If you have noticed small green worms on your plants, it may mean that it has been attacked by aphids. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to effectively remove the pests. We present the most important information on how to effectively control aphids!
At the very beginning it is necessary to explain what aphids actually are. They are insects that pose a big problem for most gardeners. They are small, soft and green in color. They feed by sucking nutrient-rich fluids from plants. An aphid invasion will involve weakening the flower and damaging its foliage and fruit.
Another characteristic of aphids that is worth keeping in mind is that they reproduce extremely quickly. If the grower does not take any steps to counteract the insects, the plant will be attacked by up to several generations of aphids during one season. Therefore, it is worth learning how to counteract insects.
For fruit trees or shade trees, the use of pesticide-based horticultural oil is recommended. Its action will kill overwintering aphid eggs. The pests also provide food for other insects, such as ladybugs and wasps. Therefore, if possible, do not eradicate them from growing regions. This way, the aphids will be removed naturally.
Wanting to effectively remove aphids, you can also spray them with isopropyl alcohol. Before applying it, you need to make sure that there are no additives. The solution should contain 1 part 70% alcohol to 1 ½ parts water.
A grower can also choose to plant plants that repel aphids. One of these is catnip. Another example is planting garlic and chives that repel aphids, near lettuce, peas and rose bushes.
A good way is also to trap the pests by planting mustard or nasturtium, for example, next to the main flowers or ornamental trees. These are extremely attractive to aphids and are likely to move to them first – they can be removed more easily later.
Aphids are small, ranging from 2 to 5 mm in body length. For this reason, they are often practically invisible to our eyes. Green-colored insects are most common, but there is no shortage of other species as well – white, black, brown, gray, yellow and even pink aphids.
The insects have a waxy or woolly covering and pear-shaped bodies with long feelers. In addition to this, aphids can be identified by specific short tubes, also called horns, which protrude from the back end of the insect’s body.
Adult pests can also have wings. They develop them primarily when the population is large and food is affected. It is thanks to their wings that aphids can move to other plants, reproduce and attack larger and larger areas of the garden or home farm.
It is difficult to distinguish one group of plants that are attacked by aphids. The insects settle on virtually any living flower or tree and feed on it in large groups. Sometimes they are also found singly and in small numbers.
There are also specific varieties of insects with a name assigned according to the type of plant they attack. These include bean aphids, cabbage aphids, potato aphids, peach aphids, melon aphids and apple aphids.
main photo: unsplash.com/Pankaj Shah
