How to get rid of aphids - the best chemical and folk remedies in crop protection

Hello! I have a small garden consisting of several apple trees, pears, plums and cherries.

For personal consumption, these products are enough, I even make jam periodically. But this year, the crop was threatened because the garden was attacked by aphids.

It was necessary to act. Even if not on the first, but on the second attempt, I successfully bred these pests. Want to learn how to get rid of aphids? How to nullify the chances of a reappearance? Now I will describe in detail all the vicissitudes of my struggle.

Fighting aphids

Aphids are one of the most malicious garden pests. In spring, aphids settle on young shoots of plants or on the underside of leaves. Aphids suck out juices from fresh green plants, draining and eventually destroying young growth.

Aphids, which are often called “aphids” (Aphidoidea) in everyday life, are an extensive superfamily of insects, which, according to Wikipedia, has 10 families and about 4 thousand species. About a thousand species of aphids live in Europe. Some of them prefer one particular “host” plant, others may live on several.

In the fall, aphids lay another batch of eggs, which hibernates on plants. In the spring, when it grows warm and the plants start growing, the aphids begin to multiply intensively, eating juices of young greenery.

Aphid activity increases by summer, its peak falls on June. When the host plant is already too affected and the young aphids that are constantly emerging are no longer enough food, offspring with wings begins to spawn, which flies to the next plant.

The symbiosis of ants and aphids, as well as the natural regulation of wingless and winged generations of aphids, is the result of a long evolution and the manifestation of the boundless wisdom of nature. However, gardeners are unlikely to be able to appreciate this at the moment when they see ugly, young black shoots of plants completely covered in black aphids, in which so much effort and labor has been invested.

How to recognize an attack

On young shoots or buds of the plant with the naked eye, an accumulation of black, green or brown aphids is visible. Even more insects gather on the underside of the leaves. The whitish “fragments” among the cluster of insects are the discarded old aphid skin.

You can fight aphids by mechanical, biological, technological and chemical methods and means.

Mechanical methods

Where possible, remove aphids by hand or flush with a strong jet of water from under the hose.

Biological methods of destruction

“Invite” to your garden natural predators that feed on aphids - insects and small birds. Aphids are eaten by adult individuals and larvae of a ladybug, female flies, lacewings, as well as several species of wasps.

To naturally attract these insects as well as birds to your garden, plant fragrant herbs, nettles and green manure. Although, we are realistic, often naturally present even in the most organic garden of beneficial insects is not enough to destroy the accumulation of aphids.

Ladybugs and lacewings. Larvae of ladybugs and lacewings (the latter are even more effective in combating aphids) from your area (this is important!) Can be purchased in garden centers or by special order by mail, and then released in the garden.

This biological control tool can only be ordered when aphids have already settled in large numbers in the garden and threaten plantings. Read about ladybugs attacking aphids.

Aphid Birds. Aphids are also destroyed by some small birds: tits, warblers (flyworms, shade, etc.), kings, wrens, hempweed, robin robots and sparrows. All of them feed harmful insects to their chicks. After such a hunt, the birds have to wipe their beak on leaves or grass to clean it from the sweet, sticky pad.

Organic Gardening Technologies. Some plants repel aphids. Among them are traditional onions and garlic, as well as Dalmatian chamomile (Pyrethrum cinerariifolium, Tanacetum cinerariifolium).

The latter contains a large amount of pyrethrins, which are described below in the section "chemical control". Plant them next to plants susceptible to aphid attacks.

Do not overfeed plants with nitrogen fertilizers, because it is fresh young herbs that attract aphids.

Home remedies for the fight

The most popular anti-aphid drug recipes that have been used for centuries include soap (it is more convenient to use liquid soap for dishes) and vegetable oil. The viscous consistency of soap and oil envelops the bodies of insects and prevents breathing (aphids breathe through the skin).

Liquid soap and water. Dilute the soap in the spray bottle. You can add oil. I have successfully used this drug (with Fairy) on my tomatoes. A small amount of aphids disappeared after the first application.

Infusion of chopped tomato leaves. This infusion is quite mild and is considered effective among organic gardeners. I personally do not really understand how it works if aphids happily settle on the leaves of tomatoes and eat their juices. Nevertheless ... Soak the chopped tomato leaves for a night or longer in water.

Strain and transfer into a spray bottle. Add to a bottle of water if more is required. Spray the affected plants, not forgetting about the underside of the leaves.

1. 2 cups of tomato leaves cut with scissors (it is convenient to use those that are trimmed from the bottom of the stem of climbing tomatoes to a flowering brush)
2. 2 cups of water

Garlic infusion:

• 3-5 garlic cloves passed through a press
• 2 tspcheap cooking oil
• 1/2 liter of water
• 1 tsp liquid soap

Insist chopped garlic in water for a day or longer, add water and soap. Store the resulting preparation in a tightly closed container. For use, dilute a couple of tablespoons of the drug with water in a spray bottle and spray the affected plant aphids.

Industrial Organic Pesticides and Insecticides

Organic (soft, natural) insecticides and pesticides cause relatively little harm to the environment, but they require more frequent use precisely because of their mild action. Organic chemicals for chemical control include the following drugs:

How to get rid of aphids in the garden: methods of struggle, folk remedies

Aphids are considered one of the most dangerous pests for the garden. Insects quickly spread, suck out the juice from young growth, which leads to the death of plants, parasites also carry dangerous viruses and fungal spores.

Causes of appearance, harm to plants

Aphids appear in spring from eggs laid in autumn and overwintered on young shoots. Growing insects, they begin to actively suck the plant cell juices.

Causes of aphids:

• Purchase and planting of already infected and unprocessed specimens;
• Imported soil with insect eggs;
• Transfer of winged larvae by the wind, on clothing, animal hair or ants.

Signs of damage to plants:

A weakened culture becomes vulnerable to disease. The activity of the pest falls at the beginning of summer, and by the time of the defeat of the whole plant, offspring with wings grows, which can fly to a healthy culture.

Aphids secrete a span - honey dew, a sweet substance, among others, attracting ants that eat it. These two types of insects exist in symbiosis: aphids feed ants, and they protect and transfer its larvae to other plants. If ants appear on the site, check nearby plants for damage to aphids.

How to get rid

There are several ways to deal with aphids in the garden:

1. Mechanical or manual. Collecting insects and treating plants before sap flow begins with boiling water 80 degrees Celsius;
2. Biological or natural. Bait and growing on the site of fragrant herbs and green manure plants to attract birds and insects that destroy aphids: ladybugs, female flies, lacewings;
3. Chemical - the use of industrial pest control products.

Separately distinguish folk methods of struggle. Due to the availability of the used ingredients and high efficiency, they are very popular among summer residents.

Aphids in a home garden, on seedlings and flowers. Insects often infect seedlings grown at home - they migrate from indoor flowers and domestic plants. By the time of planting in the open ground of plants, new offspring are born and spread over time. Therefore, so that aphids do not appear in the garden, how to get rid of it - you need to think in advance.

Such preparations are suitable for processing garden seedlings: Confidor, Sniper, Tanrek, Intravir.

As a folk remedy, you can use ammonia solution, which, according to many gardeners, is very effective and completely harmless to pets and children. To prepare it, dissolve 1 tbsp in 10 l of water. l ammonia. If aphids are detected, it is necessary to spray 1-2 times a day.

Currant aphids - control measures, folk remedies. Signs of aphid damage for different types of currants are different.

On the white, pink and red currants, galls appear - bloating of a burgundy shade. On black - the leaves become stained and curl up into a tube.

Chemicals. The use of industrial insecticides Korbafoks, Aktara, Vofotoks is allowed. During flowering, the use of a more gentle Fitoverm is possible.

If the leaves curl on the currant, control measures are carried out before the buds open, after the appearance of the first leaves and a month before the harvest. Aphids parasitize on the back of the leaf, this should be considered when spraying.

Such treatment of currants from aphids is carried out after flowering, in dry, calm weather. It should be remembered that frequent tearing of leaves and tops can damage the shape and development of the plant.

Protecting roses from aphids. Signs of aphid rose damage: the leaves are deformed, covered with a sticky film and discolored.

How to water a rose from aphids? Well-proven natural pesticide - Neem tree oil (lat. Nazadirachta Indica), which is also called Persian melia (lat. Azadirachta Indica). The fight against aphids on roses is that this drug does not allow insects to lay eggs, and it quickly hatches.

Fighting aphids on roses with folk remedies. Laundry soap rub on a fine grater and dissolve 1 tbsp. l chips in a liter of hot water. Processing is carried out for two consecutive weeks until the disappearance of pests after sunset.

Fighting aphids on dill. Processing greens with chemicals is quite dangerous, however, if this cannot be avoided, then it is worthwhile to focus on the biological products Fitoverm, Biotlin and Enterobacterin. You can eat processed dill a week after the procedure.

Of folk methods, dusting is used with wood ash, bitter ground pepper and dry mustard, taken in equal proportions to 1 tbsp. l The procedure is carried out from a bag sewn from a double layer of gauze.

Pepper aphid control should be carried out regularly as a preventative measure. Insecticides such as Fury, Fufanon and Actellik are suitable for processing - if they are followed, they are absolutely safe.

As folk remedies, ash and tobacco dust are used. The following recipe also helps: 250 g of chopped fresh needles of spruce or pine are insisted in a dark place in 1 liter. boiling water for 7 days.

Annual preventative measures help minimize aphid infection. These include: pre-treatment of the soil, independent cultivation of seedlings, the destruction of anthills and timely treatment of plants.

Also, for protection, actively use the folk methods described by us, and to quickly act on the infected plant and avoid spreading, use chemical preparations.

Aphid control methods

Aphids are the sworn enemy of all gardeners. These small gray or green midges pester not only garden, but also indoor plants. The aphid literally sucks the juices from the plant it has captured, in addition, it releases toxic substances and is the carrier of more than a hundred different viral diseases.

Signs of plant damage

Signs of damage to the plant aphids are as follows: the leaves literally stick together, twist, turn yellow, the flowers do not bloom or even fall off. The plant is covered with liquid sugar clots.

How to protect plants from aphids? Do not allow ants to breed. And often the aphid “enters” the house on a bouquet of roses or chrysanthemums. Therefore, do not place bouquets close to indoor plants. The cause of the total epidemic may be one single female who flew through an ajar window or balcony.

Folk methods of struggle

Green potash soap. Rub a bar of soap on a grater and dissolve in a liter of water, literally wash the affected aphid with the resulting solution. Important! A solution of green soap should not get into the soil in which the flower grows, so before the "treatment" cover the soil with a plastic wrap.

The celandine is ordinary. A bunch of fresh or dry stems (you need to take the whole plant, with leaves and flowers) celandine insist on water for 1-2 days, and spray this plants with this infusion.

Pelargonium. For indoor plants, on which aphids settled, the proximity to fragrant pelargonium will be very useful, it scares away pests.

Flea shampoo. For half a liter of water, one cap of shampoo is enough. The solution is seasoned with a conventional atomizer and sprayed on a diseased plant. This solution can also be used to prevent infection of aphids.

Cigarette smoke. They say this remedy helps not only against aphids. Put the infected plant in a plastic bag, ask one of the smokers' friends to let in smoke. The package is tied and left overnight. One or two of these procedures are enough to kill the aphid.

Bow. Chop the ordinary onion finely, fill with a liter of water, clog tightly and let it brew for seven hours. Onion infusion will save indoor flowers not only from aphids, but also from a spider mite. Use for spraying.

Kerosene. Add half a teaspoon of kerosene to 10 liters of water, pour a little laundry soap there so that the composition “sticks” a little, and not just flows down the leaves. Of course, there is a lot of such volume for indoor flowers, but enough to process flowers and trees in the garden. Kerosene means repels aphids, ticks, thrips.

Household chemicals. My friend recommends Amway detergents to fight aphids, although I think any other brands will come in handy. Dilute a drop of dishwashing detergent with water and spray the plant, not forgetting to cover the soil in the pot!

Beetle "ladybug". In nature, aphids have a sworn enemy - ladybugs. Therefore, if you notice such a bug in the house - do not rush to drive it away.

Effective chemotherapy for aphids: Decis, Karate, Actellik, Inta-vir, Neoron, Arrivo, Aktara.

Radical methods.If one of your indoor plants is heavily infected with aphids and no methods work, unfortunately, it is better to get rid of a sick flower in order to save the rest of the plants.

On which room flowers does aphid appear most often? The pets of this pest are abutilone and chrysanthemum, although it does not disdain aphids by other plants. But plants with dense and hard leaves or those whose leaves secrete milky sap are much less likely to suffer from the attack of this pest.

By a good tradition, I will repeat for you the main commandment of the grower: observe the conditions of plant agricultural technology, and you will not care for aphids and other pests, and your plants will always be healthy.

Killing aphids on plants

In the spring, in the garden or in the garden, aphids settle on the young shoots of various plants, seedlings or trees on the underside of the leaves. Aphids - a small sucking insect up to 2 mm in size of green, black or red. It is leaf and shoot and is always located in colonies.

Aphids suck juices from fresh green shoots, drying and eventually destroying young shoots. In addition to this, aphids are a carrier of various viral infections that cause gall formations on plant leaves.

It will be easy enough to get rid of aphids, since its shell is very soft and even soapy solution is harmful. But the difficulty of the fight lies in the fact that the already-bred aphid hides reliably in twisted leaves and it becomes difficult to get it out even by spraying the tree with modern toxic chemicals.

Therefore, the best way to fight is to process the tree in time in April, when the foliage is just beginning to bloom. Pre-protect the tree from creeping and traveling along the trunks of ants, since it has already been noticed that ants are carriers of aphids, which travels easily on the backs of ants.

Having processed the fruit tree in advance, you will save your future harvest, as well as the health of the tree itself. Begin to spray and process trees from aphids in the month of April.

Protect the trees with a collar from possible ants crawling. Fluff the synthetic winterizer and wrap a tree trunk 10–15 cm wide with this strip; treat this collar with any ant ant toxic.

Biological methods of fighting aphids are carried out using other living things. “Invite” to your garden natural predators that feed on aphids - insects and small birds. Although, to be honest: often naturally present in the garden of beneficial insects is not enough to destroy the accumulation of aphids.

Aphids are eaten by adult individuals and the larvae of a ladybug, female flies, lacewings (they are very effective in combating aphids), several species of wasps. To naturally attract beneficial insects to the garden, plant fragrant herbs, nettles and green manure.

Larvae of ladybugs and lacewings can be purchased in garden centers or by special order by mail, and then released in the garden. You can order this means of biological control of harmful insects only when aphids have already settled in large numbers in the garden and threaten plantings.

To ensure that birds regularly fly into your garden and nest in it, arrange drinking bowls with fresh water in the garden season. Better to build a garden pond.At the same time, make sure that birds, as well as hedgehogs, lizards and other beneficial creatures, have convenient and safe access to water.

Aphids are destroyed by sparrows and other small birds. For example, tits, warblers (flyworms, shade, etc.), kings, wrens, linnet, robin-robin. They feed harmful insects to their chicks. After hunting for aphids, birds have to wipe their beak on leaves or grass to clear themselves of the sweet, sticky pad.

You can protect garden crops from aphids by planting plants that repel insects with their smell on the site. These include nasturtium, garlic, chives, marigolds, mustard, fennel, coriander, peppermint, basil.

Plant especially attractive aphid plants away from the crops that you want to protect from these pests.

And viburnum, plum and linden are the favorite woody plants for aphids. Never plant valuable herbaceous plants under these trees or in the vicinity of your favorite aphid species.

Folk remedies

Prepare the preparations according to the simple recipes below. Spray parts of plants affected by aphids in the evenings when beneficial pollinating insects have already retired. Keep in mind that these drugs are generally not selective (i.e., they destroy both harmful and beneficial insects).

Sprayed two to three times a week. Then 5-6 days are observed, if the aphids could not be completely destroyed, the treatment is repeated. Liquid soap and water: dilute the soap in a spray bottle and spray the plants against aphids. 2 teaspoons of liquid soap is added to 2 cups of water. In this solution, you can add vegetable oil (1 cup of vegetable oil), but not necessarily.

Infusion of chopped tomato leaves. This infusion is quite mild and is considered effective among organic gardeners. Soak chopped tomato leaves in water (overnight or longer). Strain and transfer into a spray bottle.

Add to a bottle of water if more is required. Spray the affected plants, not forgetting about the underside of the leaves. I cut the leaves from the bottom of the stem of the climbing tomatoes (to the flowering brush), cut them with scissors to a volume of 2 glasses and soak in 2 glasses of water.

Infusion of garlic: 3-5 cloves of garlic (passed through a press), 2 tsp. cheap vegetable oil, 1/2 liter of water, 1 tsp liquid soap. Insist chopped garlic in water for a day or longer, add water and soap. Store the resulting preparation in a tightly closed container. For use, dilute a couple of tablespoons of the drug with water in a spray bottle and spray the affected plant aphids.

The desired effect will also give a decoction of stepsons and stalks of tomatoes. 40 g of tomato mass is taken per 1 liter of water, the mixture is boiled over low heat for half an hour. After this, a glass of broth is dissolved in a liter of water.

Infusion of ash or tobacco. 200 g of each of them for a day insist in 10 liters of water.

Yarrow infusion. 200 g of fresh raw materials must be poured with two liters of boiling water and steamed for an hour. After that, eight liters of water are added to the infusion.

Horseradish infusion. Take horseradish leaves and roots, grind. We fill the bucket with mass by one third and fill it with water. Mix and let it brew for a couple of hours, then spray it.

Soda solution: 1 tbsp. dissolve a spoonful of soda ash in a liter of water and add a quarter pack of planed laundry soap. Processing is carried out as necessary.

Infusion of ash: pour 200-300 g of ash with boiling water, after cooling, strain and also add crushed soap.

Bitter pepper broth: pepper and water - in the same proportions, boil for an hour, let it brew for 2 days. This composition is more concentrated, it must be diluted 1: 7 before use.

Infusion of pine shoots: 2 kg of annual shoots (growth, it can be seen by the lighter color) is poured with a bucket of water, insist for a week, mixing daily. Before spraying, dilute with water 1:10. It also helps against various fungal diseases. As a replacement, you can take a pharmacy coniferous concentrate, but this is worse.

If all these means did not help, or urgent measures need to be taken, “heavy artillery” is used - infusions and decoctions of tobacco, shag or even simple “bull-calves”. There are even special drugs based on nicotine. The result is usually good, but the waiting period for nicotine preparations is 20 days, and the same for tobacco and shag.

Use the recipe you like best to fight aphids in a folk way, well, you can experiment and choose the most effective and affordable.

Chemicals

A fairly effective method, but not always possible to use, since often various berries grow nearby. in the ripening stage. It is clear that chemistry in this case should not be used, although many drugs say that they cause minimal harm.

Organic chemicals for chemical control include the following drugs:

1. Based on pyrethrins (natural insecticides extracted from Dalmatian chamomile that affect the nervous system of aphids): Py Spray Garden Insect Killer and Doff All in One Bug Spray.
2. Vegetable Oils: Vitax Organic 2 in 1 Pest & Disease Control and Growing Success Shrub & Flower Bug Killer.
3. Fatty Acid Based: Bayer Organic Pest Control, Doff Greenfly and Killer and Scotts Rose Clear Gun.

How to get rid of aphids?

Aphids, if not resisted, can cause significant damage to the garden due to fantastic gluttony, reproduction with cosmic speed at all stages (from larva to adult) and a short development cycle.

Biological features

Aphids are well-known small insects, the length of which does not exceed 5–7 mm. Using a special piercing-sucking proboscis, they pierce the surface of shoots, buds or leaves and suck out the juice, greatly weakening the plants and spreading viral diseases.

The former, with the help of wind, spread the colony over considerable distances (up to 25 km) and lay eggs for the winter, while the latter provide massive asexual reproduction in spring and summer. Aphids secrete high carbohydrate excrement (the so-called pad or honey dew) that ants feed on.

The symbiosis of ants and aphids is a separate issue. It is important for us that ants protect colonies of aphids from predator insects (the same ladybugs), transfer larvae to the juicy parts of the plant and protect them from bad weather in the anthill, and carry females - wingless viviparous virgins - and winged settlers, and larvae.

Life cycle

Aphids have adapted to seasonal changes in climate and plant physiology, which are chosen. They can regulate their population depending on specific goals: along with males and normal females, viviparous and oviparous females develop, so part of the colony will breed nearby, and part will conquer the world.

A one-year dioecious (two host plants) aphid development cycle, where a woody plant alternates with a grassy one, proceeds according to a typical pattern. From wintering eggs laid on the primary host, wingless female founders hatch.

Asexually they produce their own wingless females for several generations. From mid-May, winged females are born that migrate to plants of the same or another species (secondary host) - various grassy crops and weeds on which aphids breed until autumn, forming up to 20 (!) Generations.

In September-October, winged females reappear. They give birth to males and females, in which, by mutual agreement, fertilization occurs. Females lay wintering eggs on trees and shrubs (dioecious aphids return for this to their primary host) and die.

The main types

Since aphids are almost omnivorous, and the damage they cause is gigantic, they have been studied well for a long time. A lot of species are known: peach-potato, black bean, currant, lettuce, gooseberry, raspberry, strawberry and shallot - not to list all.

Each species, like the rosacea (it damages roses), meadowsweet, tulip bulb, black viburnum aphid leaf-leaf and others, has their own host plants, some species prefer only mono-diet (for example, juniper aphid), and some prefer menu.

For example, a green apple aphid damages an apple tree, pear, quince, medlar, hawthorn, mountain ash, quail, cotoneaster. The winged female settlers of the thistle aphid migrate to plants from the Asteraceae and Borage family (sunflower, chamomile, sow thistle, thistle, comfrey) only at the beginning of summer, and return to winter apartments - plum and other stone fruit trees in autumn.

Prevention and control measures

Finally - once and for all - it is impossible to get rid of aphids, but, given its biological characteristics, it is possible to competently build a line of defense and defense. So, we will adopt a few important points:

• Reduced the appearance and spread of aphids on trees by hunting belts from ants, masonry with eggs which can be shed with boiling water.
• Perform techniques that provide good leaf turgor (strong tough leaves are a little harder to bite through): sprinkling of the crown, balanced top dressing (no need to overload the plants with nitrogen), regular watering, mulching.
• A pad should be washed off the leaves - soot fungus can settle on it, which will further weaken the plant.
• Regularly remove the overgrown parts of plants that have fairly soft tissue: spinning tops, fatliquoring shoots, basal shoots - there are aphids there.
• In autumn and early spring (before the swelling of the kidneys), clean the branches and branches of the old, exfoliating bark, whiten the trunks - this reduces the number of viable egg clutches.
• Ask the children after each walk to bring ladybugs and let them out on plants inhabited by aphids. The smell of calendula is attractive to ladybugs - it can be planted in the garden on purpose.
• Sometimes it helps to include plants in the flower beds (feverfew, tagetes, onions, garlic) that repel certain types of aphids. Conversely, attractive (nasturtium, cosmea, mallow) are best planted away.
• Viburnum and linden are aphids' favorite trees. Try not to plant collectible rarities next to them.

Chemicals

Folk remedies are diverse and cheap, but they do not last long - they can only defeat insects for a while. From low shrubs (currants) you can rinse aphids in a saucepan with a solution of water and liquid soap (such as Fairy) - a similar emulsion will cover the leaves with a thin film, and it will be difficult for the remaining insects to suck out the juice.

Chemicals can be contact, intestinal and systemic. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Contact makes life easier for the plant immediately, since drops of matter, penetrating through the integument of the body, kill the insect (Arrivo, Fury, Fufan (aka Fufanon) and Karbafos). But one thing: the insects that escaped death multiply instantly, sensing a threat.

Intestines enter the digestive system through the organs of nutrition, poisoned insects die. Most often they are found in combination with contact ones and are the most effective ("BI-58 New", "Confidor").

But the tedious expectation of the effect can last 2-3 weeks. If fruit trees and shrubs can do this period, then after all this time roses will be all the same - most buds will not blossom.

Biological preparations can also be used, such as Fitoverm, Akarin (Agravertin KE, Aversectin), and they contain the product of the vital activity of the soil microorganism Aversectin.

Or preparations based on cypermethrin and permethrin: Iskra, Intavir. They quickly decompose and are not addictive in aphids. One drawback, nevertheless, is that if stored improperly, they lose their properties.

How to use drugs