Aphids on cuttings/I don't know where to post this question

I just noticed that all my brug cuttings that I have rooting in water have aphids on the new leaves.. rinsed each one in the sink.. since I compost, and do the wormy thing, I don't like using chemicals. How do I get rid of these inside the house.. normally, I give them a good spray with the hose outside (mostly on my Gourdvines).. anyone have a recipe of an organic nature? Thanks..

Gourd, a simple soap spray should do the trick. Mix a tablespoon or two in a hand-held spray bottle and zap them boogers. Watch for more in a few days and zap them, too.

Don't know how many cuttings you have but you can continue as you have been with spraying them with water...use that sprayhose thingy on your kitchen sink.

Good luck!

Another idea is to take some broad adhesive tape, wrap it around your hand - sticky side uppermost. Then roll it around the bugs.

They come off, without harming the plant. Less work than soap spray (which works too)!

Thank you both so much I really appreciate your advice here, will do the spray thing and the tape also is a great idea, I may just try both to see how they each work. Since I have about 50 cuttings, need to start right now..

Gourd I read from tiG about http://www.ladiesinred.com I just got some ladybugs shipped to me for aphids on my brugs. Very nice service and I love ladybugs! They love aphids!

Delisa

This message was edited Dec 24, 2003 8:13 PM

I mix up rubbing alcohol with water in a spray bottle and spray that on all my house plants.

I tell you all, I have tried everything here.. they do seem to be going away, but it sure is taking a long time. Every time I turn around they are back..

Used soap, alcohol with water, tape, plain water, squish them with my fingers, and I really believe these plants and cuttings need to go outside now. This is the first time that we have ever had aphids. It normally is so dry here in the low desert area that now in that room that I have them in, there is build up of humidity. Do you all think that is why they are breeding so fast. I spray every other day and pick off aphids every day (sometimes two or three times a day). Some look real good, but If one day is skipped they are back again. I do have a ceiling fan going.

Coco, today I used 50 percent alcohol and 50 percent water, I hope I did not aid in the killing of my brugs..lol.

Also, used a brush and brushed them right off, that was working too.

Should I just put them outside and let the heat kill the aphids? They are now spreading to other seedlings I have growing. I checked into that Avid, but I do not normally use any chemicals of any kind, just rely on my good bugs and birds.. but this is making me mad.. so are the darn roof rats that have been eating my plants and everything else. BUT, I have a plan for those guys.. finally got rid of the squirrels, and about 25 gophers (still alot of gophers here), and now these darn aphids.......

I had a bad outbreak of aphids on the brugs in my basement. A spray with Raid Flying Insect spray, (the stuff in the blue can), dried them right up.

Thank you poppysue, going to get that stuff tonight.

poppysue...no effect on the plants with that?

No... well... not on the brugs anyway. Just give them a light spraying, holding the can 8-inches or so, away from the plant. You don't want to be dripping wet - just a light coat. The active ingrediant is pyrethrin.

Okay, thanks! (That might be cheaper than the Avid is.)

Much obliged!

It's my understanding that while Avid is fantastic for mites, it is only marginally effective for aphids.

I sprayed all my brugs with Avid before bringing them in last fall and I can confirm that I am up to my eyeballs in aphids. However, I had used systemic insecticide on my larger brugs and none of them are showing signs of aphids - - just the cuttings.

I broke down this weekend and bought a systemic spray that is supposed to target aphids (Ortho Isotox). So far, the brug cuttings look fine with no leaf damage and the aphid population is reduced (of course, I had also rinsed off everything I could). Keeping my fingers crossed that this does the trick. Nat

I tell you my aphids are tough... California Aphids... this is what I have done so far:

IN one day... ......Washed off with 50% water 50% alcohol
three hours later Sprayed Raid
3 hours later sprayed clear clean water to wash off the raid

Next day(Aphids still alive).. washed off with Insecticidal Soap
That Afernoon I sprayed and washed them off with 50% hydrogen peroxide

The plants don't look as healthy as they did before their medicine, but, I have only seen a couple of Aphids. They are probably real clean plants now. Sheesh..

I do have over 100 seedlings (vines and various flowers and more brug seedlings) and about 30 1 gallon Brug cuttings and keep the ceiling fan and lots of space around them.

My husband said that these California Aphids are used to Drive-bys, bombings, etc, so we had to get tough... he made me laugh..

What I want to know is this. Do aphids fly? How do they spread to other plants (flying, jumping?)

Gourd, look at this site http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/inter/inmine/Aphids.html

I am using yellow sticky traps in the fight to kill the flying ones.

Thank you nathalyn for that site, well, I had seen one flying but thought it was a good bug..lol.. that was the only thing flying around that I had noticed, but when I sprayed the Raid, I found tons of little dead gnat bodies lying around. I really think that alternating the insecticidal soap, alcohol water, hydrogen preroxide, water flushes, has helped tremendously. I have not seen any this morning. I may still give them one more peroxide bath before I am satisfied.

I have used the sticky yellow traps on one occasion for some white flies that were around my grown brugs. Will start hanging a few in there also. After all that I put those cuttings through, only one or two had some side effects on the new growth where the aphids were concentrated on because that is where I put the most of everything.

Aphids give live birth and both male and females are able to reproduce. They just keep on pumping out babies... non-stop! When winter approaches they lay eggs for the next season's population. That's why we get an explosion of them when we bring plants inside. The eggs start hatching in your house. You might not have any on the plants when you bring them in... but after a few weeks indoors they're everywhere.