Aphid Pest Control In your Garden

Green is cool to the eyes, it is a color represented by gardens; and it delivers a soothing, relaxing feeling of being one with nature. But wait, what’s this thing destroying the green leaves of your plants? You have to check it out because it could be aphid pest infestation. Aphids, undoubtedly, are harmful garden pests, like scales and mites. These aphids are small insects, 1/8 inch or less in size, with long legs and antennae; they are usually wingless and their color can vary from green, pink, yellow, tan, gray, white or black.

The reason why aphids build up rapidly is because they have an extremely high rate of reproduction. When there are a high number of aphids, trees are stressed and therefore become less vigorous. You should know that aphids damage trees and plants by piercing the leaves, stems and flowers and sucking sap and other fluids, weakening plants and leaving them discoloured and stunted. Thus, it should make you find a way to get rid of any aphid pest invading your garden. When aphids feed they transmit viruses which can seriously weaken or even kill a tree. To satisfy their nutritional requirements, aphids consume an excess of sap. This excess is expelled as honeydew out of the recta of aphids in such large volumes that it can fall abundantly.

You may consider using a home remedy for getting rid of aphids. Al you need to do is to mix a small amount of dish soap into a bucket of water. One to two tablespoons of soap per gallon of water is just about right. Spread the mixture up and down the stems of the affected plant. As you can see, the soap leaves the stems sticky which is unappealing to aphids.

If there is a large infestation of aphids in your plants, you may remedy it by trimming away parts of the plant with the most aphids. This will prevent aphids from spreading. You can run your fingers up the stems of the plant and squish the aphids; it is a very basic yet effective method for removing aphids.

If the above solutions fail, insecticidal soaps and chemical pesticides should be an option. Insecticides and chemicals work extremely effectively against aphid infestations. You can easily buy them from any local garden stores. Be careful to read the instructions carefully before applying any chemical on your plants. You wouldn’t want to end up killing your plants because of inappropriate use of the chemical, instead of saving them from aphid pest infestation.