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Alabama Gardening

Aphids on my Hibiscus?

18 years ago

Hey everybody,

I've learned a ton from this place already!!! My questions is about the tiny "bugs" around the buds of my hibiscus. Are these the aphids that everybody is talking about? They are green-yellow in color. On some buds these little bugs completely cover the entire surface. I don't see any obvious damage they are causing, but I'd like some more info. I dusted the plant with Sevin last week because the Japanese beatles were eating the blooms. It didn't seem to affect these little "boogers" though. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

collinw
18 years ago
Sounds like aphids to me. They suck the plants and if the nfestation is bad enough they will cause deformed and stunted blooms and growth. I usually just spray them off with strong blasts from the water hose. If you are lucky enough to have any lady bugs, they love to feed on aphids.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:365143}}
carried
16 years ago
Hey all! I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with my hibiscus tree. I bought it sometime this summer and it has been doing great until recently. Within the last month some of the blooms have become smaller and some are deformed. I didn't know if it could be that I have aphids on it. If so I saw that if you spray with a hose that it helps. Does that make them go away or do you have to continously keep spraying?
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Sharp water sprays will knock the aphids off the plants and while it will also knock the lady beetles off they can and will return while the aphids won't. Ants use aphids as a food source, they do not "put" aphids on plants.
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That's such a sad photo -- did it ever come back? Do you really think a glass of wine could have done that? I learned a MINOR poison lesson this week when I put "Off" on my legs while standing next to a blooming hibiscus. Every bloom got burn spots -- but the foliage didn't.
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See my post on systemics on the thread below. The Bayer procucts with imidacloprid should work on aphids (check the label to be sure). Neem oil also works, but you have to respray at frequent intervals, which is impractical indoors for me in the winter. If you catch the aphids early enough, they are usually clustered around a couple of flower buds - if you pinch off the buds and throw them away in a covered trash can outside, you can often stop the problem right there, especially if you follow up with a neem spray. I don't know the effect on hummers, etc. that drink the nectar of either one of these products. Here is a link that might be useful: systemics
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I just brought home 2 new hibiscus plants a few days ago; they were purchased in the evening so with the dim light I didn't notice the aphids, but I sure saw them the next day. I snapped off some of the most affected buds, and have sprayed twice already with an insecticidal soap, trying to spray from all angles and getting the leaves too, though the buds are the most affected areas. How often should I repeat the spraying? And how long to wait for results? I may be calling the garden centre too since they may offer a refund or exchange. Though if these were badly infested, the rest of their stock might be too. I buy 2 every summer for our sunny front porch, and for the past 4 summers they have thrived with no pests, despite no fertilizing and no repotting.
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tsmith2579
16 years ago
Bama, you have a few choices. Bayer Advanced Multi Insect Killer is a good spray which will not harm your hibiscus leaves. Spray according to the label. Collinw mentioned labybigs which are good but also goo are granddaddy longlegs spiders. They will eat them as well and do an efficient job of cleaning them of the pests. Or, take a quart jar of hot water, drop in 3 or 4 cloves of garlic (crushed). Sit it in the bright sunshine for 4 or 5 days. Strain out the garlic and store in a cool, dark place, tightly sealed. Add a cup of this to a gallon of water and spray the hibiscus. This will get rid of them. Finally, buy a system insecticide and water with it. The bugs suck the moisture and die from the poison in the plants juices.
TraciPalladino
10 years ago
Hi team. I thought I had aphids...but mine don't look like your picture. Mine are tiny black flecks that cover the whole flower. I chopped the whole tree down to knee high to get rid of them. Two trees and both came back strong. But these tiny bugs are back! What do i do? When they let a flower bloom, they're as big as a dinner plate. Beautiful large orange flowers edged in yellow.
TraciPalladino
10 years ago
Hi team. I thought I had aphids...but mine don't look like your picture. Mine are tiny black flecks that cover the whole flower. I chopped the whole tree down to knee high to get rid of them. Two trees and both came back strong. But these tiny bugs are back! What do i do? When they let a flower bloom, they're as big as a dinner plate. Beautiful large orange flowers edged in yellow.

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