the battle with aphids begins

I had a terrible time with aphids last summer and wonder if there is some better way to get RID of them!!! They seem to go for my iris and my lilies the most, plus my roses. I sprayed with insecticidal soap about two weeks ago when I saw them on my iris but as I was cutting the spent flower heads this evening - there was an ARMY of them back. I hate to use a real 'killer' spray as I don't want to harm the good guys but I feel ready for a flame thrower...

Does anyone have a favorite product that they can recommend? They seem to appear overnight. Literally. One day everything looks good and then the next day the iris are covered.

Appreciate any tips. Water jetting does work but I have quite a lot of garden.

Bayer advanced tree and shrub systemic insecticide if you're looking for a longer term solution.
One time soil drench1oz per Gallon of water during dry weather should be effective for about 12 month. Note it will take 2-3 weeks after application to kick in.

Quick solution, mix up powdered milk according to instructions and put it in a spray bottle. Coats and glues them with it's stickyness.

That sound like a good solution (pun intended) until I can find the Bayer!
Thanks

the Aphids go for the new growth and if you encourage it with lots of Nitrogen look out! Wasps are my favorite aphid eater and they eat a lot. A sharp spray with the hose will dislodge and they don't get back. I use a tree sprayer with a dilute dish soap in the can. good for the blossoms later.

Tell me more about this Bayer Systemic Insecticide. I brought in 19 brugmansias for the winter, plus a bunch of rooted cuttings, and have been battling aphids (indoors) all winter. I have used a spray insecticide, diluted flea shampoo, sevin garden dust, and a mixture of half alcohol and half water with a dash of dish soap, all to no avail. I keep the leaves picked off these brugs, but as soon as new growth appears, so do the aphids.
Is this stuff safe to use indoors?
blpender

The Bayer systemic is odorless and since you are using it as a soil drench you don't have problems with mist contamination.
The active ingredient imadacloprid is also used in pet flea products like Advantage.

Wow, thank you. I'm definitely going to have to consider this. Sounds like a miracle.
blpender

Aphids realy do seem especially bad this spring. They really go for my roses, irises, lilies, and daylilies. I use a neem oil solution late in the evening when they have all settled in for the night. Works well and also suppresses some diseases, but does not have much residual. Seems that only a few days after I kill the aphids they are right back. I think that not many preditors are around yet. Normally I see lots of beneficials around but it is so early that some of their favorite habitats and breeding grounds are not yet growing much. My plan is to keep knocking them back with oil for a week or so more to give the beneficials time to do their job, then if I still have a big problem I am going to go for some bigger guns. I do like the Bayer product. I have used it on my roses with good results. The only problem is that it is pretty expensive and lots of work to drench everything if you have a really large garden. I would rather not get out the heavy artillery....but I will if I have to! Those aphids should know better than to be messing with the "thripmaster"! I didn't get my name for nothing!

I was digging in my soil yesterday and the lady bugs were waking up. Now I only need plants to attract the aphids. Then my ladybugs and wasps will have something to do.

I hear ya ... ugh !!!!!

Oh Granny, your poor flower!

this year, the aphids attach my huge old georgia gardenia bush which ended up covered with black fungus. i tried to dislodge them with jerry baker's spray of dish soap and listerine. no luck. tried again two weeks later, no luck. concerned for my very old gardenia i resorted to volock oil spray with a few tablespoons of cygon (ugh) at the suggestion of a local landscape architect, its a different bush after one spraying but i hope i don't have to do this again.

I use Bayer all in one, I think the same thing as the shrub stuff. It is a fertilizer, insecticide, and disease control. I love it! I'm going to start with it on all my flowers and shrubs, then try to keep them in messenger and alfafa tea.

I believe I'll do the milk mixture and the Bayer. I need some immediate help during the 3 week time slot that Bayer takes for effective relief.

I found this:

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/garden/products/details.cfm?id=12#locator

Aphids are born pregnant, so several things will work better than just one. Thanks for the help.
Sidney

Wow - born pregnant - that's amazing. I think nature / creation is just fascinating.

I sprayed the milk this afternoon.
When I checked at Wal-mart, they didn't have the Bayer stuff, so I'll check at Lowe's tomorrow after work.

But, it occurred to me to ask: Does that insecticde hurt the hummingbirds? This is a h'bird type of vine. . . just wondering.

I worry about that too.
I took a bowl of hot soapy water outside and a 3M scrubber and washed aphids off that way. Then rinsed with a good hosing.
I also consider the Butterfly population, and my army of small Anole lizards.