I am so glad I found your channel! I am sharing you with others in my garden groups! I can't believe you don't have thousands of subs! I hope to help you by sharing your content on many groups!!
I'm new to gardening. I just planted my first rose bush. Of course I have been scouring the internet trying to learn how to best care for it. I cringed at the thought of using any type of pesticide or fungicide after reading the warning labels. I'm grateful that I came across your videos. I learned it is ok to wait and let nature take its course 😊🌹
That is so nice to hear! But roses are ones to give close attention too. Clean-up fallen leaves diligently. Plant with 50%-75% or exactly what is recommended (100% promotes pests). Rinse aphids off with plain water if there is absolutely no sign or eggs or parasitoids (basically anything else.) if you are selling cut roses or it’s a focal point of your yard you will need to be aggressive against the pests - which might include squishing aphids and planting additional ones to try and promote predators.
Thank you for sharing such useful knowledge. It takes a lot of patience to wait for the natural predators to arrive. Sometimes it can take a few seasons of watching your plants getting decimated before any sort of balance is found.
Thank you. Yes, watching and learning is best. But no need to suffer: some pests (aphids included) can be washed off with plain water if you feel you need to save a plant. But watching them recover from that point without doing anything is the best learning of all.
Thanks for the advice on letting natural predators try and handle the aphids before I whip out the neem oil. I’m actually adjusting my garden to limit certain bugs, so hopefully won’t have as much pressure from pests to make me want to bust out the controls.
So nice to hear! A good (but long) solution is to plant a variety of plants and see what first gets the pest you want to control. Then grow those as a sacrifice and monitor. In the first year you may need to intervene, but after that you will be making a banker plant of natural predators/parasitoids. Unfortunately this is so specific to pest, plant and climate that it is hard to give specific advice. But it sounds like you “get it.”
Thank you for making so many helpful videos! I have hundreds of houseplants and have been trying to establish some predatory insects for common pests. I currently am using Dalotia coriaria for fungus gnats, but am planning to introduce Stratiolaelaps scimitus if I notice another flareup in the future. I tried lacewing larvae for aphid control, but they didn't seem to affect the aphid population very much for some reason, and they certainly never reached adulthood or laid eggs. I am about to buy some Aphidoletes and Aphidius in hopes that one or both of them will be a more long term aphid solution, even if I have to introduce more every year or so. I've also watched your videos on spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies, so if those show up I'll know which predators to order. Thanks again!
Hi. That's great to hear. I'm glad you're having that sort of success with Dalotia. With enough plants (sounds like you have that) they can be very effective generalists. It's too bad about the lacewing. They are usually solid-performers. It's fantastic that you're open to this concept and giving a chance. Keep it up!
Thank you for all that you are doing. We recently bought a house with a 30' high conservatory and a 30' tall bougainville that is impossible for me to reach unless I hire a helper. It's not a well designed space, no ceiling windows to open, only side doors, exhaust fans and ceiling fans but I am in love with the space and plants and it's all very beautiful. My problem is how to manage the aphids on the tall bougainvillea. They are little green ones and along with that little black flies which I believe are aphids too. In researching what to do I came across an ariticle by you about Aphidoletes aphidimyza and I watched your video as a result. Unfortunately adding a flying midge into our lives isn't an option but I would value another suggestion from you. I started with soaps etc and found that they did weaken the plants and I now find that water is the best but I can't get ahead of the aphids on that super tall bougainville because I can't get close enough. Your thoughts?
Hi Leslie. You're right to try just plain water it does more damage to aphid populations than most realize. But I understand the inability to get to the upper reaches of the plant. - by the way, it sounds like a beautiful place! Being unwilling to invite the flying predators in likely eliminates most invertebrate bio-controls. Since it sounds like you may be able to control humidity somewhat, it's probably worth giving "Beauvaria" a try. It's a fungal pathogen. There are various strains and some have shown success in killing aphids. Other than that, it's worth contacting an arborist - especially through one of the big companies (Davy Tree, Bartlett..etc.) They have research entomologists on staff whom I work with, and they may be able to be of some help. Of course, if it was me, I'd just do the aphidoletes. Yes, you're adding a winged insect into your living space, but winged aphids and the honeydew the aphids will produce is a much greater "pest," and will result in ants and other pests coming in to feed on the honeydew. Also, the adults are barely noticeable at times. Size-wise, they look a bit like fungus gnats. If you can determine the aphid species there might be an "Aphidius" wasp commercially available. I know the thought of bringing wasps inside is probably worse, but these are even more difficult to see. I hope this gives you a bit of direction. Good luck.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Many thanks! I will try an arborist for sure and I think that I will try the aphidoletes after all. I do have photos of the aphids but I can't figure out exactly what type they are. Sometimes they are green and soft, then they also seem to be connected to a small black/grey fly type insect, not a fungus gnat. I also watched your video about white flies because I have them too. I have figured out most of their hiding places and removed plants that they seemed to like best for breeding but they are upticking again so I am going to order Encarsia Formosa from Applied Bionomics. I am very grateful to you for the effort that you put into your videos. All very good and informative. I will share them as often as possible. Thanks, Leslie
Found your video just now because looking for info. I try to grow veggies on my porch and last year I really noticed what seemed to be LOTS of ants cultivating/farming aphids on my plants. Will this process work or will the ants attack and kill the aphidoletes before they can do their job? Thanks.
Thanks for the question. Yes, ants will prevent the aphidoletes from working. Controlling ants is always the first step. One frustration with potted plants is that the ants can live inside the pot at the bottom. The mixture of Borax, powdered sugar and a little water can work against some ants. (they eat it and die). Place it in a container near the plant. Don't put it on your plant, as it can burn leaves. Otherwise, commercial ant traps can work too. And hosing off the honeydew from the aphids will encourage ants to go elsewhere for sugar.
Thank you for providing such valuable information. We have aphid problems in our greenhouse. I made a diluted spray from fertilizer tea made of weeds last year and it smells like crap. I started spraying on the leaves of my veggies as I understand it absorbs better, not sure if you know if this is true and will it deter aphidoletes from landing on the plants
Thanks! I’ve never heard of that scientifically being linked to pest control. But one can assume that the smell is a deterrent. If it works, go with it! Compost teas are used both for nutrients and to establish microbials on the leaves that compete with pathogens. Leaves can absorb some things, but for practicality, only roots can do it in a way to help the plant.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I am living around Oakland, California. If I buy Aphidoletes aphidimyza and release them into my small garden, wonder if Aphidoletes aphidimyza will keep living to next year? Or I need to buy every year? Thanks!
Thanks. Great question. Yes, they should keep coming back. One trial showed that they would remain in high numbers for 5 years. In more practical trials it is too hard to predict, so annually is probably best. If you aphids late into the fall and Aphidoletes are there, they’ll feed and pupate for the winter and you’ll have a large amount the next year. If aphids are low in the fall you can assume there will be fewer Aphidoletes in the yard and then less to overwinter.
This is news to me! 👍 I have a plum tree that is devastated each year by massive aphid infestations. The aphids attack my 100ft fir tree and the little 10ft plum. It will skeletonize the canopy until the fruit drops at pea size if I don't spray it every year so I forego the fruit harvest and spray. (I will not eat fruit that is heavily sprayed; its just to save the ornamental aspect of the tree. ) so maybe I might have a chance to harvest my purple Italian plum, eh?
That sounds like a nasty infestation. It's probably not aphids, since they don't skeletonize plant tissue, since they are sucking insects. But if you mean they skeletonize in the sense that there is widespread or complete leaf drop, that sounds very serious, but also suggests an underlying cause for which aphids are merely a symptom. Also with the fir. Few aphids will attack a fir but also a plum. So it is likely two unrelated species. It might be worth putting-off the spray for a season and putting-up with the ornamental damage to see what natural predators show up. The "spray cycle" is when you kill everything, and the predators can't catch-up enough, so you end up spraying again. What area are you in? I'll see what I can find out.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 We're in Spokane, WA. My neighborhood is an urban forest of heavily planted acers and few Ponderosa pines. This near monoculture means we get a cyclic, infestation of aphids about every 3-4 years. No one treats them. I have 3 spec. of firs, blue spruce, west. red cedar a magnolia, Korean dogwood and this plum, in my yard. No maples. None are bothered except the one fir. Yes, the aphids on the fir & the plum are two different species specific to the trees they feed. The fir fends off the attack as it is an unstressed, well- watered and fed tree but the plum is sucked dry if left to its natural defenses. The oddity is I have 2 such plums, one that is nearly 40yrs old, (planted by the previous owner.) Ive owned it the last 23yrs. It did fine unsprayed, no pests except for an rare bird peck, gave flawless fruit until 2015 then a swarm of aphids completely covered it and sucked the tree dry. All the leaves dried up and fell off.They came back every yr after that. I planted this new tree to replace it figuring it was just too old to defend itself anymore. This new one is 60 ft away next to the house. The next yr the swarm took to the new tree & the old tree is now untouched. Produces a heavy crop of plums, untreated while the new tree suffers. Why did they switch trees? They were so thick they sucked the leaves completely brown so the only thing left littering the ground was the veins and stems. I thought they had killed it. It put out new leaves the next year, & every year since as long as I spray it. I use neem, soap or malathion late evening to spare the bees & depending how heavy the pest pressure. My veg. garden is organic. No sprays not even "organics". no pests. Why only this?
I live across ther border from you in North Idaho. I have about 60 fruit trees growing. Here is my experience with aphids. They seem to prefer new tender growth over old growth. So if the Aphids get to choose they seem to go after younger faster growing trees. My aphids seem to have a preference I terms of which plants they go after. #1. Sweet cherry trees. They ignore my sour cherries and go straight for the sweets. #2. Apple trees #3 European plum varieties. The Aphids pretty much ignore my Japanese varieties and only go for my European plum trees. #4 pear trees. I would do the following for your plum tree. 1. If you are fertilizing it I would stop. Fertilizing promotes the kind of abundant, young tender growth that Aphids love. 2. Apply tangle foot around the trunk of the tree. This should stop ants from baby sitting those Aphids. 3. If needed I would use a insecticidal soap spray on the tree once Aphids do show up. Last year I didn't spray for Aphids. I let nature take its course. Eventually the lady bugs showed up and took care of the issue. Actually the lady bugs don't do #^^$. Their offspring on the other hand are voracious little killing machines. Down side is the lady bugs run several weeks behind the Aphids and their young are about 2 weeks behind the lady bugs. So if the infestation is so bad that the plants can't survive the month long lag between Aphids going to work and the arrival of the insect death squads I'd spray insecticidal soap.
@@danielnomnom2646 Sounds like you have a great handle on pest management. I promote a release of Aphidoletes at the first sign of aphids in an orchard so soaps aren't needed, but like you, we also (in every case - inside and out) have growers stop or reduce fertilizers. That sometimes alone slows the aphids enough to let the predators take over. Thanks for your insights.
Great videos. What's your thoughts on aphids when combined with large amounts of ants that protect them? Should I just "let that be" and hope some predator can fight off the ants who are protecting the aphids?
Hi. Thanks. Commercially, we always control the ants before attempting aphid control. In the garden I'm more on the fence. If I feel like I need to save the plant (it has commercial or cosmetic value to me) then I'll control the ants, otherwise I leave it. Really, it's a natural population control. Just yesterday I was looking for the level of aphid predation on some plants and found ants, but some hoverfly larvae. It seems that the ants will remove most hoverfly larvae, but a few reach a size where the ants leave them alone. I figure this is the balance.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 So if you don't mind, how do you control the ants? I have Terro bait stations that we've used in a home before, but my concern is some beneficial bugs like ladybugs etc. could also eat this poison bait so I have not used them.
I was looking at ladybugs but now I am wanting to invest in these guys. It’s almost the end of October and I’ve been fighting aphids for 3 months with no end in site. I’m exhausted. I have a lot of indoor plants though. A few questions, can I buy these for indoor plants? And can I do it in the fall/winter? Also do you have any recommendations where to buy them?
Just got to the part where you don’t recommend them inside. But I am desperate and can’t put my plants outside (I am in an apartment with a smaller balcony, but also they wouldn’t like the cold). 😅
I'm sorry I missed this. It would be best to try lacewing eggs (brown lacewing in Europe and Canada - they are much better) or green lacewing in the US. The larvae will eat the aphids. Brown lacewings can then cycle throughout the winter. I can't offer much help against root aphids. They are very problematic.
Requesting bug advice please re. APHIDS PROTECTED BY ANTS....OK I have read your answers to others. Basically I have lots of aphids in my garden, black aphids in a nasturtium-heavy area that are so many they are spreading to all nearby plants that are not nasturtiums too, plus white cabbage aphids on the underside of kale leaves, much more on some plants than others. Before finding your videos, in the last 1.5 weeks I have released two batches of purchased ladybugs. Some still exist spread out throughout my garden, but the main black aphid area is protected by ants so there are not many ladybugs or ladybug larvae there anymore. Now I suspect the ants ate them to protect the aphids. Today I've read in your comments that step one is to control the ants, but if I use poison ant bait stations like terro ant bait stations, my concern is that the sweet poison could attract some ladybugs too & kill them. I suppose if I just bait & kill the ants for a week then I buy Aphidoletes aphidimyza that could be the good move? Is it too late in the year on Sept 18? I am in Olympia, WA in the PNW in the US. Thanks for your time.
Great observations! Most ant baits will not affect other arthropods. But, the trick is to put it right in their path. And yes, controlling the aphids is the first step. However, here in the Pacific North West both the cabbage aphid and a black aphid (likely the same one I’m familiar with) are difficult to control. The cabbage aphid should have Aphidoletes attacking it this time of year. The rest of the season few things work because they all just pick-off outside aphids and never get into the middle of the colony. For brassicas, avoiding the hot summer and ensuring the soil has a high ph will help. The black aphids just have too many host plants. They are easily controlled, but move on to the next crop before predators show up. This is why ladybugs will be seen there, but don’t help: their lifecycle is too long. Aphidoletes and aphidius are much quicker. But, best is to have distraction plants. Nasturtiums are worth avoiding, but poppies and sunflowers will get the black aphid but will usually have them controlled before damage is done. This allows the predators to better match the aphid populations. If they are really bad this year (being late September) just leave them. So many predators will feed on the aphids as winter approaches, both will over winter together and next spring you’ll have the aphids, but a bigger population of predators - assuming no soaps or chemicals are lingering.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Thanks for your speedy reply! I do not use any soaps or oils or anything. This eve I have just put out one Terro ant bait station and got the ants to discover it. We'll see if that's enough or if I need to put another ant bait station in another part of the black aphid/nasturtium disaster zone to get rid of these ants defending their beloved aphids. I thought nasturtiums would make my other plants safer from pests but maybe not. I saw you recommend Evergreen Growers Supply so I contacted them about my black aphids on the nasturtiums and the white cabbage aphids on my kale. She agreed that getting rid of the ants defending the black aphids is job #1 to give natural predators of aphids a better chance. She mentioned maybe getting lacewing larvae. Thanks for mentioning soil ph for brassicas. I really never thought I'd have to think about ph and never associated it w/risk of pest damage, so I'll test it now & figure that out. Kale is one of the most valued plants in our garden and we have a lot of it everywhere.
Sorry, I skipped that detail. Yes, I don't see Aphidoletes doing well on Nasturtiums. However, few things do. The Nasturtiums are a magnet for black aphids and an ideal host, so few things eat them faster than they reproduce. When the black aphid spreads to other plants it is more susceptible. Yes, a direct predator like lacewing larvae should help, so too would vigorously washing off the aphids regularly.
Can someone tell me about aphids in south Florida? I had aphids on all my milkweed and they’ve always been a problem and now in April they have disappeared. I don’t remember this happening last year. I don’t want to get excited 😆 Edit: I’ve never used any chemicals. I just let nature do it’s thing .
I'd suspect that's exactly what happened! But it would be nice to know. Because milkweed is toxic, only pests that have adapted to its toxicity can feed on it. Then they also become toxic and only predators that have adopted to THEIR toxicity can feed on them. And a predator of a milkweed aphid would be welcomed in many gardens. Sadly, in Florida, you have every imaginable pest/plant interaction. Fortunately, you have some excellent entomologist at the Universities. I'm sure their extension personnel would love to discuss this.
Thank you!
It's very hard to find this type of information.
I've been really enjoying your videos - looking forward to more of them.
I am so glad I found your channel! I am sharing you with others in my garden groups! I can't believe you don't have thousands of subs! I hope to help you by sharing your content on many groups!!
Thanks! I know it’s a niche subject. Hopefully it gets spread around. I think it could be very helpful.
I'm new to gardening. I just planted my first rose bush. Of course I have been scouring the internet trying to learn how to best care for it. I cringed at the thought of using any type of pesticide or fungicide after reading the warning labels. I'm grateful that I came across your videos. I learned it is ok to wait and let nature take its course 😊🌹
That is so nice to hear! But roses are ones to give close attention too. Clean-up fallen leaves diligently. Plant with 50%-75% or exactly what is recommended (100% promotes pests). Rinse aphids off with plain water if there is absolutely no sign or eggs or parasitoids (basically anything else.) if you are selling cut roses or it’s a focal point of your yard you will need to be aggressive against the pests - which might include squishing aphids and planting additional ones to try and promote predators.
Thank you for sharing such useful knowledge. It takes a lot of patience to wait for the natural predators to arrive. Sometimes it can take a few seasons of watching your plants getting decimated before any sort of balance is found.
Thank you. Yes, watching and learning is best. But no need to suffer: some pests (aphids included) can be washed off with plain water if you feel you need to save a plant. But watching them recover from that point without doing anything is the best learning of all.
Thanks for the advice on letting natural predators try and handle the aphids before I whip out the neem oil. I’m actually adjusting my garden to limit certain bugs, so hopefully won’t have as much pressure from pests to make me want to bust out the controls.
So nice to hear! A good (but long) solution is to plant a variety of plants and see what first gets the pest you want to control. Then grow those as a sacrifice and monitor. In the first year you may need to intervene, but after that you will be making a banker plant of natural predators/parasitoids.
Unfortunately this is so specific to pest, plant and climate that it is hard to give specific advice. But it sounds like you “get it.”
Thank you for making so many helpful videos! I have hundreds of houseplants and have been trying to establish some predatory insects for common pests. I currently am using Dalotia coriaria for fungus gnats, but am planning to introduce Stratiolaelaps scimitus if I notice another flareup in the future. I tried lacewing larvae for aphid control, but they didn't seem to affect the aphid population very much for some reason, and they certainly never reached adulthood or laid eggs. I am about to buy some Aphidoletes and Aphidius in hopes that one or both of them will be a more long term aphid solution, even if I have to introduce more every year or so. I've also watched your videos on spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies, so if those show up I'll know which predators to order. Thanks again!
Hi. That's great to hear. I'm glad you're having that sort of success with Dalotia. With enough plants (sounds like you have that) they can be very effective generalists. It's too bad about the lacewing. They are usually solid-performers. It's fantastic that you're open to this concept and giving a chance. Keep it up!
That was pure gold brother thanks 😊
Thank you so much!
Thank you for all that you are doing. We recently bought a house with a 30' high conservatory and a 30' tall bougainville that is impossible for me to reach unless I hire a helper. It's not a well designed space, no ceiling windows to open, only side doors, exhaust fans and ceiling fans but I am in love with the space and plants and it's all very beautiful. My problem is how to manage the aphids on the tall bougainvillea. They are little green ones and along with that little black flies which I believe are aphids too. In researching what to do I came across an ariticle by you about Aphidoletes aphidimyza and I watched your video as a result. Unfortunately adding a flying midge into our lives isn't an option but I would value another suggestion from you. I started with soaps etc and found that they did weaken the plants and I now find that water is the best but I can't get ahead of the aphids on that super tall bougainville because I can't get close enough. Your thoughts?
Hi Leslie. You're right to try just plain water it does more damage to aphid populations than most realize. But I understand the inability to get to the upper reaches of the plant. - by the way, it sounds like a beautiful place!
Being unwilling to invite the flying predators in likely eliminates most invertebrate bio-controls. Since it sounds like you may be able to control humidity somewhat, it's probably worth giving "Beauvaria" a try. It's a fungal pathogen. There are various strains and some have shown success in killing aphids. Other than that, it's worth contacting an arborist - especially through one of the big companies (Davy Tree, Bartlett..etc.) They have research entomologists on staff whom I work with, and they may be able to be of some help.
Of course, if it was me, I'd just do the aphidoletes. Yes, you're adding a winged insect into your living space, but winged aphids and the honeydew the aphids will produce is a much greater "pest," and will result in ants and other pests coming in to feed on the honeydew. Also, the adults are barely noticeable at times. Size-wise, they look a bit like fungus gnats. If you can determine the aphid species there might be an "Aphidius" wasp commercially available. I know the thought of bringing wasps inside is probably worse, but these are even more difficult to see.
I hope this gives you a bit of direction. Good luck.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Many thanks! I will try an arborist for sure and I think that I will try the aphidoletes after all. I do have photos of the aphids but I can't figure out exactly what type they are. Sometimes they are green and soft, then they also seem to be connected to a small black/grey fly type insect, not a fungus gnat. I also watched your video about white flies because I have them too. I have figured out most of their hiding places and removed plants that they seemed to like best for breeding but they are upticking again so I am going to order Encarsia Formosa from Applied Bionomics. I am very grateful to you for the effort that you put into your videos. All very good and informative. I will share them as often as possible. Thanks, Leslie
Found your video just now because looking for info. I try to grow veggies on my porch and last year I really noticed what seemed to be LOTS of ants cultivating/farming aphids on my plants. Will this process work or will the ants attack and kill the aphidoletes before they can do their job? Thanks.
Thanks for the question. Yes, ants will prevent the aphidoletes from working. Controlling ants is always the first step. One frustration with potted plants is that the ants can live inside the pot at the bottom. The mixture of Borax, powdered sugar and a little water can work against some ants. (they eat it and die). Place it in a container near the plant. Don't put it on your plant, as it can burn leaves. Otherwise, commercial ant traps can work too. And hosing off the honeydew from the aphids will encourage ants to go elsewhere for sugar.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Thanks, had a feeling. Don't really want to kill the ants so will try to figure it out.
Thank you for providing such valuable information. We have aphid problems in our greenhouse. I made a diluted spray from fertilizer tea made of weeds last year and it smells like crap. I started spraying on the leaves of my veggies as I understand it absorbs better, not sure if you know if this is true and will it deter aphidoletes from landing on the plants
Thanks! I’ve never heard of that scientifically being linked to pest control. But one can assume that the smell is a deterrent. If it works, go with it!
Compost teas are used both for nutrients and to establish microbials on the leaves that compete with pathogens.
Leaves can absorb some things, but for practicality, only roots can do it in a way to help the plant.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I am living around Oakland, California. If I buy Aphidoletes aphidimyza and release them into my small garden, wonder if Aphidoletes aphidimyza will keep living to next year? Or I need to buy every year? Thanks!
Thanks. Great question. Yes, they should keep coming back.
One trial showed that they would remain in high numbers for 5 years. In more practical trials it is too hard to predict, so annually is probably best.
If you aphids late into the fall and Aphidoletes are there, they’ll feed and pupate for the winter and you’ll have a large amount the next year.
If aphids are low in the fall you can assume there will be fewer Aphidoletes in the yard and then less to overwinter.
This is news to me! 👍 I have a plum tree that is devastated each year by massive aphid infestations. The aphids attack my 100ft fir tree and the little 10ft plum. It will skeletonize the canopy until the fruit drops at pea size if I don't spray it every year so I forego the fruit harvest and spray. (I will not eat fruit that is heavily sprayed; its just to save the ornamental aspect of the tree. ) so maybe I might have a chance to harvest my purple Italian plum, eh?
That sounds like a nasty infestation. It's probably not aphids, since they don't skeletonize plant tissue, since they are sucking insects. But if you mean they skeletonize in the sense that there is widespread or complete leaf drop, that sounds very serious, but also suggests an underlying cause for which aphids are merely a symptom.
Also with the fir. Few aphids will attack a fir but also a plum. So it is likely two unrelated species. It might be worth putting-off the spray for a season and putting-up with the ornamental damage to see what natural predators show up. The "spray cycle" is when you kill everything, and the predators can't catch-up enough, so you end up spraying again.
What area are you in? I'll see what I can find out.
@@gardeningwithbugs721
We're in Spokane, WA. My neighborhood is an urban forest of heavily planted acers and few Ponderosa pines. This near monoculture means we get a cyclic, infestation of aphids about every 3-4 years. No one treats them. I have 3 spec. of firs, blue spruce, west. red cedar a magnolia, Korean dogwood and this plum, in my yard. No maples. None are bothered except the one fir. Yes, the aphids on the fir & the plum are two different species specific to the trees they feed. The fir fends off the attack as it is an unstressed, well- watered and fed tree but the plum is sucked dry if left to its natural defenses. The oddity is I have 2 such plums, one that is nearly 40yrs old, (planted by the previous owner.) Ive owned it the last 23yrs. It did fine unsprayed, no pests except for an rare bird peck, gave flawless fruit until 2015 then a swarm of aphids completely covered it and sucked the tree dry. All the leaves dried up and fell off.They came back every yr after that. I planted this new tree to replace it figuring it was just too old to defend itself anymore. This new one is 60 ft away next to the house. The next yr the swarm took to the new tree & the old tree is now untouched. Produces a heavy crop of plums, untreated while the new tree suffers. Why did they switch trees? They were so thick they sucked the leaves completely brown so the only thing left littering the ground was the veins and stems. I thought they had killed it. It put out new leaves the next year, & every year since as long as I spray it. I use neem, soap or malathion late evening to spare the bees & depending how heavy the pest pressure. My veg. garden is organic. No sprays not even "organics". no pests. Why only this?
I live across ther border from you in North Idaho.
I have about 60 fruit trees growing. Here is my experience with aphids.
They seem to prefer new tender growth over old growth. So if the Aphids get to choose they seem to go after younger faster growing trees.
My aphids seem to have a preference I terms of which plants they go after.
#1. Sweet cherry trees. They ignore my sour cherries and go straight for the sweets.
#2. Apple trees
#3 European plum varieties. The Aphids pretty much ignore my Japanese varieties and only go for my European plum trees.
#4 pear trees.
I would do the following for your plum tree.
1. If you are fertilizing it I would stop. Fertilizing promotes the kind of abundant, young tender growth that Aphids love.
2. Apply tangle foot around the trunk of the tree. This should stop ants from baby sitting those Aphids.
3. If needed I would use a insecticidal soap spray on the tree once Aphids do show up.
Last year I didn't spray for Aphids. I let nature take its course. Eventually the lady bugs showed up and took care of the issue.
Actually the lady bugs don't do #^^$. Their offspring on the other hand are voracious little killing machines.
Down side is the lady bugs run several weeks behind the Aphids and their young are about 2 weeks behind the lady bugs.
So if the infestation is so bad that the plants can't survive the month long lag between Aphids going to work and the arrival of the insect death squads I'd spray insecticidal soap.
@@danielnomnom2646 Sounds like you have a great handle on pest management. I promote a release of Aphidoletes at the first sign of aphids in an orchard so soaps aren't needed, but like you, we also (in every case - inside and out) have growers stop or reduce fertilizers. That sometimes alone slows the aphids enough to let the predators take over. Thanks for your insights.
Thank you so much for this video! Could you recommend a trustworthy company that ships to the US, by chance?
I’d go with Evergreen Growers Supply in the west or IPM Laboratories in the East. Both are great.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 thank you so much!
Great videos. What's your thoughts on aphids when combined with large amounts of ants that protect them? Should I just "let that be" and hope some predator can fight off the ants who are protecting the aphids?
Hi. Thanks. Commercially, we always control the ants before attempting aphid control. In the garden I'm more on the fence. If I feel like I need to save the plant (it has commercial or cosmetic value to me) then I'll control the ants, otherwise I leave it.
Really, it's a natural population control. Just yesterday I was looking for the level of aphid predation on some plants and found ants, but some hoverfly larvae. It seems that the ants will remove most hoverfly larvae, but a few reach a size where the ants leave them alone. I figure this is the balance.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 So if you don't mind, how do you control the ants? I have Terro bait stations that we've used in a home before, but my concern is some beneficial bugs like ladybugs etc. could also eat this poison bait so I have not used them.
I was looking at ladybugs but now I am wanting to invest in these guys. It’s almost the end of October and I’ve been fighting aphids for 3 months with no end in site. I’m exhausted. I have a lot of indoor plants though. A few questions, can I buy these for indoor plants? And can I do it in the fall/winter? Also do you have any recommendations where to buy them?
Just got to the part where you don’t recommend them inside. But I am desperate and can’t put my plants outside (I am in an apartment with a smaller balcony, but also they wouldn’t like the cold). 😅
Also, I have root aphids- will these still work?
I'm sorry I missed this. It would be best to try lacewing eggs (brown lacewing in Europe and Canada - they are much better) or green lacewing in the US. The larvae will eat the aphids. Brown lacewings can then cycle throughout the winter. I can't offer much help against root aphids. They are very problematic.
Thanks for this you are awsome
Requesting bug advice please re. APHIDS PROTECTED BY ANTS....OK I have read your answers to others. Basically I have lots of aphids in my garden, black aphids in a nasturtium-heavy area that are so many they are spreading to all nearby plants that are not nasturtiums too, plus white cabbage aphids on the underside of kale leaves, much more on some plants than others. Before finding your videos, in the last 1.5 weeks I have released two batches of purchased ladybugs. Some still exist spread out throughout my garden, but the main black aphid area is protected by ants so there are not many ladybugs or ladybug larvae there anymore. Now I suspect the ants ate them to protect the aphids. Today I've read in your comments that step one is to control the ants, but if I use poison ant bait stations like terro ant bait stations, my concern is that the sweet poison could attract some ladybugs too & kill them. I suppose if I just bait & kill the ants for a week then I buy Aphidoletes aphidimyza that could be the good move? Is it too late in the year on Sept 18? I am in Olympia, WA in the PNW in the US. Thanks for your time.
Great observations! Most ant baits will not affect other arthropods. But, the trick is to put it right in their path. And yes, controlling the aphids is the first step.
However, here in the Pacific North West both the cabbage aphid and a black aphid (likely the same one I’m familiar with) are difficult to control.
The cabbage aphid should have Aphidoletes attacking it this time of year. The rest of the season few things work because they all just pick-off outside aphids and never get into the middle of the colony. For brassicas, avoiding the hot summer and ensuring the soil has a high ph will help.
The black aphids just have too many host plants. They are easily controlled, but move on to the next crop before predators show up. This is why ladybugs will be seen there, but don’t help: their lifecycle is too long. Aphidoletes and aphidius are much quicker. But, best is to have distraction plants. Nasturtiums are worth avoiding, but poppies and sunflowers will get the black aphid but will usually have them controlled before damage is done. This allows the predators to better match the aphid populations.
If they are really bad this year (being late September) just leave them. So many predators will feed on the aphids as winter approaches, both will over winter together and next spring you’ll have the aphids, but a bigger population of predators - assuming no soaps or chemicals are lingering.
@@gardeningwithbugs721 Thanks for your speedy reply! I do not use any soaps or oils or anything. This eve I have just put out one Terro ant bait station and got the ants to discover it. We'll see if that's enough or if I need to put another ant bait station in another part of the black aphid/nasturtium disaster zone to get rid of these ants defending their beloved aphids. I thought nasturtiums would make my other plants safer from pests but maybe not. I saw you recommend Evergreen Growers Supply so I contacted them about my black aphids on the nasturtiums and the white cabbage aphids on my kale. She agreed that getting rid of the ants defending the black aphids is job #1 to give natural predators of aphids a better chance. She mentioned maybe getting lacewing larvae. Thanks for mentioning soil ph for brassicas. I really never thought I'd have to think about ph and never associated it w/risk of pest damage, so I'll test it now & figure that out. Kale is one of the most valued plants in our garden and we have a lot of it everywhere.
Oh and she thought that the black aphids on my nasturtiums would not be eaten by aphidoletes which is why she suggested lacewing larvae.
Sorry, I skipped that detail. Yes, I don't see Aphidoletes doing well on Nasturtiums. However, few things do. The Nasturtiums are a magnet for black aphids and an ideal host, so few things eat them faster than they reproduce. When the black aphid spreads to other plants it is more susceptible.
Yes, a direct predator like lacewing larvae should help, so too would vigorously washing off the aphids regularly.
Can someone tell me about aphids in south Florida? I had aphids on all my milkweed and they’ve always been a problem and now in April they have disappeared. I don’t remember this happening last year. I don’t want to get excited 😆
Edit: I’ve never used any chemicals. I just let nature do it’s thing .
I'd suspect that's exactly what happened! But it would be nice to know. Because milkweed is toxic, only pests that have adapted to its toxicity can feed on it. Then they also become toxic and only predators that have adopted to THEIR toxicity can feed on them. And a predator of a milkweed aphid would be welcomed in many gardens. Sadly, in Florida, you have every imaginable pest/plant interaction. Fortunately, you have some excellent entomologist at the Universities. I'm sure their extension personnel would love to discuss this.