Lupin stems covered with bugs - Help

9 years ago

Help - my Lupin stalks are covered with a sort of furry bug - almost solid. I sprayed with ivory dish soap and water. Did I do the right thing?

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
first you ID the bug ...

and then you contemplate spraying ...

but you usually dont use dish DETERGENT ... that is not really the kind of SOAP they mean.. when that talk about using soap in your garden.. though i am not researching out ivory ... maybe its ok????

how about a pic.. i doubt they bite ...

BTW ... do you see any damage at all .. or just hate bugs????

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
The soap spray is fine. What you have are lupine aphids - lupines have their very own species of aphid, Macrosiphum albifrons. They are large, dense and appear furry (really not - it's just a white powdery substance).Any insecticidal soap will work (or similar homemade remedy - Ivory soap is fine), as will spraying them off with a strong stream of water or using Neem oil. Generally, the aphids appear on the spent flowers stems (and then spread to foliage) so removing the old flowers promptly can help to reduce occurrence.
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hostas_for_barb
Original Author
9 years ago
gardengal: I kinda figured they were aphids but have never heard of lupine aphids. The lupines have not flowered yet so I don't have any spent flower stems. I will check again tomorrow and see if they are gone. I remember reading that a strong stream of water would take aphids off roses but the Lupines just don't seem strong enough to handle a 'stream' of water.

Ken: If the bugs aren't gone tomorrow I will post a photo and see what we can come up with.

Thanks

Barb
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
I'm with gardengal; lupin aphids hug the stems in a solid mass. They're green with a whitish bloom.
vjrnts
8 years ago
I am glad to see this discussion. My lupines get these aphids every year, and it makes me crazy. I spray with soapy water every day, they go "away" (or someplace else) and then they're right back. The lupine foliage, which can look very nice even after the blooms are spent, end up looking awful. I'm curious if cutting the foliage back severely to really get at the aphids and to deprive them of their under-leaf hiding places would damage the plant so that it wouldn't come back next year. Lots of plants don't mind being cut back after blooming, but I don't know about lupines.

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Lupin stems covered with bugs - Help

Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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hostas_for_barb
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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Lupin stems covered with bugs - Help

Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Related Discussions

hostas_for_barbOriginal Author

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

vjrnts

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GET HELP

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hostas_for_barb
Original Author