, etc.), before buds begin to bloom, bathe them in hot water (70-80 degrees) without pesticides.
• In spring and summer, do not overfeed plants with nitrogen. The enhanced development of young vegetative mass will provide aphids with a comfortable life, while elastic leaves and young shoots with dense skin are inaccessible to them.
• During this period, the optimal watering is sprinkling. It will wash away the honeydew, which attracts ants, aphid eggs and the aphids themselves, which, once on the ground, die. There is no need to once again treat trees with pesticides. Stop irrigation by sprinkling and switch to the ground method only during flowering, so as not to wet the pollen.

Summer work

With the opening of leaf buds, swelling of buds and the beginning of flowering, they move on to systematic processing of trees and berry beds. Despite the wide variety of aphids, and in the summer they are joined by other pests, the number of treatments can be reduced if they are carried out with tank mixtures of insecticides.

Mike Simpson

Active measures to combat aphids

Use of chemicals

Chemical preparations (insecticides) are divided into 3 groups according to the method of influencing aphids and other pests:

• systemic,
• intestinal,
• contact.

If you combine drugs from all methods of exposure in a tank mixture, then 3 (three) sprayings per season will be sufficient:

• before flowering in the beginning of budding phase,
• after flowering in the phase of the beginning of ovary growth,
• 25-30 days before harvest.

Please note that chemical insecticides will destroy not only pests, but also helpers– birds, beneficial insects, and will also have a negative impact on households and animals. Chemicals used to kill pests are removed from plants after 3-5 weeks. The use of fruits earlier than the specified date is strictly prohibited.

Chemicals to control aphids

The most well-known insecticides with a quick killing effect are actofite, karbofos, intavir, actara, spark, tanrek, commander and a number of others. The list of insecticides approved for use is supplemented and changed annually. It can be found in the relevant catalogs and reference books. The recommendations, along with the characteristics, provide norms and methods of application, spraying periods.

When working with chemical insecticides, it is necessary to wear protective clothing, gloves, goggles and a respirator. They should be used only as recommended. Increasing the dose and shortening the waiting period until the next treatment will not provide the expected positive effect. Knowing their negative impact on health, in small gardens and berry fields it is better to use biological preparations.

Louisa Billeter

Biological preparations to combat aphids

Biological products have a period of influence on the pest’s body of 10-15 days, but they are absolutely harmless to people, birds and animals and can be sprayed on plants until harvesting, which is very convenient for multi-harvest crops. After treating the plants with some biological preparations, the fruits can be used for food within 2-3 days.

The most familiar bioinsecticides include bitoxybacillin, acarin, spark-BIO and others. They are based on living beneficial microorganisms (various groups of fungi and bacteria). Bioinsecticides are effective not only in protecting plants from aphids, but also other pests. The duration of action of bioinsecticides is 10-20 days and therefore spraying must be repeated. But these biological products are absolutely harmless to adults, children, animals, birds and beneficial insects. Dilution rates and processing times are indicated on the packaging or in practical recommendations.

Bioinsecticides that can be used even during plant flowering include bioinsecticide trichopolum(a drug used in official pharmacology as a remedy for bacterial infections). For spraying, dissolve 20 tablets in 10 liters of water. Compatible with many other biological products, but still requires compatibility testing. Trichopolum can be sprayed not only on trees and shrubs, but also on vegetable crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, etc.). The duration of action is limited by precipitation, but immediately after the rain stops, spraying the plants can be repeated. You can work with the solution without special clothing. The drug is remarkable in that it simultaneously destroys fungal diseases of crops along with pests.

Carmen Eisbär

Biological product "arrow" contains bitoxybacillin. Suitable for processing all horticultural crops, garden and greenhouse. The biological product, in addition to its negative impact on aphids and other pests, is also a fertilizer for greenhouse and garden crops. The duration of action of the biological product is 2-3 weeks, after which the treatment must be repeated. To prepare the solution, dissolve 50 g of the powdered drug in 10 liters of water and stir thoroughly. Can be used in tank mixes after compatibility testing.

Human protection when processing plants is limited to goggles and gloves. Spraying can be done during flowering. The aphid dies within 2 days. The biological product is recommended for use from early spring until harvest. The waiting period is 5-6 days, after which fruits and vegetables can be eaten. In addition to the above listed and described bioinsecticides, new, more effective biological products appear every year. It is not recommended to use chemical insecticides and other chemicals in the household.

In addition to chemical and biological preparations for pest control, you can offer traditional methods of getting rid of harmful insects.

If you decide to use traditional methods to control aphids and related pests, you need to prepare the necessary ingredients in the fall: onion peels along with unnecessary heads, garlic, potato tops, dandelion roots, ash, laundry soap. If there are children in the family, infusions and decoctions of poisonous herbs should not be used. These infusions are poisonous not only to pests of garden crops, but also to humans.

• Ash-soap solution. Pour 2-3 glasses of ash into 10 liters of warm water, leave for 2-3 days, strain, dissolve a piece of finely grated laundry soap in the solution and sprinkle during the budding period of fruit and berry crops.
• Garlic-dandelion infusion. Soak finely chopped dandelion plants (green mass and roots) and heads of garlic, 400 and 200 g, respectively, in 10 liters of warm water. Leave the mixture to infuse for 2-3 hours, strain and use for spraying during the budding phase and after flowering.
• Onion peels together with garlic(you can also use heads) finely chop, add warm water. Leave for 2-3 days. Strain, dilute the resulting solution 3 times and use it for spraying, and send the fermented mass to the compost pit.

gardenofeaden

There are hundreds of such tips on the Internet, but be careful. You cannot prepare decoctions and infusions from poisonous herbs at home.(hemlock) and spray crops with them. Someone in the family may eat a fruit or vegetable and get poisoned.

Aphids are a gentle pest and cannot tolerate strong, repulsive, spicy odors. Fennel, garlic, marigolds, and mint repel the pest, and petunia, mallow, begonia, and nasturtium attract it with their aroma. Plant the first ones in row-spacings along the edge of the beds, and the second ones further away. Your favorite scent will attract aphids. But in the fall, the above-ground mass of these flowering plants must be destroyed, since aphids place their overwintering oviposition on them. By the way, viburnum, bird cherry, and linden are very attractive objects for aphids. Use them in distant (from the vegetable garden) landscape plantings.

People say that without a nightingale, spring is poor, and a garden without a bird is an orphan. Decorate your garden with birdhouses, and propagate calendula for ladybugs (the worst enemies of aphids). For lacewings, hoverflies, wasps, ground beetles and other insects, caraway seeds, parsley, marigolds, navel, dill, and coriander are suitable. The less chemicals are used in the garden, the more nests of kinglets, warblers, tits, and wagtails will appear, which will be happy to help you clean the garden of pests. The choice is yours - to be on friendly terms with nature and not poison it with pesticides, or to be alone in a clean but “dead” garden.