How to deal w/ aphids on a flowering plant?

[butt0n]

Does anyone know the best way to go about dealing w/ aphids on a flowering plant? The new nobiles I just picked up have a few unwanted visitors...I'm just smashing them as I go along, but how do I deal w/ them more permanently?

[kid a]

What about Brookn's recipe? Have you tried that yet?

I think you'll it this thread

The Best Stuff Ever!!!

[butt0n]

I'm afraid to use anything since the aphids are hiding in the flowers...I've been searching like a monkey for them. So far, I've killed 20+ by hand.

[Hummer344]

Shot them off with a stream of water. A hand pump up sprayer would do. You can spray them with Safers insect spray. Its organic. If you want to make your own try Brookyns as mentioned above.

[brookn]

I have sprayed blooms with the spray before, didn't seem to bother them. I use the sprayer on mist when I spray leaves and such. I don't know about aphids, I have not had them, so I don't know if it will work on them. Maybe someone else has used the spray on them?

[articuno75]

I don't know about aphids. Haven't had that problem, but assuming will later on. If Brookn's Recipe can kill everything I mentioned including slugs, worms and mites,,,,(Not to mention flies AND bees in mid flight ) I'm sure it can kill aphids.

[brookn]

It killed some ants invading the kitchen tonight lol.

[articuno75]

See?! Works wonders and smells good too.

[butt0n]

LOL thats awesome! I was looking more closely at the plant and it seems to just be the one. The tough part about spraying it too is that they've decided to seek refuge in the tiny little crevices...yay...

[Orchidementia]

I'm a noob to this forum and to orchids but I've been growing fuchsias forever - here's my recipe for home-made aphid/any bug on my plant killer that I use on fuchsias and orchids: 1 part 70% rubbing alcohol; 3 parts water; 1 TBS Dr Bronner's Liquid Peppermint Castile soap (I sometimes use Ginger soap). Smells nice; safe for the plant and you and kills the little #$&*ers!

[jerrymeola]

Worm Tea is an instant cure. The ceitanease in the tea dissolves the ceitain that forms the skeleton of the aphids body. I sprayed my roses one night that were infected with hundreds of aphids. They were gone the next day, not to return.

Since Aphids can fly they left for safer feeding grounds

I spray flowers all the time witht eh tea. It also adds moisture back into the flowers extending their lives.

[butt0n]

So ever since I got this orchid, I've been spraying it almost every other day with Schultz Insect Spray. Its water-based and hasn't harmed the blooms at all. The problem is that the aphids won't go away. They seem to be getting bigger and fatter by the day! I haven't tried the mixture that some people were suggesting, but I was wondering if anyone has had any other methods to get rid of the buggers.

I'm going to try the worm tea now and see if that does the trick.

[Sharyn]

I've been using the OVE worm tea for about 14-16 months and I have NEVER had any pests. I spray a few times a week and occassionally water all my plants with the worm tea. Even when my coleus plants were swarming with mealy bugs, the orchids were safe. Not sure what this worm poop tea does scientifically, but obviously it keeps the critters out and that's good enough for me.

Safer's7 soap works great, Bayers 3 in 1 spray and I think that any mild soap solution you concoct will probably work as long as you keep abreast of the problem and respray a couple times a week. As previously mentioned, Dr Bronner's Liquid Peppermint Castile soap is also great stuff for making your own home made soap sprays. For some reason, bugs don't seem to enjoy peppermint!

[janet_a]

-dragging it back up from the depths-

are y'all using the worm tea full strength? i've been using pyrethrin spray on the hibiscuses and it ain't doing it. i've got worm tea though; i usually mist with it diluted--do i need to use it full strength on the 'phids? TIA...

[norris]

I had them on a blooming plant a few months back, what I did was take the plant in the shower and used hand held shower to shoot them off sideways, not down into the mix, so they don't crawl back up. did that a few times 1 week apart to finally get them all.

[JLu]

ButtOn, your description of the bugs hiding in flowers does not sound very aphid-like. Aphids should be feeding on the lower side of lower leaves (at least until the explosion of the population puts them everywhere.). Aphids also leave a sugary excrement that attracts ants and fungus. The fungus forms black patches where it is feeding on the aphid poop.

Aphids | University of Kentucky Entomology

It is not a good time to be experimenting with a John Wayne style snake oil recipe that cures everything from the common cold to cancer. You need to identify the pest and use the proper control. Doesn't a nearby university offer agricultural extension service to gardeners? It would be best to take your pest to them for ID.

[jerrymeola]

Janet

Use the worm tea diluted. If the infestation is bad you can double the dosage and dilute about 20-1.

[articuno75]

From JLu~

It is not a good time to be experimenting with a John Wayne style snake oil recipe that cures everything from the common cold to cancer. You need to identify the pest and use the proper control. Doesn't a nearby university offer agricultural extension service to gardeners? It would be best to take your pest to them for ID.

?????????

I'm sure that Butt0n as with all other members of the forum who would like to rid pests naturally appreciate the advice that the older members give. I am not down playing your advice in any way, but I am not going to run any one of my over 50+ plants for an identification of a bug. I want it dead regardless.

There are some members who will only use natural remedies for pests, others who will just use chemicals and those who use both with chemicals being the last resort. Regardless of what is used, here on the forum we members have listed what we know that does and does not work.

[janet_a]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

Janet

Use the worm tea diluted. If the infestation is bad you can double the dosage and dilute about 20-1.

thanks.

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by JLu

It is not a good time to be experimenting with a John Wayne style snake oil recipe that cures everything from the common cold to cancer.

I know this was a general shout-out, but my recipe does not cure cancer - just kills aphids, gnats and whitefly. Pretty standard recipe, except for using peppermint or ginger soap instead of Dove; peppermint and ginger burns the mouth-parts of the insect (like biting into an Altoid) and using Dr. Bronner's soap avoids lauryls and laureths, which are pretty harsh chemicals.

[butt0n]

They're definitely aphids...and everywhere really. I was concerned about spraying them since there were blooms on them. Anyhow, they're slowly going away...but not as quickly as I'd like them to.