Aphid Infestation - Calendula and Roses

[hummingbird]

i have an aphid infestation on my calendula flowers. They only thrive on one side of my yard and don't touch the other calendulas for some reason. Once they suck the life out of the calendulas, they move on to my iceberg roses. It attracts tons of aphid eating spiders and ladybugs every year, but they can't keep up. Does anyone have tips on naturally getting rid of them? I don't want to kill the beneficial critters. I have artemisia plants (worm wood). Do you think if a make a "tea" out of it and spray it would fend them off? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Plantdoctor]

A cheap alternative is a water mixed with some washing up liquid, the liquid blocks the airways .

 

[Beverly]

Agree with @Plantdoctor, a little bit of dishwashing soap (enough to make some suds) with water is very effective.
Spray and a little while later you can wash the leaves off, then see what you have got left.

 

[Mark56]

Neem oil or blast with a hose. Soapy water will affect the beneficial insects & bees as well, it won't discriminate. Place bird feeders above infested plants to encourage tits and small birds who will feed their young off of aphids.

 

[Plantdoctor]

You are spraying aphids,they hardly move, whereas the bees etc will just fly away.

 

[Mark56]

It's the soapy residue that's left over, not the act itself & especially a concern if it's in flower.

 

[Beverly]

The soapy residue can easily wash off with the hose. Neem is a heavy oil, not so easy. Simple blasts with a hose can wash off the aphids, but it does not kill them and they will be back the same day or next. The soapy water spray is aimed to be used at close proximity to the aphids, not to cover the entire plant. If there are ladybeetles on the plant, don't bother they will eat the aphids.

 

[Mark56]

Exactly, it'll work out much more effective long term to use natural predation than constantly spraying with chemical components. Grow things like fennel to attract ladybirds & lacewings next to host plants.

 

[hummingbird]

UPDATE: in case anyone reads this in the future, I made a tea out of fresh minced garlic, artemesia, lavender flowers, and oil (to make it stick better to the plant, though I wouldn't have done that in frying temperatures). I strained it into a gallon sprayer and there wasn't a sign of them the next day! It's several days later and they are still gone. I did not expect it to work this well. The same tea (without the garlic and oil) worked to rid my duck's nest boxes of gnats, too. The only thing is, I haven't taken the time yet to observe if the bees have been warded off, too. Keep that in mind if you consider trying the tea. There were a lot of adult aphids flying off as I sprayed, so I know that if I had just sprayed with water alone, they would have come right back.

 

[Beverly]

@hummingbird thank you so much for sharing your experiment and the results. Water alone does not kill the aphids, even a strong stream of water. In my experience they are back next day. The soapy water that i use suffocates them and they die. It is most likely that the oil in your recipe is what killed what ever aphids did not escape. I don't spray the flowers because most aphids are on stems or leaves, and the pollinators are after just one thing so i haven't noticed a problem there. In addition, next day i will hose the plant down with water only. If there are a few aphids left i hand squish them or spray the leftovers at close range. Actually, i always spray at very close range to better target the aphids.congratulations on your results and i am sure mother nature thanks you too.

 

[hummingbird]

Thanks! I just dead headed a bunch of flowers. No pests. But the bees are buzzing everywhere. Glad they don't mind the spray . If I run into another problem, I will try the soap.

 

[Beverly]

The dish washing soaps recommended are Dawn and Ivory because they are the most eco friendly. Also you just need a squirt, just enough to make the solution sudsy. Glad to hear you have lots of bees