Yes, those are definitely aphids... Creepy looking aren't they. A hard spray of water from the hose will usually knock them off. Last summer when I had a pretty bad infestation of them, I ordered about 5,000 lady bugs.

I released them into my garden, and within a week, no more aphids..

Hi Maude,

Thanks for the reply. I had some spinach last winter under covers (pvc hoop house) and it was also infested with these on the underside of the leaves.

Do these thrive in a specific environment. I am asking - because i am trying to see if i am doing something wrong - to promote these things.

Also i had some lady bugs in my garden last year, i hope they return this year too :), but i would like to know if you order and release some lady bugs would they stay ? would they not go away ?

Lastly it would be great help if you can give me some links where i could order them. I am planning a vegetable raised bed. I did some experiments last time and this time i am in it a little more seriously, so i am thinking no harm getting the lady bugs - if i can hopefully make them stay :)

Thanks a lot
Gmanar.

Use water, better for the environment and other beneficial insects which eat aphids and other baddies. You create a healthier ecosystem in your garden that way. No guarantees ladybugs will stay, but it's worth a try. I get them at my local nursery.

If you don't have a queasy stomach, after you water-spray the aphids, get rid of the ones that are left by running your finger and thumb gently up the stem and around the bud.

I'm serious--lots of us do that! LOL

Kate

"I am trying to see if i am doing something wrong - to promote these things. "

You are growing plants! That's all it takes.

Usually there will be a HUGE but short infestation and then the predators arrive and start eating them. If you freak out and kill off the aphids, the predators will not hang around and will not lay eggs because there isn't enough food for their babies.

Our desert willows had a crust of aphids around the buds last week, then the hummingbirds discovered them and ate them off the plants like a kid with corn on the cob, as did the verdins and any other bird small enough to perch on the branches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural pest control -

Hi Gmnar,

I ordered my ladybugs from Ebay. There are many garden and horticultural type sellers that you can buy them from, but Ebay just happened to be the first place I looked. I was told that the best way to release them is at dusk when it's just starting to turn dark so that they won't fly away. Giving everything a spray of water first will also be good because the ladybugs will be thirsty and that will encourage them to stay on the roses.

They all stuck around for at least a month, but as time went on, I saw less and less of them which I think is normal. Once the aphids were all gone, they had no reason to stick around so most of them moved on to other gardens..

I would give the ladybugs a shot though, especially if you have young kids around; they will think it's cool...

Aphids are out there and there isn't anything you're doing wrong to encourage them. I usually do the opposite of Kate. I wipe off as much as I can first and then go back and water spray them to get rid of the rest. It also cleans up the sticky mess.

I use lady bugs (beetles) in addition to hose spraying with a strong water spray. I find the lady bugs are quite effective at eating 90% of the aphids. I apply them directly to the food source.

Thanks a lot for all the responses.

I am doing both now, spraying with a strong jet of water - and wiping the remaining ones off. But I seem to be getting them back every evening... which i feel is normal.

I will let nature take its course and send the good guys !
:) I have some buds finally :)
Regards
Gmanar !

The roses themselves will chase them away.

"Abstract

In warm weather, Macrosiphum rosae (L.) walks off buds of hydrid tea roses during a 'critical period' coinciding with the opening of the sepals. This behaviour could not be related to histologically detectable barriers to feeding, nor to changes in the water content of the tissues or in their composition with respect to total soluble carbohydrate, amino nitrogen or phenolic compounds; major changes in tissue chemistry, effected by spraying the bushes with urea, did not affect the time at which the aphids left the buds.

'Tissue sap' expressed from stems and sepals showed a significant increase in catechin content after rather than during the critical period. Once expressed, however, sap from buds at the critical stage showed a sharp in vitro rise in catechin content over a few hours, up to levels approximating those against which the insects discriminated in choice tests. It is proposed that the insects could well be sensitive to a developing capacity of tissue to accumulate catechin, possibly in response to their feeding activity."

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

Yep. Adding to the Get Ladybugs vote. . .I get them every year, and they do a wonderful job of clearing out the aphids before they can become a real problem. Spider mites, too. Amazon has them. Make a small spray bottle with 1/2 Coke and water, and spray it on the ladybugs to keep them from flying away. It'll wear off in a day or so. Also, do keep them in the fridge at least a couple of hours before the release, and release at dusk. The fridge will make them sleepy, and they'll wake up in your garden to eat.

This post was edited by HollyKline on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 10:53