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Unfortunately, aphids have found a home in two hanging baskets I have (million belles). There were a bunch of teeny tiny ones on the underside of the leaves, though the plants still looked good and have been growing well. I sprayed them with some sort of bug spray for plants that I found in my garage. Two days later I saw a couple of the aphids still on the plant leaves but nothing like I saw the first time, so I sprayed again. Now here I am about 5 days and 2 rounds of spraying later. Do I just keep spraying every few days until I don't see anymore? I tried to look online and can't find any info about how long to keep doing this. Any help would be appreciated! Also, it appears that no other plants of mine (vegetables or flowers) have been affected (thank goodness!)
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Yes, they will keep hatching for a week or more and start up again. Continue until no more are seen for a week to be safe. I normally just blast them off with water and accomplish the same thing without using pesticides, an even better solution is to buy live ladybugs to eat them.
Never use "some sort of bug spray" that you find in your garage if you don't know what it is or how to use it properly.
Repeated strong sprays of plain water from the hose are enough to dislodge aphids. Another chemical-free remedy is a mix of dish soap and water, which you spritz on with a hand sprayer.
Lots of red flags in your post. First, are you certain they're aphids? The first rule: identify your pest.
Second: "Some sort of bug spray"? This is not how you select a pest control product.
Third: If they are aphids, a strong spray of water will remove them. Repeat every few days until they're no longer a problem. If you want to use a pesticide, start with a neem oil or horticultural oil product. They're innocuous to us, deadly to aphids and other LISTED pests. A "listed" pest is what the LABEL says it will kill, and...If you use a detergent mixed with water, bear in mind that the wrong diulution will kill your plants.
Fourth: Always always always read the entire label before using any pesticide. Always.
Sorry to alarm everyone with my "some sort of bug spray" (poor) choice of words. It was in my garage left behind by a former homeowner. Fear not, I read the bottle directions thoroughly, it mentioned it got rid of aphids, and is made from "potassium salts of fatty acids". The brand is called Safer and allegedly you can even use it on vegetable plants right up to harvest (not that I would).
Anyway, so I did identify the pests and they are indeed aphids. I then tried to gently blast them with the hose and hand pick them off, which didn't work. I then went on and used the Safer spray for my next attack. I read about the dish soap method but everything I read online said to use Dawn, the blue stuff. I don't buy those petroleum based soaps such as Dawn, Palmolive, etc. so I used what I had on hand- the Safer spray.
So I haven't sprayed in days and looking really carefully yesterday, I only found a couple aphids left on the flowers. their numbers are way down, so YAY! I plucked the little ones I did see by hand and tried rinsing the leaves with water to see if this would finally do them in. What a pain in the rear!
Okay, good. What youused is commonly called 'insecticidal soap' and it takes care of many chewing pests. During aphid season, they hatch in stages, so you might have to spray again once or twice before they're gone for the season in your area. I'm glad you've seen some improvement. I like Safer brand products, by the way.
Fear not, I read the bottle directions thoroughly, it mentioned it got rid of aphids, and is made from "potassium salts of fatty acids". The brand is called Safer and allegedly you can even use it on vegetable plants right up to harvest (not that I would).
Well, that's different then. Nevermind. [/Emily Litella]
Seriously, though, I'm glad to hear you weren't blowing aphids away with toxic chemicals, and that it worked.
Never use "some sort of bug spray" that you find in your garage if you don't know what it is or how to use it properly.
Repeated strong sprays of plain water from the hose are enough to dislodge aphids. Another chemical-free remedy is a mix of dish soap and water, which you spritz on with a hand sprayer.
Not all chemicals are toxic, please let's get that straight. Insecticidal soap isn't toxic. Horticultural oil isn't toxic. And they're chemicals. Aphids don't need to be treated with anything toxic. They're easy to get rid of.
Sorry to alarm everyone with my "some sort of bug spray" (poor) choice of words. It was in my garage left behind by a former homeowner. Fear not, I read the bottle directions thoroughly, it mentioned it got rid of aphids, and is made from "potassium salts of fatty acids". The brand is called Safer and allegedly you can even use it on vegetable plants right up to harvest (not that I would).
Anyway, so I did identify the pests and they are indeed aphids. I then tried to gently blast them with the hose and hand pick them off, which didn't work. I then went on and used the Safer spray for my next attack. I read about the dish soap method but everything I read online said to use Dawn, the blue stuff. I don't buy those petroleum based soaps such as Dawn, Palmolive, etc. so I used what I had on hand- the Safer spray.
So I haven't sprayed in days and looking really carefully yesterday, I only found a couple aphids left on the flowers. their numbers are way down, so YAY! I plucked the little ones I did see by hand and tried rinsing the leaves with water to see if this would finally do them in. What a pain in the rear!
Safer insecticidal soap is basically soap. Soap is made from potash and fat, thus "potassium salts of fatty acids". I make my own from, Dawn dish detergent and feverfew flowers with a clove of garlic as a feeding deterrent. The feverfew, pyrethrum, is a natural insecticide. A few leaves put in a rain barrel should take care of even mosquitos. Feverfew also kills wasps and ants.
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[/Emily Litella]
