Aphids on indoor flowers: how to get rid of a pest

Hello! Today we will talk about aphids on plants. I got the idea here, what a case.

My mother loves different plants - they made the whole balcony. And it is not rare that she exchanges plants, or buys new ones.

But by sheer chance, she brings home a flower infected with aphids. At first, it was imperceptible, no one even suspected anything.

Apparently, the flower was infected relatively recently. But soon, mom began to notice signs of the presence of aphids on the plant. The flower treatment was decided not to be put off the shelf. Various means were tried, and, in the end, the plant was saved.

Do you want to know what aphid is in indoor flowers, how to get rid of it and prevent its reappearance? Then read the article below.

Why aphids need to be fought

The appearance of aphids is possible even at home on indoor plants. Aphid colonies spread on the plot, and at home they can really be found thanks to the open balcony and windows. Still this type of pests gets into your home at the same time as a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Most often these are roses and chrysanthemums.

For the same reason, you need to get rid of aphids in the plot - a garden or a cottage as quickly as possible. There pests prefer to eat shoots and leaves, young flower buds.

Moving in whole colonies, they leave behind plants from which the juice is sucked. Finding her at home is also a risk of getting harmful microbes and bacteria. Pests can be suspected by yellow deformed leaves, poorly developed flower buds.

What can not be removed insect

Gardeners and gardeners like to share recipes, not always checking the effectiveness, therefore useless methods are transmitted with effective methods for getting rid of aphids, leading to a loss of time and effort. Beginning plant growers should know that remedies for aphids do not help:

1. Potassium permanganate - everyone who has ever grown plants knows about the beneficial properties of potassium permanganate. The drug is used to disinfect the soil and fight infections, but as a protection against aphids, potassium permanganate is not effective.
2. Indoor geranium - there is an opinion that aphids do not like the smell of geraniums. But practice shows - it is useless to breed aphids with geranium, since pests can live even on a flower.Therefore, do not waste time and do not pluck leaves from your pet to prepare a tincture.
3. Insecticides against leaf-eating pests - when buying a drug in a store, pay attention to the type of oral apparatus of the insects against which the remedy is intended. If the instructions indicate that the drug acts against sucking insects, then it is suitable for breeding aphids.

It is forbidden to remove pests that have settled on garden and indoor plants, drugs against cockroaches. Dichlorvos will cope with aphids, but the plants will be sick for a long time after treatment, and the fruits will become unfit for food.

Despite the numerous and rapid spread of aphids, there are many methods to get rid of the pest. When there are few insects, use folk recipes, but if the leaves and shoots are covered with a carpet of insects, then you can get rid of the problem only with the help of insecticides.

Aphid control methods

Aphids are an unpleasant but eradicable pest. It is difficult to notice several small insects flying into the room, but if you are careful about your pets, you should find the first brood.

With a minor lesion, you can periodically collect it manually (it is especially convenient to wish it with a brush) or cut off the affected parts of the plants, and as a preventative measure, wash the plant with laundry soap.

It is possible to use insecticidal preparations (Intavir, Neoron), Fitoverm or Strela can also be used. Kinmix, fas, karate, decis, sumi alpha, arrivo are also very effective, karbofos (10% concentrate) 7.5-10 gr. on 1 water.

It is recommended to wash the plant before any treatment, preferably in a soap solution - so you get rid of half of the pests. The rest should be treated with the drug. The treatment should be repeated with an interval of 5-7 days, otherwise the surviving pests will give offspring resistant to the drug.

New generation drugs are effective - pyrethroids, such as cypermethrin, talstar, arrivo, fury. From biological methods, microbiological preparations (bacterial, fungal) are used: mycoafidine.

Water treatment

If the weather permits, small flower pots can be taken outside and the foliage treated with a stream of water so tightly so as not to damage the plants themselves.

This approach will effectively remove aphids from yours from the plant, not many individuals will be able to climb back onto the leaves of the plant. If the yard is winter, you can use the usual bath.

Bathing

If the aerial part of the plant is very tender or there is no possibility of processing with water pressure, the plant can be redeemed. For this, any container that is larger in height than the height and width of the plant, respectively, will be suitable for its wall height and diameter.

In the process of processing, you need to immerse the plant in this container filled with clean water and do something like rinsing with light movements. To do this, turn the flower pot upside down and immerse only the aerial parts of the plant in water. All conditions must be observed in order to keep the earth and root in the pot.

Pruning

Pruning significantly affected aphids of plant parts is an important preventive condition. Spoiled yellowed and sticky leaves from the plant will take away excess forces, and there will be no sense from them. In addition, by removing leaves, a larger amount of the pest is simultaneously removed. After separation, they must be destroyed.

Preventive measures

Rinsing indoor plants with clean water at least once a week, even from an ordinary household sprayer, will not only improve the general condition of the leaves, but also remove the newly hatched aphids in a timely manner and prevent re-infection.

The following methods of dealing with white or green aphids on indoor plants include more active methods that are appropriate when the above methods do not help or if they are used for some reason, it is impossible.

How to get rid of aphids on plants with folk remedies?

Why is it so difficult to get rid of aphids on plants? Fighting the pest is very difficult due to the rapid breeding. One female per month is able to produce three generations of several hundred thousand individuals, which immediately begin to produce offspring at the same rate.

The shoots in the garden are usually young shoots and leaves of plants in early summer. During this period, you can fight it without pesticides, using folk remedies. A simple washing of the leaves with a jet of water, lowering the affected shoots, branches into a bucket of water and washing them, or wiping the leaves with a cotton moistened with water can help.

Soaps are added to infusions and decoctions for a greater effect, 40 g per bucket of infusion or decoction. These folk remedies are used in organic farming and the cultivation of environmentally friendly products.

Processing plants in the garden is carried out in the evening in dry weather, evenly spraying the plants, especially the leaves on the back, where the insect likes to settle. After rains or after 7-10 days, the treatment is repeated. Repeated processing is the main disadvantage of this method.

Folk ways to combat aphids on indoor plants

There is also a recipe for folk remedies that help cope with this dangerous insect. They are not so effective and help mainly at the initial stage, but in combination with preventive measures and systematic care of plants, they bring good benefits.

Soap solution

A fairly well-known folk method of combating parasitic aphids is to moisten the leaves and shoots of the affected culture with a soap solution. To prepare it, you will need a part of soap and 6 doses of boiled water.

Before moisturizing or spraying with a soapy composition, the plant must be carefully inspected and all insects, as well as their larvae, should be removed from each leaflet with a brush or cloth. Then the flowers are carefully washed with the prepared composition and the treatment is repeated until aphids are completely removed.

Processing alcohol and tobacco broth

The alcohol treatment of the plant leaf mass helps in protection. For this procedure, it is necessary to use only pure medical alcohol: it instantly disappears and does not leave burns on the surface of the leaves. For varietal forms with delicate leaves, this method is best not to apply.

Then it is brought to a boil and continues to boil for 2.5 hours. The cooled tincture is filtered. Since the tobacco broth is very concentrated, it should be diluted in half with water, and also add shavings of their laundry soap.

When processing plants, the surface layer of soil is covered with a newspaper or a film so that the tobacco tincture does not soak the soil substrate and does not poison the root system.

How to get rid of aphids on indoor plants

If the aphids are slightly affected, indoor plants should be washed regularly in the shower. Perform the same procedure after pruning a heavily affected flower.

We also suggest using the following folk remedies to get rid of aphids on indoor flowers.

Other folk remedies for aphids

1. Infusion (broth) of celandine. Collection during flowering (take the whole plant), 300 - 400 g of fresh or 100 g of dry crushed mass of celandine must be infused in 1 liter of water for 24 - 36 hours or boiled for 30 minutes.
2. Infusion of citruses. Pour 100 g of dried peel of citrus fruits with 1 liter of warm water and leave for three days in a warm place.
3. Infusion of wood ash. 2 cups of ash are insisted in 10 liters of water, 50 g of soap soap are added.
4. A broth of yarrow. At the beginning of flowering, the whole aerial part is collected, 80 g of dried and crushed yarrow plants are steamed in boiling water for 30 - 40 minutes, then the volume of liquid is brought up to 1 liter and insisted for another 40 minutes. Before spraying add 4 g of soap.
5. Nettle infusion. 500 g of fresh speckles (before flowering), insist in 5 l of water for 12 to 24 hours.
6. Infusion of white mustard. 10 g of powder from mustard seeds are infused in 1 liter of water in a tightly closed glass or enameled container for 48 hours, then filtered. To prepare a working solution, 150-200 ml of concentrate per 850 ml of water are added.
7. A solution of green potash soap. 20 g are diluted in 1 liter of water and washed with a plant, covering the pot with earth with a film. Laundry soap is also detrimental to aphids, but to a lesser extent.
8. Liquid soap solution (dishwashing detergent). dilute 2 teaspoons of liquid soap with 2 cups of water. You can add 1 cup of vegetable oil to the solution.
9. A solution of soap and alcohol. 1 tbsp. l Dissolve soaps or dishwashing detergents in a small amount of warm water. Then add 1 tbsp. l industrial alcohol and 1 liter of water.

Spray the plant or brush the aphid colonies with a brush. If the plant has tender leaves, rinse it with warm water after 15 minutes.

Plants are sprayed with one of the infusions 3-4 times with an interval of 5-6 days. All infusions and broths strain and apply for a short time. Each time a new solution is prepared.

Self made sprays

Aphids belong to insects, which means that any insecticidal preparations will help from aphids on indoor plants.If in the nearby shop there was no special tool for this particular type of pest, treatment of indoor plants from aphids can be carried out using drugs from the same Colorado potato beetle, for example.

Spray-based pyrethrin is especially suitable for indoor plants, as this is a natural, fast-acting insecticide, which is characterized by a high mortality rate for insects and low toxicity to warm-blooded organisms.

Active measures against aphids

In the “List of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Russian Federation”, the following preparations are recommended for protecting indoor plants from aphids: Aktara, Bison, Insector. Before treatment, it is advisable to rinse the plant, preferably in a soap solution. Processing should be repeated with an interval of 5 to 7 days.

Individual treatment of plants is possible. After spraying on treated plants, you can put on a plastic bag, tie it at the base of the plant and leave it for 24 - 36 hours.

Before the first use, any drug must be tested on one plant. If the condition of the plant has not worsened during the day, you can use the drug on all protected plants of this species.

For greater effectiveness, it is recommended to alternate drugs or mixtures thereof. Be careful when using plant protection products. Always read the instructions on the label and drug information before use. Carry out processing in compliance with all safety rules.

Use of chemicals

You can get rid of the pest at home with the help of poisonous liquids. These products have a mild composition containing pesticides and insecticides that do no harm to the environment.

If the pest has hit a small area of ​​a houseplant, it must be carefully removed. This does not cause him any damage, and wipe the undamaged part with soapy water.

If the aphid has spread very much, the following insecticides are used to get rid of them at home:

There are other drugs to get rid of such a pest, the main thing is to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Chemicals should be used for each houseplant, regardless of whether there is aphid on it or not. This is explained by the fact that after processing, pests can return to the flower. Therefore, after the purification procedure of all plants without exception, the chances of the spread of these pests are zero.
2. Aphids quickly adapt to insecticides. She gets used to many drugs and adapts to their action. Therefore, they must be changed periodically.

Fitoverm

A biological product based on the vital products of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. The drug is absolutely safe for humans, does not require processing in the fresh air. Not phytotoxic.

It is necessary to spray the plant carefully, paying particular attention to the stems, the lower part of the leaves. After 5 days, the procedure should be repeated. Mass death of pests is observed 4 days after the first treatment. The second time you should spray the flowers to fix the result.

Aktara

An indispensable tool for indoor plants.Insecticidal drug blocks nerve endings, causes paralysis, death. Penetrates into the body of an insect by contact and through the juice of a treated plant. Aphid death occurs almost instantly.

A solution for processing home ornamental plants is prepared at the rate of 8 g for each liter of liquid. Reprocessing should be done after 2 weeks. During the procedure, the flowers are taken out onto the balcony, the street.

Actellic

To process indoor flowers can be another effective tool - Actellik. A powerful drug allows you to remove aphids from the ground, plants in 1 treatment. It begins to act already during spraying.

When working with the drug, it is necessary to use rubber gloves, a respirator. The procedure is carried out in the fresh air. Recommended for severe damage to plants by any species of aphids.

To remove aphids with chemicals is not difficult. It is necessary to strictly observe the dosage, adhere to the processing rules. However, you can still defeat the pest with safe, harmless means of self-preparation.

Decis expert

The drug is a contact type of action, the active substance is deltamethrin. It starts to work in the first hour after processing. Before use, the drug is diluted in water - about 1:10.

2 treatments are required with an interval of 7-10 days. The protective effect lasts up to 15 days if the product is not washed off. The fruits of the treated plant can be eaten only after 20-26 days.

Biskaya

Contact intestinal preparation against insects. It acts very quickly - most insects die in the 1st hour after treatment, the effect lasts up to 14 days. For 10 liters water requires about 75 ml. the drug. The need for repeated treatments is judged by the appearance of new insects on the plant.

The protective effect lasts 2-3 weeks. Reprocessing is not required. You can eat plants and fruits only 10-20 days after spraying.

Confidor and Danadim

Confidor. Contact intestinal action. For cooking 10 l. An aqueous solution needs only 2-4 ml of insecticide. Repeated treatments are carried out with repeated infections. The waiting period is 3-4 days.

Dunadim. Low toxic drug among chemical insecticides. Its effect is manifested within 48 hours after application. A solution is prepared for processing, about 25 ml of the drug is added to 10 l of water, after which spraying is carried out. The effect lasts for 2-3 weeks, after which re-treatment is carried out.

After application, the action lasts 10-14 days, then you can spray again, but no more than 4 times per season. Spraying from aphids should be done 2-4 weeks before harvesting.

Apply copper sulfate and separately. 10 liters water will need 100 gr. substances. If necessary, the solution is “strengthened” with soap or a special “green soap” insecticide (300 grams per 10 liters of water). Processed every 14 days, but 4 weeks before harvesting.

Insecticides: what, when and how

In the fight against aphids, to buy the most suitable insecticide is, oddly enough, a secondary task.It arises only in a too-neglected situation: from the list of means it is necessary to delete those that penetrate the body of the insect only by the contact-intestinal route. It’s much more important (and more difficult) to respond to the threat in time.

Indeed, by the time the pest has multiplied, it’s too late to think about spraying - the medication regulations will not allow anything to be done. Knowing a simple pattern will help not to get into trouble: there was aphid in the past year, which means it will be in this.

The situation with aphids is somewhat different: there are no reports of the general immunity of this pest to the indicated groups, therefore it is pyrethroids and FOS that prevail in the arsenal of protective equipment. Problems with reduced efficiency arise mainly in greenhouses, where pest generations change very quickly.

The method of overcoming is the same as for the Colorado potato beetle - to alternate drugs, and if it does not help, switch to new active substances. Alternation will not hurt when working in the open field - the effectiveness of the treatments will be higher.

How to evaluate the safety of an insecticide?

Each drug, both chemical and biological, is assigned a specific hazard class for humans (1 to 4) and for bees (1 to 3). The higher the number, the less toxic the insecticide and there are fewer restrictions on its use. Usually this information is indicated by the manufacturer on the label.

If there is no such information, then you should refer to the "Catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use in the Russian Federation" - a publication published annually by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. The catalog can be downloaded on our website.

It contains information about all plant protection products officially registered in Russia. There you can find information about the manufacturer, features of use, dosages, consumption rates and toxicity of each drug.

This publication allows you to independently choose the right tool for a particular culture against a specific pest or disease.

Care must be taken to Russian drugs that are on the market, but are not included in the catalog. Perhaps they were created in violation of industrial standards and can be dangerous.

Severe houseplant disease

With severe damage to aphids of indoor plants, the fight against it will take place in several stages. Regardless of whether chemical or natural means are used as part of the destruction, processing is carried out three times with an interval of 5 days, for a maximum of one week.

This is necessary so that the new offspring of aphids do not have time to develop resistance to drugs and means, otherwise the fight against aphids will drag on.

In a similar way, you can prepare an infusion on onion peel, it will need about 6 g per 1 liter of water. Also effective is the infusion of chopped tomato tops, with the addition of laundry soap.The components are taken in the ratio: 400 g of tops, 4 g of soap per 1 liter of water. The resulting solutions are completely sprayed with the plant.

The use of biological agents

This method of getting rid of aphids at home involves the population of indoor plants with insects that feed on aphids. It can be ladybugs, lacewing, some species of wasps.

Only in this case they will be able to take root and rid indoor plants of pests. If there are a lot of flowers, then it is best to protect them with parasitic entomophages: predatory gall midge, lysiflebus, aphidius.

Ecological methods of struggle

Many gardeners prefer to get rid of pests at home using environmental methods, considering them the safest. In this case, the flowers are washed with soapy water, and also regularly rinsed in the shower.

If there are not too many of these insects, then the most affected areas of plants are trimmed. Oil-based preparations are also used, which do not pose any danger to humans.

Florists often put fragrant indoor pelargonium near an infected flower, which can repel aphids. As a result, after a few days the pest will disappear.

How to finally “cure” indoor plants - preventive measures

Before or after treatment of indoor plants with any of the above anti-aphid products, a number of preventive measures should be taken to prevent the reproduction of insects:

During cultivation, fertilizers with a moderate nitrogen content should be used, which in itself already leads to a decrease in aphid populations.

This type of insect multiplies much faster when the plant grows more actively, and in the soil there are large concentrations of nitrogen. Such conditions contribute to the presence in the plant of a large number of tender young leaves, which are most preferred for the pest.

In the process of transplanting or pruning indoor plants, you need to thoroughly rinse your hands and sterilize the instruments before moving to a new plant.

A weekly is necessary, and if aphids are suspected, a daily inspection of indoor plants for traces of insects is required. Aphids are much easier to prevent than to start a fight with her.

Preventative measures

Since aphids can spread very quickly, the main preventive measure is the constant monitoring of indoor plants and their inspection to identify the pest as early as possible. Newly acquired flowers should be quarantined for a week.

It should be remembered that the pest loves heat and dry air, so you should not create such favorable conditions for it. If only a few individuals are found, urgent measures should still be taken to get rid of them.

It is best to get rid of the pest with proven folk remedies that will not cause any harm to the home owners and their pets. Thus, we examined what aphids are, a photo of which can be seen in the article.

It multiplies very quickly, so preventive examinations are necessarily carried out. It is necessary to deal with it, and the sooner this is done, the better. Otherwise, such a pest is able to destroy any houseplants.

The subtleties of fighting aphids

For the fight against aphids at home or in a household plot, prophylactic, mechanical, technological, biological, chemical methods are used.

The choice of a method that will help get rid of insects occurs with an eye to a specific case. The degree of infection of crops, their features, the possible reaction of plants to a particular substance are taken into account. The above methods are radical, because most often there is a massive infection of plants.

If prevention has not had the desired effect, you can first try to get rid of insects using folk methods. A certain effect is obtained by the use of potassium soap, tinctures from celandine leaves, peels of orange or lemon.

They also use onion tincture, flea shampoo, cigarette smoke, fragrant pelargia (for scaring away), kerosene and any detergent (diluted in water), the presence of ladybugs.

Warnings

All safety precautions indicated on the labels of the products used in the processing of indoor plants must be observed to prevent damage to plants and their own poisoning.

When working with insecticides, you need to use drugs that are labeled for indoor use on indoor plants. Whenever possible, treatment should be carried out outside the living area.

Any treatment of indoor plants, with the exception of methods using clean water, should be carried out when the plant is healthy and well watered.

Features of indoor aphids

1. Aphids are located on young shoots or flowers of a plant, that is, in areas where it is easiest to get nutrients.
2. The most active insect breeds precisely at home, as a result, white aphids on indoor plants are formed by whole colonies.
3. Having lost juice, the upper parts of plants are first deformed and die, leaves turn yellow and dry.
4. The main sign that the plant has been attacked by aphids is honey dew. These are secretions that form on the shoots and leaves.
5. Dew has a sweetish taste that attracts ants. Often these insects appear in the house together.

What is dangerous flower aphid

To suck the juice from the leaf cell, and the aphid epidermis pierces the surface with a proboscis. With a high intensity of aphids on domestic plants, small amounts of syrup, “honey dew,” which infects plants with sooty fungi, remain in small quantities.

After infection with spores, the fungus interferes with plant growth and significantly reduces photosynthesis, which spoils the appearance of the plant. Aphid is the carrier of other viral whitening, scientists know more than a hundred of such diseases.

How does aphid damage

When an insect does not have enough food, and this occurs when the host plant is severely damaged, winged aphids are born.

Indoor plants are usually infected in the open air, when they are transferred to the balcony or simply often ventilated.

Winged females fly over to healthy plants and breed on them. But even the most ordinary bouquet of flowers can become a source of infection.

Reasons for the appearance

On indoor plants, you can often find white aphids, a photo of which is presented in this article, but other species may also start. Pests settle on stems, roots, leaves and flowers. This insect appears in various ways:

Aphids on indoor plants are most often located along shoots or on the underside of leaves, covering them almost completely. Affected leaves begin to fade gradually, curl and dry.

In addition to them, the buds also die before they have time to blossom. Pests are clearly visible with the naked eye, so it is not difficult to determine why the plants begin to die.

How to detect aphids on indoor plants?

Aphids in the process of life emit a sweet substance that attracts ants. Ants do not eat it, but rather protect it and even transfer it from plant to plant.

If you saw placers of whitish or greenish small dots on the leaves, then look at them through a magnifying glass. And if you noticed among them insects with wings - then the infection is very strong.

External signs of damage

Along with the clearly visible insects to the naked eye, aphids are affected by deformed tops of shoots, twisted leaves, as well as sweet secretions (honey dew) on the leaves and shoots.

Subsequently, soot fungus settles on these secretions. If you see ants running around the plant, be sure to check for aphids. As a rule, ants are attracted by honey dew, which aphids emit.

In damaged plants, the leaves curl and turn yellow, form nodules, buds do not develop or give ugly flowers. On mature leaves, a sticky coating appears in which the fungus can settle. Especially affected by aphids are roses, cloves, fuchsias, many aroid, forcible bulbous crops.

Where dwells

Often aphids “attack” roses and hibiscus. Indoor roses are susceptible to sucking pests. Aphids on a rose are confused with a spider mite. If cobwebs appeared on the back of the leaves, this means that it was the mite that settled on the rose.

Hibiscus or Chinese roses are also at risk. In plants damaged by a pest, leaves twist and fall, young shoots take an ugly shape.

There are indoor plants that are not afraid of sucking pests. Aphids are not “tough” with hard leaves of palm trees; therefore, it doesn’t exist on palm plants.