Orange/yellow aphids

I have many, many butterfly weeds in my yard & this yr added the tall fast growing type...I have always had a constant battle with aphids on them when its gets hot weather....I've tried the dawn dish wash thing, I've tried peroxide, spray on leaves on for 15 min, then wash off, I've done the DE dust thing.....how do I break this cycle.....I don't ever see anything that lays eggs....this yr I didn't have the first monarch......I've just been spending 1/2 day just mashing aphids & washing off plants, I've flowered & gardened over 40 yrs & am sick of the constant battle.....its got to be a way to break the cycle. HELP & yes, even the tall type fast growing butterfly weeds are even effected the first yr...now the seedlings off it has aphids also....the battle is just spreading

You may have to go to a pesticide. Something short lived to give you a fast knock down.
Some years are worse for certain pests than others.
Aphids have different forms, even within the same species. Some generations pretty much stay on the plant, do not have wings. Later generations have wings and spread the next generations all over the place.

Aphids are attracted to soft, lush new growth. By keeping the plants as dry as possible, and going light on the fertilizer they will not be growing so fast, so less attractive to aphids.

Ants can look after aphids. If you see any ants going up and down the same plants as the aphids control the ants. The ants fight off the predators that would normally eat some aphids.

I wish there was a way to increase the predator population in advance of the big aphid population explosion, but it seems a bit tricky: predators need to eat the aphids to get the energy to reproduce, so their population follows the aphids, does not anticipate it. Still, research which aphid predators and parasites are most successful in your area and see if there is a way to add them to your garden.
Sometimes all you need to do is to provide some alternate food. Some predators also eat pollen or nectar, so having a few of their favorite flowers might help to invite them into your garden, then boost their population in time to help when the aphids come around.

What insecticide do u recommend....I've done the beneficial insect thing....following the ants is how I find aphids on plants that didn't have them the day before...I also plant alternate host plants for monarch this year with no luck....this year is totally diff...my butterfly weeds are practically sticks, but anytime they put on new growth I have to watch constantly.....if I miss a day I go back & they will be covered

Have you tried 70% Neem oil? You'd have to spray your plants early in the morning before the bees and butterflies come out.

Here in zone 8a, I can grow melons twice a year. My French melons and neighboring okra had a huge and very sudden (to me) infestation of aphids. I cut off the wilted leaves until the temp dropped below 90 and used Safer insecticidal soap. The aphids are primarily under the leaves and I tried to spray the underside, but not really practical with 100s of leaves. You can't use the Safer when daytime temps are above 90. Is there a good time to "pre treat" melons or other safe AND practical method for melon aphids ? I use organic methods when possible but it isn't always feasible.

Most of the organic sprays will give a reasonable knock down, but will not really anticipate the population spurt and work as a pre-treatment.

If you grow other plants (flowers, shrubs, trees... whatever) monitor them all for aphids.
Keep track over the years. If you see a consistent pattern of aphid populations you might be able to anticipate the build up, and get the first treatment on in time to kill the ones that travel to your yard, before they reproduce.

Lets say you figure out that the roses will get aphids, followed by the vegetables.
So spray the vegetables as soon as you see aphids on the roses. The initial breeding population of aphids has probably already found the vegetables, so kill them when the population is so small you would not notice them if the roses had not warned you.

Thanks
was edited Sep 19, 2014 11:19 AM

This message was edited Sep 20, 2014 6:33 AM

"my roses unfortunately aren't much of a indicator"

Then watch something else. Anything else to warn you when the aphid population is about to explode so you will know when it is worth applying something stronger.

Yes, many plants will split like that with a sudden change in soil moisture.

Re neem oil -- *totally* works against aphids. You won't get immediate knockdown death/disappearance, but the pests will stop eating and stop producing eggs, so damage will cease. You may need to re-treat in about a week, especially if you should happen to notice some spots that you missed. (I find it sometimes a bit difficult to be sure I hit everything, no matter how hard I try.)

Also, if you use a sticker-spreader in your solution, it makes the spray last longer.

Do pay attention to the advice to apply when the plants are not in direct sun, so it can dry before the sun comes around. Also, even though neem is not toxic to anything that doesn't actually eat leaves (like pollinators), I really don't want to spray anything on beneficial insects.

I usually put a little castile soap in the neem spray - both because it is needed to help break up the oil in solution, and because insecticidal soap can help kill aphids faster. Castile soap is "real" soap. Whereas most dish detergents are - well, detergents. They're petroleum based. I bought a tiny bottle of liquid castile soap, though one can also use a Fels Naphtha bar that you can get in any grocery store. The liquid is just easier, and whenever I want a spray, I want it *now*, ha ha!

By now your aphid problem is likely well over, but... maybe next year!