Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Los Angeles, which as I understand was once upon a time ago part of the United States of America
849 posts, read 1,038,084 times
Reputation: 314
Advertisements
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
A soap and water solution and a hard spray from the hose is not only better for the shrub, but also better for the environment than harsh chemicals. You can make the solution yourself with dishwashing liquid and water, or buy commercial insecticidal soap from a garden store.
I get the cheapest lemon dish soap, some generic brand -- usually around a buck
I'll fill a qt spray bottle and leave about 2" unfilled ... then i fill that approx 2" with the soap. you really dont need a lot, just so that you get "suds" when you spray.
What plants are being attacked?
My roses used to get them until i read to plant Lavender near them... now no aphids.
Also, for Japanese Beetles ... if you plant 4-O'Clocks [Mirabilis jalapa] -- that will draw the pest away from roses, or other plants to the 4-O'Clocks, which in turn kills them.
I am planting more beneficial herbs around my roses and tomatoes to keep the pests away.
Are they hurting the shrub? If not, you might just leave them there. A healthy plant can stand to have some bugs on it.
When you spray poison you'll also kill the bugs that will eat the aphids, like ladybugs, lacewings, etc.
In addition to the other suggestions, you can wipe them off the leaves with your finger (gloved, if it grosses you out) or spray them off with plain water.
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
Was the Ortho product you got a Systemic? Aphids suck the juices out of the plant...Systemic goes through the plant and kills them that way... I have 9430430 rose bushes (Well, maybe not that many..but close!) and it takes care of them just fine..
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
i had the same problem, spotted some lady bugs, only a few-did the Ortho, soap and water- it dd not work-the bugs killed or did eat it all. I would
try the lady bugs to control this, if you can get them.I also do think lady bugs on line are easy to get. I had to look on line to see what these bugs were-they did eat and eat.
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
i had the same problem, did spot some lady bugs, only a few-did the Ortho, soap and water- it did not work-the bugs killed or did eat it all. I would
try the lady bugs to control this, if you can get them.I also do think lady bugs on line are easy to get.
If you want 100% kill-em dead, use the chemical malathion. If you're not into chemicals, then the soap method is fairly good. The big secret is to spray the undersides of the foilage. Thats where they live and proliferate. And spray when the sun is not directly on the plants to prevent sunburn.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.