I have a vine on the outside of my house that is infested with aphids.
I know ladybugs love them-but it is winter here.(can you find ladybugs in winter?)
I saw a recipe for water, soap and canola oil to spray on the leave-but it is a BIG vine.
Also-flypaper was a suggestion.
What is your experience? In the desert-I just used to sick my ladybugs on the couple of plants that were susceptable and that did it.
TIA!
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I think you can get ladybugs all year long, but am not sure if you can there or not..... remember to give them a drink when you apply them though... I wet the leaves heavily before putting out the ladybugs.... they work. I have tons in my garden right now, and I go through and thank them as I see them, knowing that I would loose most of my fennel, chard, and kale if it was not for those little buggers.
I have also heard the soap, oil, and water thing... but unsure as to a recipie. Sorry I couldn't be more help.
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hmm, it was my understanding that in really cold weather (snow) ladybugs hibernate. They do out here. But ours have already mated, layed eggs, larva come out and turned into adults, and they are munching away. I have also heard the soapy solution works well.
Peace
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Ours don't have a long hybernation period because we are a very temprate climate... but unsure in other areas. I just have had great sucess with them even in colder weather but we are on the bay... even 60 miles south I have heard that they do not do as well.... each area is different with all its little critters. I saw them in our local Fred Meyers in Feb...
Ladybugs are swarming here! (I am thinking of putting a ladybug house in our back yard). I do not see them here in the winter at all. We are at 2400 ft. if that helps. (get very little snow on average.)
Soapy water! You can also use detergent, which will work a bit better, but I don't really like detergent. With detergent, it's 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon of water in a spray bottle. Shake it and spray it. Put it in a miracle grow hose sprayer, that ought to work. Just make it stronger in there as the hose water will dilute it on it's way by.
With soap, I'd just add enough to make the water sudsy. The point of the soapy water is that aphids have waxy coatings, and the soap/detergent emulsifies that and they dry out in a matter of hours. (poor things, but hey, they weren't invited to our gardens). After a treatment or two, you'll have dead aphids. Just rinse the plants off to get rid of them after that.
In a horticulture class I had in highschool, we treated everything organically (but used chemical fertilizers, I don't get it) and that worked well for the aphids in the outside plots.
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If it is a sturdy vine, a good strong steam of plain water from the hose will send them flying! Do it once or twice a day for a few days and no more aphids...
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I have a ficus tree that I keep inside that has all these black bugs attached to the branches and the sap drips out of the tree making my carpet sticky. Are these aphids? If I buy some ladybugs and put the plant on my balcony will that help?
I apoligize for hijacking this thread....I just saw this and hoped maybe someone could help with what I have.
Sorry mama, those definitely aren't aphids. I don't know what they are, but aphids are the little green bugs you always see on roses (and other plants too, but they're almost always on roses).
You could try the soap thing on those bugs, but if I were you I'd check for common pests to ficuses (or is it ficii? LOL). Maybe in the sunset western garden book or something. Then again, I'm in the west, and you may not be. I wonder if there is a different sunset book for other areas, or if it's name is just the sunset western garden book, wherever you go.
Good luck, maybe someone else here will know what those are.
What is your favorite natural aphid destroyer?
). I do not see them here in the winter at all. We are at 2400 ft. if that helps. (get very little snow on average.)
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