Those are green aphids... Spray em off with a hose.

I've done that before, but they keep returning...

Iôve done that before, but they keep returning!

The safest (and cheapest) approach is repeated sprays with water.

tj

we all like to garden organically but when it comes to sap sucking bugs nothing else seems to work except pest sprays,try an eco friendly spray maybe.i have tried most of the home made remedies and none of those worked,better to get a commercial spray,sometimes it is the only way,and yes I hate using sprays too.

They keep coming back because you missed some.

As has been said, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Most likely the ones you knocked off with that spray of water did not return and instead you had another generation of Aphids appear. Keep spraying with a sharp stream of water to knock off those you can see and eventually you will be rid of them.
Understanding something about your enemy helps to keep them under control.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Aphids

In advance, no judging for my suggestion if you very much organic grower.. But the only effective way to get rid of them is systemic pesticide like Bayer Advanced "Fruit, Citrus and Vegetable Insect Control". I use it for flowers too. Water spraying, neem oil, crushing with fingers and other eco friendly methods didn't work for me at all. Systemic was my last resort and it saved me.

Prairie, that's an irresponsible reply.

rhizo_1, thanks for not judging.

This post was edited by Prairie_Sima on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 10:34

Bayer products contain chemicals that are thought to contribute to bee hive collapse. They have been outlawed in some countries for that reason. So, it's a choice between the simple chore of spraying your plants with a stream of water or endangering our already dwindling bee population.

I am a beekeeper and it is heart-breaking to open a hive in the spring and see thousands of bees lying dead at the bottom of the hive.

Something to think about.

Linda

Using imidacloprid on edible crops or on flowering plants is simply an irresponsible gardening practice. Drybags, as a novice gardener, will learn to recognize aphids and a myriad of other insects he's likely to run into. Most of them will be friendly! Others, like aphids, need some control, but systemic pesticides do not need to be the solution.

Drybags, keep after the aphids with the water sprays. Systemics are directly harmful to the many pollinators that visit your flowers....bees of all kinds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and all of the others that feed on nectar and pollen.

And you certainly don't want to use herbs or veggies which have been treated with a pesticide that ends up in all parts of the plants you're harvesting.

What happens with spraying off with water is that you may get all the aphids or 99% of them, but there are usually eggs left behind, or one aphid, who is pregnant and able to lay more eggs. Daily spray offs will eventually get them, or keep them under control until the insect predators show up to eat them.

Understand that in the natural world, predator populations always lag behind the prey populations. If they didn't do that, the predators would starve. So if you are a little patient predators WILL appear and take care of the problem for you.

Plus water is way cheaper than insecticide. If you keep a spray bottle of water full by your plants, you can give them a daily hit in less than 30 seconds--that is not much time to spend out of your day! :^)

I dare to mention that this is not organic gardening part of the forum. Is it?
At the end of the day it is personal choice what to use and what not to use. But knowledge haven't hurt anybody.
As far as bees goes. I think there should be right enemies picked out. I know systemic pesticides are bad, just like other chemicals. There is no doubt about it. But do you really think that person who applies it to one plant will really kill entire hive? The real problems are those Bt corn fields designed to rip insect guts open, GM canola pretty yellow sea. Just saying... And we are all part of this crime by using these really big scale bad products and encouraging ever bigger fields. That is real problem...
And honestly, how many of people here eat only 100% organic? Organic vegetables, organic meat, organic milk, buy organic plugs from nursery to grow in your garden? If you don't then there is pesticides in all of them. And just because nobody pointed it out, it doesn't mean that they are not there.
Just accusing me for irresponsible opinion really is just plain ignorance for big picture. Kind of not noticing elephant in the room, but being scared of a fly.

This post was edited by Prairie_Sima on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 18:59

Prairie,

I will bow to your knowledge as you are obviously better informed about beekeeping than I although I have been keeping bees for years. Thank you for your helpful insight.

"What happens with spraying off with water is that you may get all the aphids or 99% of them, but there are usually eggs left behind, or one aphid, who is pregnant and able to lay more eggs" Just a quick note: one of the reasons aphids are so prolific is that they are live-bearers. They do not lay eggs so they can skip that part of the cycle.

Linda

Aphids are capable of delivering live young almost as soon as they are born. About the only time there may be Aphid eggs is in the fall as winter approaches.
This Garden Forum is not, necessarily, an organic forum but pest control should be more about understanding your problem and fixing the real problem then about simply dumping some poison around the garden. Systemic poisons not only kill off plant pests but the pollinators and beneficials that might eat the nectar of the treated plants.
Pest control should start with the least toxic means of control, not the most toxic.

Prairie, the point is not about adhering to pesticide-free gardening, but doing what makes the most sense. Controlling aphids physically with water attacks or squishing or insecticidal soap simply makes more sense in every way.

And you have forgotten that we are all part of the big picture. It's not just one person treating one plant, is it? Gosh, there must be at least two or three people out there using the big guns when it's not necessary!

I'd like to correct the information about aphids' life cycle, if that's okay. They actually DO lay eggs (most species) but usually towards the end of the growing season. At some point, the live bearing aphids.....all females, giving birth to generations of more females.....will give birth to some little boy aphids.

After some good old fashioned boy/girl mating, the females are able to lay eggs. And eggs are how the fragile, soft bodied aphids survive the winter.

On our herbaceous and annual plants, eggs are simply removed when we tend to normal garden housekeeping practices. That is an important part of any integrated pest management program.

On woody plants, horticultural oils applied to the trunk and stems will smother the eggs in the nooks and crannies.

Oh my goodness... Calm down.

A tablespoon or two of dish soap - not detergent, mixed with a quart of water, sprayed every two to three days on your affected plant will do the trick. Make sure to get the undersides of leaves and I prefer to do it towards the end of the day - you can also do it first thing in the morning. I like 7th generation brand dish soap but any biodegradable soap will do.

There is no reason to jump to the big (often expensive and potentially hazardous) guns when a simpler less harsh method will do.

Also...

BTW - neem is considered a systemic especially when paired with fish hydrolysate - but takes time to take effect as it acts by interrupting the reproductive cycle of insects that consume sprayed/incorporated plant materials.

Bt - Bacillius Thuringiensis are specfic strains of bacteria and do not kill honeybees or most other beneficial insects (assuming proper spray timing, and strain type). AND is an OMRI listed control method... I spray it on my trees and have unaffected bee hives in the orchard that forage on the sprayed trees. I've screwed up a few times and done a neem or green oil application too close to foraging and they certainly get irritable/aggressive with the oil, but certainly don't die off from it.

You're going to get bugs... it's going to happen. Most infestations can be handled with the soap spray I mentioned above, introducing or making your garden more attractive to more predators, or trapping them on sticky paper and/or more appealing trap plants - nicotiana for example, is irresistible to whitefly.

-Organic/Holistic Orchardist.

This post was edited by jjstatz29 on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 17:18

"But the only effective way to get rid of them is systemic pesticide like Bayer Advanced "Fruit, Citrus and Vegetable Insect Control"

Prairie

This isn't judgement, this is pointing out that this statement is simply not true.

This is a judgement - Shame on you. Aphids are one of the easiest pests to control, albeit annoying little buggers, but by no means a justification for stating Imidacloprid is the only effective measure to control - that's a flat out lie.

I know this isn't an organic forum and I realize that one plant is a drop in the bucket compared to the fields and nurseries covered in it, but the more people you inform on better alternatives to harsh chemical means - especially the new comers - then fewer people waste money on and spread these problem compounds around.

More information than you probably wanted or ever thought about on the effect of different exposure levels to the primary active ingredient in your so called aphid panacea.

"Imidacloprid and its nitrosoimine metabolite (WAK 3839) have been well studied in rats, mice and dogs. In mammals, the primary effects following acute high-dose oral exposure to imidacloprid are mortality, transient cholinergic effects (dizziness, apathy, locomotor effects, labored breathing) and transient growth retardation. Exposure to high doses may be associated with degenerative changes in the testes, thymus, bone marrow and pancreas. Cardiovascular and hematological effects have also been observed at higher doses. The primary effects of longer term, lower-dose exposure to imidacloprid are on the liver, thyroid, and body weight (reduction). Low- to mid-dose oral exposures have been associated with reproductive toxicity, developmental retardation and neurobehavioral deficits in rats and rabbits. Imidacloprid is neither carcinogenic in laboratory animals nor mutagenic in standard laboratory assays.[41]
No studies have been published involving human subjects chronically exposed to imidacloprid. Effects of imidacloprid on human health and the environment depend on how much imidacloprid is present and the length and frequency of exposure. Effects also depend on the health of a person and/or certain environmental factors.[42]
A study conducted in rats suggests that the neonicotinoids may adversely affect human health, especially the developing brain.[43]"

Next time, use an alternative method and exercise a little patience. I'd rather spend the extra time with my plants and in the garden.

Furthermore, quit feeding the new gardeners false information just because your either too impatient or not committed enough to see the results of even something as simple as soap spray.

Sorry I'm not sorry.