Things I like about your videos: There is no long preamble about what the video is going to cover; no encouragement to press this or that button; videos are full of good information which are clear and presented in an ‘easy to understand’ way and finally, they are never too long. Thanks for doing such good videos.
Many thanks for that. Fascinating. I'm in Adelaide, South Australia. 100% of the aphid problem on my potted (60cm half-barrels) standard roses was the ant-farmed variety. The ants take up residence in the pots and overwinter aphid eggs. In early spring, the eggs hatch and thousands of the little critters rise to the surface and make a b-line for the rose stems, which they then climb up and populate the rose canopy. The ants then travel up and down the roses 'harvesting' the aphids' excreta (honeydew). This spring I was prepared. I grease-banded each of my standards after winter pruning, and also made sure the wooden stakes had a good layer of grease applied too. Result? Thousands of dead aphids, all stuck on the grease bands and stakes. Zero on my bushes. For the band, I used a self-fusing slicone tape (aka 'electrical tape'). It's tough and expands as the stem thickens. The grease is a viscous, waxy horticultural type and came in a 500g tub. A little goes a long way. I haven't encountered any 'flying' aphids yet. I'm expecting to see them later in the season, early autumn most likely, when the 'resident' populations start running out of food.
Isn't it funny how many sites claim organic matter in soil stops ants nesting, they must have different ants. Up here in NQ I also have Green Ants to contend with, they of course don't nest in soil. They sure like to farm every sap sucker they can find including several Scale types and Mealy Bugs. They defend their sap suckers particularly well. I may have found something useful that Green Ants do, maybe just maybe they might pollinate Dragon Fruit. So far just an unproven idea.
Wow! This is one of the best gardening videos I've watched in a long time (and I watch a lot!). Thank you so much for this super clear and informative content. I feel so much more prepared for the season ahead! In the past I thought I had to eradicate the aphids, and now I know what is more realistic and manageable.
I've watched a lot of UA-cam videos about aphids, or other insects . This video is the most complete and honest I've seen. Thank you, you are a special and responsible person. I wish you a Happy New Year 🍷
I don't have problem with aphids but I have plenty of nats. In my area bugs and insects are few I know it's strange but I could use some good insects and bugs. Thanks for the info. It's always a good day when you learn something new.
Thank you for this informative video about aphids. No wonder they appear and multiply so quickly. I've been checking my three roses every day and brown aphids are attacking the newest growth. My strategy is mush 'em and keep checking daily.
Thanks for the biology lesson. The study of life has always fascinated me. Such a good video. You have done all the work and research for us. Thanks again!
I always learn something when I watch your vids Jason ! Totally understand the stacked up aphids one after the other now and they appear from nowhere or so it seems some days, wow I get it now. I must admit I'm a bit of a 'squisher' if I see them on my rose buds they are toast ! The birds do a good job this time of year they hop from shrub to tree to rosebush and gobble up aphids for me.
Thank you for this! Understanding how they function as a colony makes so much sense. I even get overwhelmed by safer soap, as I find it messy (I'm on a patio) and the leaves hold a sticky residue. So then I find there is the honeydew from the aphids and the residue from the soap. I cut back a rose bush dramatically the other day, because I couldn't seem to get it back on track with multiple attempts... they were even inside the petals. I have ordered some ladybugs!
I just watched 3 of your videos; aphids, stink bugs and feeding roses. All very informative, straight up with information. You have a new subscriber! 👍
This is very helpful explains why aphids multiplied so quickly. I used water hose and 3 container of ladybugs. The ladybugs really helped a lot, i still find them in my garden and larva. Thank you!
Well Jason, This is exactly why the predator beneficials are so important and having a variety of flowering plants to keep them in the area year round if possible. I was surprised to find aphids on my white Honor rose (the first to bud this year), especially with no evidence of them being anywhere else on the property. Of course I gently slid my fingers up the stalk and rubbed them all off. Actually, with all of the wind up here, I was more surprised that there weren't a lot more of them everywhere. Springtime is such a vulnerable time for all of the sprouting new tender shoots which the aphids are already geared up for. Understanding the cycle and habits of the pests makes all the difference in finding successful solutions. As intimidating as aphids might appear to be, emphasizing a diversified growing space is ideal for just this type of situation. I am fortunate because many of my fruit trees and other flowering plants have greatly cultivated the beneficials early on. The one thing I did do is spray a mixture of sulfur and copper soap on all of the roses, mango trees and panicles, avocado, and other fruit trees. The purpose was primarily for powdery mildew prevention, but the aphids certainly did not appreciate it because they are nowhere to be seen for now. I would imagine that the predator beneficials are the real reason.😉🤙
Thanks. I know aphids can be knocked back by sulfur too, so it could have been part of it. I know a lot of sources say be careful (for leaf burn I suppose) when applying sulfur and soap (or even oil). What's your experience with it?
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Yes, it is very likely both. For this application I just bought the ready mix spray of sulfur and copper soap (no copper powder) and mixed them together, so it was a fairly weak mixture because I was spraying the leaves and panicles (no leaf burn). I'm sure if I added the copper power there would definitely be leaf burn, but I also did not shake the spray bottle too hard, trying not to aggitate the sulfur too much as well. I also did not spray the more delicate plants to avoid burning them. I figure if I control the most common targets being the roses and mangoes the rest should be ok. So far that plan seems to be holding true, but if needed I will adjust. The misty rain is is the primary reason for the powdery mildew, so I figure watching for the beginning signs and following the same treatment early should be a good method. Of course changing conditions are always a possibility, so my primary targets are prevention until after fruit is hard set and the roses are in their more sturdy stage. If needed I will probably just target spray the trouble spots and see how that works. So far so good.
Great details. Didn't realise that these little blighters travelled quite so far on wind currents. Seems that they are travelling further than I am on my holidays this year!!!
Greetings from Arizona. We have aphids all over and only on certain plants and trees. Thanks for all the tips and tricks. We learned over the years past that lady bugs are only good for a couple days. Spraying them off with water everyday has been easy management for us.
@@olefosshaug5565 And they never touch tomatoes, even though they're both nightshades and can cross-pollinate. They're not fans of potato either, I think. Me verifying just now that they're both nightshades, Microsoft Edge's Bing "pepper and tomato nightshades" top result told me tomatoes and peppers can cross-pollinate! I was really worried about my peppers from last year, until I double-checked and it was disinformation....
@@olefosshaug5565 Our bell peppers are alright for now, but our roses are know every year to attract the most aphids regularly. Of all of our Fruit trees, our Apricot got hit as new growth started. We caught it a little late and only a couple leaves were deformed but the rest of the tree has done well thankfully! We are our in the orchard and vineyard pretty much every other day inspecting and maintaining.
@@Valchrist1313 you're right, and Our Potatoes seem to attract whiteflies and then the pesky leaf hoppers. But our potatoes are going dormant now so hopefully we have a couple spuds ready before summer!
Wow - thanks. I learned far more than I need to know about aphids, but it was really interesting. I have a plot in a community garden and a bunch of winged aphids showed up overnight on every tomato plant there. I think I'm going to have to trim the non producing leaves off and try the spraying water method first...I do believe I've seen a couple of their predators in there as well. I definitely don't plan on using pesticides, but will keep that soap in mind if necessary. Thanks!
Thanks Katie. I haven't seen the birds feasting on aphids, but they do a good job on slugs and other (larger) insect pests for me. Overall more predators is a good idea.
for the last few years, I got aphids on my plum tree in the middle of the summer and realized that if I “shower’ the tree with my regular watering nozzle, set at the highest water pressure, it solves the problem. It takes maybe 1-2 hours and I have to use ladder to get close to every branch, but at the end, this might be the most gentle way to handle the problem. Basically, I target every new shoot covered with aphids and wash off all of them. Tedious, but actually a pleasant chore in the middle of a summer heat (usually, I get soaked by the end of it too). So far, I only had to dig it once (per year) and it solved the problem for me.
Thank you!!! I have problems with zillions of aphids on my roses. Very discouraging so I had seven rose bushes removed. I did get two cuttings from the old rose bush. I started them in water and now they are doing great indoors under plant lights. I am not going to put them outside! Again thank you!
Thanks! I didn’t know they could reproduce asexually or they could drift in the wind (makes sense, I imagine they would blow around easily) I’m with you in the natural balance approach. I think it’s important to leave some aphids (unless they’re on your favourite plant) but let them be somewhere to draw in the predator. Plant some nasturtiums and let them get gross. In time, I always see those plants with a bunch of ladybugs on them. If it gets really bad, I’ll prune the old leaves for the compost but otherwise I try to leave them. Great video, thanks 👍🐞
Awesome timing! Last year my roses took a beating from aphids. I used a wetting agent to help control population but never got it completely handled. Now i know why 🤦♂️ This year, we had a very mild spring and the roses are extremely healthy. I noted that that there were some aphids almost none at all. Does the health of the rose help fend off aphids? Lastly with the wasps. Are they an invasive species? I have a wide host of flowers, mostly aimed for humming birds, but I have a really nice fig as well. My understanding is that figs attract wasps? Nonetheless, if i order biological controls such as wasp and lace wings, i just want to make sure it’s ecological safe. Thanks for the masterclasses :)
Almost all my first rose buds last year had aphids, and i bought a pack of lady bugs from my local gardening store, spread them in my garden beds, and the aphids seemed to decrease as the year went on. I'll try to spray them with water like you say, so far i have 1 rose bud and its clean 🤞
Put a little tumeric an cinnamon with neem oil into a glass of walm water and stir for a min or two,pour into a mist spray bottle and spray as foiler spray leafs and stems .
Systemic pesticides can be quite effective (and long lasting) as well. A good example is Imidacloprid. But somewhat concerning effects on pollinators so even though it is incredibly effective alternatives are probably a good idea to try first.
Thank you so much for this video. Extremely informative. Aphids have been my biggest enemy for the last couple of years, so boy is this useful for me. Hope things going well for you and your business!
Thanks for this informative video on aphids. I found that a lot of people use Neem oil spray and/or diluted dish soap to get rid of aphids, followed by washing them away with the hose. I did the same to the aphids on milkweed but not on a daily basis. So they multiplied and the affected area of the plant looked dead to me. I decided to cut the affected stems. Do you think that was the right approach? Basically, when spraying didn't help, I used few drops of dawn dish soap diluted but not like in a gallon on water. Wiped the aphids with a cloth dipped in this solution.
Snipping off the badly infested tips of the plant is always an option, and depending on the severity of the damage I'd say a pretty reasonable one. I'd slightly warn off dish soap in favor of insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids - dish soap is a detergent and may damage your leaf tissues)
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I did use dawn dish soap as I read in many articles. Just learning that it's not a soap. So that could have further damaged the plant in addition to not diluting it. Looks like i killed the plant myself before the aphids could 😓
I'd say very likely yes it'll make a full recovery. The aphid damage is rarely serious for plant health, and snipping off some stems also is not a huge problem for an otherwise healthy plant
I really appreciate the scientific explanation and basis of your opinions. I’d love to know what you think of using host plants to control aphids. Thanks.
A valid strategy - I've seen a lot of cool stuff with banker plants (often stocked with an aphid that can't spread to surrounding crops) to support populations of beneficials.
Thank you Jason for this video! It was really very helpful. My roses have aphids now. Please let me know the name of the beneficial insect that I can buy to get rid of them. ❤️
thank you for the amazing video. i have climbing laguna on my balcony… im nervous to introduce wasps or ladybugs. do you have alternative suggestions? last spring, i used my gloves and neem oil spray to kill aphids every other day. 😅
Wanted to let you know, I have a small container full of tiny rose plants! I’m so excited it’s been in my fridge since last fall after I watched one of your videos. I’m not potting up until they’re a bit bigger but wondered how many leaves should they have before I do pot up?
Hi Tamra - so exciting! So long as you're gentle with the roots you can transplant as early as you want (or leave them for longer is fine too!) I usually only wait until the seedling is about 2inches/5cm in height.
Thanks. That was very helpful. Usually, the aphid problem starts 3 or 4 weeks ago here in St Louis, MO, which it did. And usually the lady bugs start showing up by now. Where are they?
Wonderful video! Thank you. Can you please do another one on sawflies? I have been trying no spray, waiting for the birds to eat them, but my rose leaves look terrible. Sawflies are harder to knock off with water. Thank you!
Learned from you, this season did spray one aphid patch but then the lady bugs started appearing so I've just been letting it all play out. Can see remnants here and there and lady bugs here there and everywhere.. I think I'll get flowers and fruits, but enjoying watching either way
I grew up listening to old farmers saying eradicate Sow thistle and Wild lettuce because it is a host for Aphids... But my experience is that if I leave a few scattered around that the aphids prefer them to anything I'm growing...
Great observation - I know there's been some changing attitudes around centaurea cyanus (cornflower) - often classed as a noxious weed, but also useful in hosting beneficials that combat cabbage moth.
Awesome video Jason, thank you! I have a lot of fire ants and it seems like I am allergic....I got infection because I had idea that I got bitten by one or more and scratched. I need to get rid of them at least in around the house and the garden.... How do I do that effectively without poison.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by poison - borax has a long record of safe use (in laundry for instance) and is useful for killing ant colonies, but of course for the ants it's poison! ua-cam.com/video/TycvvVdvL_s/v-deo.html
Jason I swear that aphids can exist inside plants in dormancy. I have a dozen very large house plants, years old. And smaller ones (often seeds started from citrus, avocado, apple, dragon fruit ) I had a Cane Begonia that was especially large that had gorgeous heart shaped bright red blossoms & a few 3 yr olds of the same plant that were pink flowered. I got aphids on the large red one. Pinched off the tips which were showing signs of infestation meticulously, washed the walls, the windows, the floor. Repotted the entire plant after bathing it tip to root in my tub, disinfecting the huge pot, bought all new soil frm local greenhouse outlet. Did this for several years...1 year actually took it outside for all summer, then did the entire bath in a kiddie pool, repotted again to bring it inside for winter. Very hard work to manage the move alone & time consuming & expensive for all that new soil. Fine till early Feb. & once again, started seeing aphids on new growth tips. Put up with all the monitoring, pinching, disinfecting surfaces nearby....after that 4th summer I left it to freeze outside. I'd had it! This winter I had large containers of various branches rooting in the house for months. Especially the willows leafed out so beautifully! Out of the blue in mid April I noticed aphids on my kitchen counter that had fallen off gooseberry branches like pale green snow had fallen! Out that all went. Luckily my baby Myer lemons in small pots or my 3 foot fig all on the same counter are fine! So in my mind, inside those foot long gooseberry branches aphids were dormant from early Dec. to April. Then full assault over maybe 2 weeks that I hadn't paid attention since things were not drying out & water did not need changing in the large ceramic jug. Nothing new had been introduced into the house, no other plants in the other rooms were infected whatso ever, not even the tubs of stuff rooting in new perlite-sand mix. So where else but inside the branches themselves do such infestations start?
I live in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Our property sits on a knoll and we are surrounded by hazelnut orchards, organic vineyards and hay crops. I have a formal rose garden with about 100 varieties of roses. I have zero aphids. I do not treat for them. I just don't have any. When we lived in town, aphids were also a huge problem for me. How is that possible that I don't have aphids on rural property? I do place fly predators all summer in the manure and compost pile behind the horse barn. Those supposedly stay near the manure pile and just eat fly larvae. I do have praying mantises, lady bugs, and parasitic wasps. I also raise mason bees in the spring to help pollinate my fruit orchard. I really cannot explain why aphids or spider mites are not in my garden. We have 10 acres, so they must be around somewhere.
Thanks i didnt know they fly. I use insect cloth to extend my kale in Austin over summer for white flys and will look for wasps to import and plant small flower plants to attract the wasps. I do use Insect soap.
During the season I spray with my own solution. 20 grams of soft soap (green soap) and 20 grams of methylated spirits in 1 liter of water. Cheap and easy on the environment.
It's just a form of manual removal. Combined with a little massage of the growing tip or leaf, the aphids are dislodged from feeding and reproducing, cleaning up the plant and slowing down their population growth. The ones knocked to the ground are slow and left pretty vulnerable and although some will find their way back onto plants eventually, the large colony on that shoot is resolved for a bit.
Great video! If I want to have a room or plastic greenhouse indoor as a quarantine zone, how long should it remain in that zone before it's safe to let them join the other house plants? Not only to avoid aphids but for fungus gnats and other pests as well
I've used the oil/soap spray solution from Cornell University for many years now and find it works. It doesn't get rid of all the aphids but I haven't lost any pants to them either. It doesn't seem to hurt the roses as far as I can tell. What are your thoughts on this? Great video, as always.
Hi Jason. How would you suggest I dispose of aphid infested plants/offcuts? I have an aphid problem and I actually manually cut off the most affected parts of my plants and discarded in into our green-lidded garden waste bin. Now the green lid is covered in aphids that have escaped from the bin. Should I have sprayed with insecticidal soap first?
QUESTION: Do aphids transmit a virus to plants, and are plants (kale)safe to eat if there is some aphid damage? I soaked the kale in vinegar water then rinsed.... I'm assuming its safe to eat, but was concerned about viruses.
Yes, plants are safe to eat with aphid damage. The appearance of the damage can be a little off-putting, but there's no risk to human health. Even if a plant virus was transmitted, it's a specific plant pathogen and not harmful to people.
I brought 2 Camellia plants from a Nursery they have Aphids. I was planning on planting them now I’m wondering should I just throw them out and get something else? I don’t see any aphids on my Roses or Gardenias. Anyone have any advice?
I'm freaking out because my beautiful Johny Clayton honeysuckle has aphids. I also just planted new roses. 😢 I just sent in a request to my local gardening extension to give me some local advice. Fingers crossed. My blooming garden is very new so I'm hoping to have some ecological balance within a few years. So far, I have very little wildlife - except aphids. Erghg!!!
Hi Jason, I was at your farm last week getting a number of rose plants. I see one of the firefighter rose plant has a few colonies of aphids . I want to get rid of the aphids. Please suggest what should I do immediately to stop them multiplying. Thanks
Hi Dipesh - sorry to send you home with a little extra "company". We try to catch these outbreaks before the plants go out - and what we would do is either manually hose and rub them off with water or hit them with some insecticidal soap to knock down their population.
Last year my nasturtium was covered in black aphids! I Just squished as many as I could but they grew even more! My nasturtium was basically black! They are impossible to get rid of or even control due to their sheer number.
Super informative. Keeping an eye out for the aphidious wasps now. Saw my first lady-bird beetle yesterday. Maybe you could show a picture of a young lady bug. They are super ugly (in my human opinion) and the first time I saw one I killed it.
Here in Las Vegas Nevada I find that only the Lower Limbs of My Oleanders but alas as soon as the Limbs Grow Up into the Full 🌝 Sun &Hot Dry Winds 🌬️ They all Die. So I find that if I keep the Limbs high in the Sky they will not Live. Now sometimes I get them on my Day lilies but alas they too will die in the Full 🌝 Summer 🌞☀️. Sincerely Yours 🤠 Mr Severance, "The Cake 😋 🍰🎂 🥳🎉 🎈🥂🎊 Man"&"Xerocsapeing Gardener".
Thanks T. Anon Good question - native ranges of these wasps will vary a bit but aphidius wasps are the ones mainly reared for release. For interest sake, have a look at this fact sheet about beneficial insects native to Alberta under the section on parasitoid wasps: open.alberta.ca/dataset/da25a50d-a5d8-448d-8c31-1d247b27969a/resource/1662a06e-67fc-4cf0-99e1-4e9e7ddfed06/download/2000-620-3.pdf
I just found them on the new leaf growth on my young pear tree. Before seeing this video I found a recipe using dawn and water solution so i just sprayed my 2 little fruit trees. Hopefully I haven't harmed them 🤦.
Hello, we're managing a rose farm and finding the one particular row of roses the Winchester Cathedral is consumed by aphids. We've tried white oil but doesn't seem to be affective. The plants have been struggling in health and producing blooms. Aphids don't seem to be effecti g another rose plants. What are your suggestions? Arne
What a fun (or not!) quirk that they're only bothering one cultivar. Even a smaller release of aphidius might be just the thing if it's well timed with the early part of the outbreak. Here I know my greenhouses will see aphids pretty predictably after April 1. If you need a fast knock-down you might consider a spinosad application - it's a natural extract of bacteria, relatively safe and usually approved for organic production
It's a reasonable idea to plant some more vulnerable plants in the garden, but it doesn't mean they'll automatically leave your favorite plants alone. It does mean that 1) you can have an early warning for when aphid populations are on the rise, and 2) that the beneficial insects will have a food source of aphids on those vulnerable plants - and that established population of predators can be in place to combat subsequent outbreaks in the garden.
Every year I get a heavy infestation of aphids on my roses and I never seem to be able to tackle it. I did notice that they prefer some roses over others. Why is that?
Additional insight I did not know. My clematis gets a nasty case of green aphids and they are fussed over by ants. I gave a good water spray and it did the trick. But I also have yellowing leaves every year on this plant…so it’s weak to begin with. I recently read a spray of 1:4 Epsom salt to water on the leaves or poured in the soil could alleviate this issue. Any thoughts?
Hi Jason after a fierce summer my roses were firstly overtaken by aphids. I tried watering them off n encouraging lady bugs. Well the bugs got to be obese but gave up after a huge water bill. Ended up using natrasoap I’ve had moderate success then they got hit with thrips. I gave up and used the least poisonous systemic solution of success ultra not before I lost 5 beautiful roses. I’m unsure if we have your wasps and if not can we bring them into Western Australia ?
Hi Heather. I don't know the regs there but I did a quick search for biological control companies in Australia, and found that aphidius colemani and A. ervi are in the mix there (along with other species)
It's not something I've heard against aphids, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had some effect - potassium bicarbonate is gentler on plant tissues than sodium tho
My biggest problem is the Japanese beetle! I’m at a loss, I tried been oil and that does not work at all. I am in zone 6, I am at a loss and although I kill them with my hands as soon as I see them, I can’t keep up with them and they are also on my dahlias as well. Suggestions please
They're vulnerable to a number of sprays for direct control (spinosad being a reasonably environmental choice), but because they fly in from a large range, it's pretty hard to see how you could keep up with the influx. BTg (BeetleGone) can be a decent preventive application on foliage of susceptible plants - reducing adult feeding for about 2 weeks. If you see their grub damage in your lawns, it might be worth looking at Milky Spore as a solution.
Thank you, I’m heading to my garden center to check out the options you gave me. I meant to type ‘Neem oil’. I’ll give this a try and let you know. I never had this problem since I moved to a warmer climate.
I am having such an aphid problem!! I feel frustrated. This is the second year with a greenhouse and it just exploded. I never had any the first year. I felt like they don’t go away with just intense spray with water or the homemade sprays. I would like to stay organic but it feels overwhelming.
Of course you have to work within your own tolerance level - and you're the once close enough to the situation to make the call. One option to think about is a spray with spinosad as the active ingredient - it is organic and relatively safer to handle than other hardcore chems but still does a fairly wide-spectrum knock-down. I'd try to time the application when pollinators aren't active (like first thing in the morning)
Thanks so much for the tip and advice. I think that I needed to do something more and I will definitely get that spray. I was worried about the pollinators so that really helps. Thanks again for your help!!
Continuing Enfant de France in my garage and when I took it out in spring it was covered with thousands of aphids. The solution is a sharp spray of water from a hose. I would knock them to the ground and they can't get up. So the ones the birds don't eat just die. Really, just take out your hose and knock them to the ground, as Jason suggested.
A recommended to my friend when she had aphids, to use Ladybugs. She told me she ordered 1500 and turned them all loose in a 6×10 mini greenhouse 😂. She said is that enough.. Yep that'll do it 😂
Gross, but I squish them w my fingers because it’s effective and saves time. I grow milkweed plants (for monarchs) so I have a limited amount of plants but it’s doable and the plants are healthy.
Hey Jason. You feeling ok? You look a little pale. Just asking out of concern. Hope your feeling well. Take care of yourself. And great video. One day I hope i can be as informative as you are. Best wishes for you and your family from South Louisiana! 🐊🐊🦐🦞🦀
Thanks, I'm fine. I took this vid in some funny lighting conditions (morning shade of a bright day) and my color grading skills aren't awesome, so I bet that's what you're seeing.
Out of all the videos I've watched about aphids- controlling them, managing them, etc.- I've never heard anyone mention the fact about them being born pregnant!?!? So interesting for they can just clone themselves!
I wish all gardening videos were as informative with no BS like yours, Jason. Thank you for what you do!
Thanks so much Penny - glad to know I hit the mark on this one.
Things I like about your videos: There is no long preamble about what the video is going to cover; no encouragement to press this or that button; videos are full of good information which are clear and presented in an ‘easy to understand’ way and finally, they are never too long. Thanks for doing such good videos.
Thanks Jennifer
Amen!!
Many thanks for that. Fascinating.
I'm in Adelaide, South Australia. 100% of the aphid problem on my potted (60cm half-barrels) standard roses was the ant-farmed variety. The ants take up residence in the pots and overwinter aphid eggs. In early spring, the eggs hatch and thousands of the little critters rise to the surface and make a b-line for the rose stems, which they then climb up and populate the rose canopy. The ants then travel up and down the roses 'harvesting' the aphids' excreta (honeydew).
This spring I was prepared. I grease-banded each of my standards after winter pruning, and also made sure the wooden stakes had a good layer of grease applied too. Result? Thousands of dead aphids, all stuck on the grease bands and stakes. Zero on my bushes. For the band, I used a self-fusing slicone tape (aka 'electrical tape'). It's tough and expands as the stem thickens. The grease is a viscous, waxy horticultural type and came in a 500g tub. A little goes a long way.
I haven't encountered any 'flying' aphids yet. I'm expecting to see them later in the season, early autumn most likely, when the 'resident' populations start running out of food.
Isn't it funny how many sites claim organic matter in soil stops ants nesting, they must have different ants.
Up here in NQ I also have Green Ants to contend with, they of course don't nest in soil. They sure like to farm every sap sucker they can find including several Scale types and Mealy Bugs. They defend their sap suckers particularly well.
I may have found something useful that Green Ants do, maybe just maybe they might pollinate Dragon Fruit. So far just an unproven idea.
Wow! This is one of the best gardening videos I've watched in a long time (and I watch a lot!). Thank you so much for this super clear and informative content. I feel so much more prepared for the season ahead! In the past I thought I had to eradicate the aphids, and now I know what is more realistic and manageable.
Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful
Thank you, that’s really informative! Jason, could you please do a video or links to the best predator attracting plants for rose gardens? 😊
Thanks Jackie. I've done a couple of plantings for beneficials, but maybe check this one out: ua-cam.com/video/eNWDdSOILjM/v-deo.html
I've watched a lot of UA-cam videos about aphids, or other insects . This video is the most complete and honest I've seen. Thank you, you are a special and responsible person. I wish you a Happy New Year 🍷
I don't have problem with aphids but I have plenty of nats. In my area bugs and insects are few I know it's strange but I could use some good insects and bugs. Thanks for the info. It's always a good day when you learn something new.
Thank you for this informative video about aphids. No wonder they appear and multiply so quickly. I've been checking my three roses every day and brown aphids are attacking the newest growth. My strategy is mush 'em and keep checking daily.
Hi Jason, fascinating information. Never knew any of this. Makes sense why they seem to appear from 'out of the blue.'
Thank you Jason, you are a wealth of information and my little garden space has greatly improved since I found your channel.
Thanks for the biology lesson. The study of life has always fascinated me. Such a good video. You have done all the work and research for us. Thanks again!
I've been struggling with aphids in my garden. Your tips on organic pest control methods are very helpful. Thanks!
I always learn something when I watch your vids Jason ! Totally understand the stacked up aphids one after the other now and they appear from nowhere or so it seems some days, wow I get it now. I must admit I'm a bit of a 'squisher' if I see them on my rose buds they are toast ! The birds do a good job this time of year they hop from shrub to tree to rosebush and gobble up aphids for me.
Thank you for this! Understanding how they function as a colony makes so much sense. I even get overwhelmed by safer soap, as I find it messy (I'm on a patio) and the leaves hold a sticky residue. So then I find there is the honeydew from the aphids and the residue from the soap. I cut back a rose bush dramatically the other day, because I couldn't seem to get it back on track with multiple attempts... they were even inside the petals. I have ordered some ladybugs!
I just watched 3 of your videos; aphids, stink bugs and feeding roses. All very informative, straight up with information.
You have a new subscriber! 👍
This is very helpful explains why aphids multiplied so quickly. I used water hose and 3 container of ladybugs. The ladybugs really helped a lot, i still find them in my garden and larva. Thank you!
This is such an incredibly informative video. Thanks for sharing!
Well Jason,
This is exactly why the predator beneficials are so important and having a variety of flowering plants to keep them in the area year round if possible.
I was surprised to find aphids on my white Honor rose (the first to bud this year), especially with no evidence of them being anywhere else on the property. Of course I gently slid my fingers up the stalk and rubbed them all off.
Actually, with all of the wind up here, I was more surprised that there weren't a lot more of them everywhere.
Springtime is such a vulnerable time for all of the sprouting new tender shoots which the aphids are already geared up for.
Understanding the cycle and habits of the pests makes all the difference in finding successful solutions.
As intimidating as aphids might appear to be, emphasizing a diversified growing space is ideal for just this type of situation.
I am fortunate because many of my fruit trees and other flowering plants have greatly cultivated the beneficials early on.
The one thing I did do is spray a mixture of sulfur and copper soap on all of the roses, mango trees and panicles, avocado, and other fruit trees. The purpose was primarily for powdery mildew prevention, but the aphids certainly did not appreciate it because they are nowhere to be seen for now. I would imagine that the predator beneficials are the real reason.😉🤙
Thanks. I know aphids can be knocked back by sulfur too, so it could have been part of it. I know a lot of sources say be careful (for leaf burn I suppose) when applying sulfur and soap (or even oil). What's your experience with it?
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm
Yes, it is very likely both.
For this application I just bought the ready mix spray of sulfur and copper soap (no copper powder) and mixed them together, so it was a fairly weak mixture because I was spraying the leaves and panicles (no leaf burn).
I'm sure if I added the copper power there would definitely be leaf burn, but I also did not shake the spray bottle too hard, trying not to aggitate the sulfur too much as well. I also did not spray the more delicate plants to avoid burning them. I figure if I control the most common targets being the roses and mangoes the rest should be ok. So far that plan seems to be holding true, but if needed I will adjust.
The misty rain is is the primary reason for the powdery mildew, so I figure watching for the beginning signs and following the same treatment early should be a good method. Of course changing conditions are always a possibility, so my primary targets are prevention until after fruit is hard set and the roses are in their more sturdy stage. If needed I will probably just target spray the trouble spots and see how that works.
So far so good.
Great details. Didn't realise that these little blighters travelled quite so far on wind currents. Seems that they are travelling further than I am on my holidays this year!!!
Right, and they get their transport food and lodging for free!
Greetings from Arizona. We have aphids all over and only on certain plants and trees. Thanks for all the tips and tricks. We learned over the years past that lady bugs are only good for a couple days. Spraying them off with water everyday has been easy management for us.
I inspect my peppers daily, they are aphid magnets
@@olefosshaug5565 And they never touch tomatoes, even though they're both nightshades and can cross-pollinate. They're not fans of potato either, I think.
Me verifying just now that they're both nightshades, Microsoft Edge's Bing "pepper and tomato nightshades" top result told me tomatoes and peppers can cross-pollinate!
I was really worried about my peppers from last year, until I double-checked and it was disinformation....
@@olefosshaug5565 Our bell peppers are alright for now, but our roses are know every year to attract the most aphids regularly. Of all of our Fruit trees, our Apricot got hit as new growth started. We caught it a little late and only a couple leaves were deformed but the rest of the tree has done well thankfully! We are our in the orchard and vineyard pretty much every other day inspecting and maintaining.
@@Valchrist1313 you're right, and Our Potatoes seem to attract whiteflies and then the pesky leaf hoppers. But our potatoes are going dormant now so hopefully we have a couple spuds ready before summer!
sounds like a perfect plant eating machine. Like Aliens, a movie.
Wow - thanks. I learned far more than I need to know about aphids, but it was really interesting.
I have a plot in a community garden and a bunch of winged aphids showed up overnight on every tomato plant there.
I think I'm going to have to trim the non producing leaves off and try the spraying water method first...I do believe I've seen a couple of their predators in there as well.
I definitely don't plan on using pesticides, but will keep that soap in mind if necessary. Thanks!
You are one of my fav. I love your videos, simple accurate and well put together ❤❤❤
I read somewhere that someone got a bird bath, put it beside her rose bed and they birds that visited ate them and helped control the aphids.
Thanks Katie. I haven't seen the birds feasting on aphids, but they do a good job on slugs and other (larger) insect pests for me. Overall more predators is a good idea.
for the last few years, I got aphids on my plum tree in the middle of the summer and realized that if I “shower’ the tree with my regular watering nozzle, set at the highest water pressure, it solves the problem. It takes maybe 1-2 hours and I have to use ladder to get close to every branch, but at the end, this might be the most gentle way to handle the problem. Basically, I target every new shoot covered with aphids and wash off all of them. Tedious, but actually a pleasant chore in the middle of a summer heat (usually, I get soaked by the end of it too). So far, I only had to dig it once (per year) and it solved the problem for me.
Love this!!!!! So interesting....hope lots and lots of people get to see this!!!
So informative - excellent video - thank you.
Thank you!!! I have problems with zillions of aphids on my roses. Very discouraging so I had seven rose bushes removed.
I did get two cuttings from the old rose bush. I started them in water and now they are doing great indoors under plant lights. I am not going to put them outside! Again thank you!
Thanks! I didn’t know they could reproduce asexually or they could drift in the wind (makes sense, I imagine they would blow around easily)
I’m with you in the natural balance approach. I think it’s important to leave some aphids (unless they’re on your favourite plant) but let them be somewhere to draw in the predator. Plant some nasturtiums and let them get gross. In time, I always see those plants with a bunch of ladybugs on them. If it gets really bad, I’ll prune the old leaves for the compost but otherwise I try to leave them.
Great video, thanks 👍🐞
Thanks - for me, lupins!
Aphids-fascinating! Someone needs to make a horror movie about them. Had no idea they could travel so far on the wind-wow. Bugs without Borders.
Awesome timing! Last year my roses took a beating from aphids. I used a wetting agent to help control population but never got it completely handled. Now i know why 🤦♂️
This year, we had a very mild spring and the roses are extremely healthy. I noted that that there were some aphids almost none at all. Does the health of the rose help fend off aphids?
Lastly with the wasps. Are they an invasive species? I have a wide host of flowers, mostly aimed for humming birds, but I have a really nice fig as well. My understanding is that figs attract wasps?
Nonetheless, if i order biological controls such as wasp and lace wings, i just want to make sure it’s ecological safe.
Thanks for the masterclasses :)
Thanks - wasps are such a large group, and even if aphidius isn't your local native, there's likely something in the family that does the same.
Almost all my first rose buds last year had aphids, and i bought a pack of lady bugs from my local gardening store, spread them in my garden beds, and the aphids seemed to decrease as the year went on. I'll try to spray them with water like you say, so far i have 1 rose bud and its clean 🤞
Put a little tumeric an cinnamon with neem oil into a glass of walm water and stir for a min or two,pour into a mist spray bottle and spray as foiler spray leafs and stems .
Systemic pesticides can be quite effective (and long lasting) as well. A good example is Imidacloprid.
But somewhat concerning effects on pollinators so even though it is incredibly effective alternatives are probably a good idea to try first.
Thank you so much for this video. Extremely informative. Aphids have been my biggest enemy for the last couple of years, so boy is this useful for me. Hope things going well for you and your business!
Thanks Alex!
I always learn something from your videos. I have a much better understanding of life cycle of aphids now. Next up- day lily gall midges!
Thanks for this informative video on aphids. I found that a lot of people use Neem oil spray and/or diluted dish soap to get rid of aphids, followed by washing them away with the hose. I did the same to the aphids on milkweed but not on a daily basis. So they multiplied and the affected area of the plant looked dead to me. I decided to cut the affected stems.
Do you think that was the right approach? Basically, when spraying didn't help, I used few drops of dawn dish soap diluted but not like in a gallon on water. Wiped the aphids with a cloth dipped in this solution.
Snipping off the badly infested tips of the plant is always an option, and depending on the severity of the damage I'd say a pretty reasonable one. I'd slightly warn off dish soap in favor of insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids - dish soap is a detergent and may damage your leaf tissues)
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I did use dawn dish soap as I read in many articles. Just learning that it's not a soap. So that could have further damaged the plant in addition to not diluting it. Looks like i killed the plant myself before the aphids could 😓
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm will the plant recover from this ? There is over a foot still left with many stems shooting from it.
I'd say very likely yes it'll make a full recovery. The aphid damage is rarely serious for plant health, and snipping off some stems also is not a huge problem for an otherwise healthy plant
I really appreciate the scientific explanation and basis of your opinions. I’d love to know what you think of using host plants to control aphids. Thanks.
A valid strategy - I've seen a lot of cool stuff with banker plants (often stocked with an aphid that can't spread to surrounding crops) to support populations of beneficials.
Thank you Jason for this video! It was really very helpful. My roses have aphids now. Please let me know the name of the beneficial insect that I can buy to get rid of them. ❤️
Aphidius wasps are probably the best and most targeted, but it'll depend on what you can source from your suppliers.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you! ❤️
thank you for the amazing video. i have climbing laguna on my balcony… im nervous to introduce wasps or ladybugs. do you have alternative suggestions? last spring, i used my gloves and neem oil spray to kill aphids every other day. 😅
Great information Jason! I learn a lot from watching your videos 😃😃😃
Wanted to let you know, I have a small container full of tiny rose plants!
I’m so excited it’s been in my fridge since last fall after I watched one of your videos.
I’m not potting up until they’re a bit bigger but wondered how many leaves should they have before I do pot up?
Hi Tamra - so exciting! So long as you're gentle with the roots you can transplant as early as you want (or leave them for longer is fine too!) I usually only wait until the seedling is about 2inches/5cm in height.
Thanks. That was very helpful. Usually, the aphid problem starts 3 or 4 weeks ago here in St Louis, MO, which it did. And usually the lady bugs start showing up by now. Where are they?
Thanks Julie. I still haven't seen a lot of the ladybugs, but the hoverflies and wasps are definitely already at work here.
Wonderful video! Thank you. Can you please do another one on sawflies? I have been trying no spray, waiting for the birds to eat them, but my rose leaves look terrible. Sawflies are harder to knock off with water. Thank you!
Thanks Lindsay. I'll put it on the list.
Very interesting and great presentation. I love gardening and I really enjoy learning about insects (good or bad), thanks for the info.
Very much my pleasure. Thanks for watching
Learned from you, this season did spray one aphid patch but then the lady bugs started appearing so I've just been letting it all play out. Can see remnants here and there and lady bugs here there and everywhere.. I think I'll get flowers and fruits, but enjoying watching either way
Good to hear. Thanks Zeff
I grew up listening to old farmers saying eradicate Sow thistle and Wild lettuce because it is a host for Aphids... But my experience is that if I leave a few scattered around that the aphids prefer them to anything I'm growing...
Great observation - I know there's been some changing attitudes around centaurea cyanus (cornflower) - often classed as a noxious weed, but also useful in hosting beneficials that combat cabbage moth.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm It is going on my planting list mow!
Oops, commonly known as Bachelor Buttons around here... Already growing it!
Awesome video Jason, thank you! I have a lot of fire ants and it seems like I am allergic....I got infection because I had idea that I got bitten by one or more and scratched. I need to get rid of them at least in around the house and the garden.... How do I do that effectively without poison.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by poison - borax has a long record of safe use (in laundry for instance) and is useful for killing ant colonies, but of course for the ants it's poison! ua-cam.com/video/TycvvVdvL_s/v-deo.html
Jason I swear that aphids can exist inside plants in dormancy. I have a dozen very large house plants, years old. And smaller ones (often seeds started from citrus, avocado, apple, dragon fruit ) I had a Cane Begonia that was especially large that had gorgeous heart shaped bright red blossoms & a few 3 yr olds of the same plant that were pink flowered. I got aphids on the large red one. Pinched off the tips which were showing signs of infestation meticulously, washed the walls, the windows, the floor. Repotted the entire plant after bathing it tip to root in my tub, disinfecting the huge pot, bought all new soil frm local greenhouse outlet. Did this for several years...1 year actually took it outside for all summer, then did the entire bath in a kiddie pool, repotted again to bring it inside for winter. Very hard work to manage the move alone & time consuming & expensive for all that new soil. Fine till early Feb. & once again, started seeing aphids on new growth tips. Put up with all the monitoring, pinching, disinfecting surfaces nearby....after that 4th summer I left it to freeze outside. I'd had it!
This winter I had large containers of various branches rooting in the house for months. Especially the willows leafed out so beautifully! Out of the blue in mid April I noticed aphids on my kitchen counter that had fallen off gooseberry branches like pale green snow had fallen! Out that all went. Luckily my baby Myer lemons in small pots or my 3 foot fig all on the same counter are fine! So in my mind, inside those foot long gooseberry branches aphids were dormant from early Dec. to April. Then full assault over maybe 2 weeks that I hadn't paid attention since things were not drying out & water did not need changing in the large ceramic jug. Nothing new had been introduced into the house, no other plants in the other rooms were infected whatso ever, not even the tubs of stuff rooting in new perlite-sand mix. So where else but inside the branches themselves do such infestations start?
They have a dormant egg stage that I'm sure can hide in the tiniest fissures or leaf scars.
I live in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Our property sits on a knoll and we are surrounded by hazelnut orchards, organic vineyards and hay crops. I have a formal rose garden with about 100 varieties of roses. I have zero aphids. I do not treat for them. I just don't have any. When we lived in town, aphids were also a huge problem for me. How is that possible that I don't have aphids on rural property? I do place fly predators all summer in the manure and compost pile behind the horse barn. Those supposedly stay near the manure pile and just eat fly larvae. I do have praying mantises, lady bugs, and parasitic wasps. I also raise mason bees in the spring to help pollinate my fruit orchard. I really cannot explain why aphids or spider mites are not in my garden. We have 10 acres, so they must be around somewhere.
That's wonderful to hear - and it most likely has to do with your robust populations of predators.
Thanks i didnt know they fly. I use insect cloth to extend my kale in Austin over summer for white flys and will look for wasps to import and plant small flower plants to attract the wasps. I do use Insect soap.
Sooooo helpful! Thank you! I’m so growing wasps!!!!
During the season I spray with my own solution.
20 grams of soft soap (green soap) and 20 grams of methylated spirits in 1 liter of water.
Cheap and easy on the environment.
One of the most common pieces of advice I find in rose groups is to spray the aphids with a hose. I'm curious if, and how, this kills them?
It's just a form of manual removal. Combined with a little massage of the growing tip or leaf, the aphids are dislodged from feeding and reproducing, cleaning up the plant and slowing down their population growth. The ones knocked to the ground are slow and left pretty vulnerable and although some will find their way back onto plants eventually, the large colony on that shoot is resolved for a bit.
Great video!
If I want to have a room or plastic greenhouse indoor as a quarantine zone, how long should it remain in that zone before it's safe to let them join the other house plants?
Not only to avoid aphids but for fungus gnats and other pests as well
It's a real judgement call. Most common pests will show some form of their life-cycle within a week or so with good observation.
Jason, I’m also having issues with midges, could you please talk about how you deal with those pests too? Thank you! 😅
Thank you for an informative video again.
I really enjoy watching your videos
Thank you
Thanks Anita
I've used the oil/soap spray solution from Cornell University for many years now and find it works. It doesn't get rid of all the aphids but I haven't lost any pants to them either. It doesn't seem to hurt the roses as far as I can tell. What are your thoughts on this?
Great video, as always.
Really good targeted approach!
Hi Jason. How would you suggest I dispose of aphid infested plants/offcuts?
I have an aphid problem and I actually manually cut off the most affected parts of my plants and discarded in into our green-lidded garden waste bin. Now the green lid is covered in aphids that have escaped from the bin. Should I have sprayed with insecticidal soap first?
Could do, but it's probably not something I'd bother with. Once they're off the plant I just assume them to be easy pickings for predators.
Great info Jason. Spinosad any good?
In a word: yes. Likely one of the best and safest of the stronger measures. A bit pricey here, but organic approved too.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Brilliant
Informative video. Is that butterfly bush or lilacs behind you?
Lilacs!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Nice! I wish I had room to grow one.
Saludos desde Perú. Gracias por traducirlo al español.🎉
Eres muy bienvenido
Thank you for this valuable information.
QUESTION: Do aphids transmit a virus to plants, and are plants (kale)safe to eat if there is some aphid damage? I soaked the kale in vinegar water then rinsed.... I'm assuming its safe to eat, but was concerned about viruses.
Yes, plants are safe to eat with aphid damage. The appearance of the damage can be a little off-putting, but there's no risk to human health. Even if a plant virus was transmitted, it's a specific plant pathogen and not harmful to people.
Thank you so much for this informative video.
I brought 2 Camellia plants from a Nursery they have Aphids. I was planning on planting them now I’m wondering should I just throw them out and get something else? I don’t see any aphids on my Roses or Gardenias. Anyone have any advice?
I'm freaking out because my beautiful Johny Clayton honeysuckle has aphids. I also just planted new roses. 😢 I just sent in a request to my local gardening extension to give me some local advice. Fingers crossed. My blooming garden is very new so I'm hoping to have some ecological balance within a few years. So far, I have very little wildlife - except aphids. Erghg!!!
Good heavens. I had to go back and edit my mistakes. I really was freaking out!!
Hi. Jason. Your video is real knowledge soup. Do you know how to cure black spots? Why some got but others are fine even though they are neighbors?
Some roses are just more susceptible than others. I sometimes use wettable sulfur to protect vulnerable cultivars.
Brilliant post! Thanks so much!!
My pleasure. Thanks for watching Nelida
Hi Jason,
I was at your farm last week getting a number of rose plants.
I see one of the firefighter rose plant has a few colonies of aphids . I want to get rid of the aphids. Please suggest what should I do immediately to stop them multiplying.
Thanks
Hi Dipesh - sorry to send you home with a little extra "company". We try to catch these outbreaks before the plants go out - and what we would do is either manually hose and rub them off with water or hit them with some insecticidal soap to knock down their population.
Last year my nasturtium was covered in black aphids! I Just squished as many as I could but they grew even more! My nasturtium was basically black! They are impossible to get rid of or even control due to their sheer number.
You know it.
Super informative. Keeping an eye out for the aphidious wasps now. Saw my first lady-bird beetle yesterday. Maybe you could show a picture of a young lady bug. They are super ugly (in my human opinion) and the first time I saw one I killed it.
Thanks Melissa - good suggestion!
Here in Las Vegas Nevada I find that only the Lower Limbs of My Oleanders but alas as soon as the Limbs Grow Up into the Full 🌝 Sun &Hot Dry Winds 🌬️ They all Die.
So I find that if I keep the Limbs high in the Sky they will not Live.
Now sometimes I get them on my Day lilies but alas they too will die in the Full 🌝 Summer 🌞☀️.
Sincerely Yours 🤠 Mr Severance,
"The Cake 😋 🍰🎂 🥳🎉 🎈🥂🎊 Man"&"Xerocsapeing Gardener".
Thanks Mr. Severance - they sure do love the cool wet part of spring here!
Do you know if the wasps are limited to certain zones or climates? I have never seen them in Alberta.
Thanks T. Anon Good question - native ranges of these wasps will vary a bit but aphidius wasps are the ones mainly reared for release. For interest sake, have a look at this fact sheet about beneficial insects native to Alberta under the section on parasitoid wasps: open.alberta.ca/dataset/da25a50d-a5d8-448d-8c31-1d247b27969a/resource/1662a06e-67fc-4cf0-99e1-4e9e7ddfed06/download/2000-620-3.pdf
Another great video… Mother Nature is fascinating and kind of yucky at the same time…
Yeah, pretty brutal really.
I just found them on the new leaf growth on my young pear tree. Before seeing this video I found a recipe using dawn and water solution so i just sprayed my 2 little fruit trees. Hopefully I haven't harmed them 🤦.
Placed some oregano plants in our garden, which attracted lots of ladybugs. The aphids have no chance against the ladybugs.
Good call
Hello, we're managing a rose farm and finding the one particular row of roses the Winchester Cathedral is consumed by aphids. We've tried white oil but doesn't seem to be affective. The plants have been struggling in health and producing blooms. Aphids don't seem to be effecti g another rose plants. What are your suggestions? Arne
What a fun (or not!) quirk that they're only bothering one cultivar. Even a smaller release of aphidius might be just the thing if it's well timed with the early part of the outbreak. Here I know my greenhouses will see aphids pretty predictably after April 1. If you need a fast knock-down you might consider a spinosad application - it's a natural extract of bacteria, relatively safe and usually approved for organic production
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thanks so much will give it a go.
They absolutely do NOT die
Can planting flowers aphids like such as calendula work as bait to where they leave other plants alone?
It's a reasonable idea to plant some more vulnerable plants in the garden, but it doesn't mean they'll automatically leave your favorite plants alone. It does mean that 1) you can have an early warning for when aphid populations are on the rise, and 2) that the beneficial insects will have a food source of aphids on those vulnerable plants - and that established population of predators can be in place to combat subsequent outbreaks in the garden.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm There are plants that supposedly repel certain aphids, have you seen that work?
Every year I get a heavy infestation of aphids on my roses and I never seem to be able to tackle it. I did notice that they prefer some roses over others. Why is that?
True - but I've never been able to sort out a definite characteristic they seem to be targeting.
Additional insight I did not know. My clematis gets a nasty case of green aphids and they are fussed over by ants. I gave a good water spray and it did the trick. But I also have yellowing leaves every year on this plant…so it’s weak to begin with. I recently read a spray of 1:4 Epsom salt to water on the leaves or poured in the soil could alleviate this issue. Any thoughts?
Yellowing can have so many different causes. That's a pretty high concentration of epsom salts - I'd avoid it.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm 👍🏻
Hi Jason after a fierce summer my roses were firstly overtaken by aphids. I tried watering them off n encouraging lady bugs. Well the bugs got to be obese but gave up after a huge water bill. Ended up using natrasoap I’ve had moderate success then they got hit with thrips. I gave up and used the least poisonous systemic solution of success ultra not before I lost 5 beautiful roses. I’m unsure if we have your wasps and if not can we bring them into Western Australia ?
Hi Heather. I don't know the regs there but I did a quick search for biological control companies in Australia, and found that aphidius colemani and A. ervi are in the mix there (along with other species)
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thank you I’ll do a search from the ag dept.
Can you use baking soda to spray?
It's not something I've heard against aphids, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had some effect - potassium bicarbonate is gentler on plant tissues than sodium tho
My biggest problem is the Japanese beetle! I’m at a loss, I tried been oil and that does not work at all. I am in zone 6, I am at a loss and although I kill them with my hands as soon as I see them, I can’t keep up with them and they are also on my dahlias as well. Suggestions please
They're vulnerable to a number of sprays for direct control (spinosad being a reasonably environmental choice), but because they fly in from a large range, it's pretty hard to see how you could keep up with the influx. BTg (BeetleGone) can be a decent preventive application on foliage of susceptible plants - reducing adult feeding for about 2 weeks. If you see their grub damage in your lawns, it might be worth looking at Milky Spore as a solution.
Thank you, I’m heading to my garden center to check out the options you gave me. I meant to type ‘Neem oil’. I’ll give this a try and let you know. I never had this problem since I moved to a warmer climate.
I am having such an aphid problem!! I feel frustrated. This is the second year with a greenhouse and it just exploded. I never had any the first year. I felt like they don’t go away with just intense spray with water or the homemade sprays. I would like to stay organic but it feels overwhelming.
Of course you have to work within your own tolerance level - and you're the once close enough to the situation to make the call. One option to think about is a spray with spinosad as the active ingredient - it is organic and relatively safer to handle than other hardcore chems but still does a fairly wide-spectrum knock-down. I'd try to time the application when pollinators aren't active (like first thing in the morning)
Thanks so much for the tip and advice. I think that I needed to do something more and I will definitely get that spray. I was worried about the pollinators so that really helps. Thanks again for your help!!
Not me spraying my roses daily with black soap 😭 so annoying
Thanks Jason. 🌷💚🙃
3:20 so grossed out by the thought of them raining down upon us like a plague 🤢
Fascinating
I used to overwinter the Hybrid Perpetual
Continuing Enfant de France in my garage and when I took it out in spring it was covered with thousands of aphids.
The solution is a sharp spray of water from a hose. I would knock them to the ground and they can't get up. So the ones the birds don't eat just die.
Really, just take out your hose and knock them to the ground, as Jason suggested.
very informative, but the first 4 minutes describe my nightmare. they clone themselves, they fly and then fall from the sky 😢
A recommended to my friend when she had aphids, to use Ladybugs. She told me she ordered 1500 and turned them all loose in a 6×10 mini greenhouse 😂. She said is that enough.. Yep that'll do it 😂
Thank you.
no wonder why we cannot keep up with them
So interesting
What with roots aphids on true fir?
Root aphids are pretty tough to reach by conventional predator/parasitoid options. You could look at nematodes like steinernema or heterohabditis
Gross, but I squish them w my fingers because it’s effective and saves time. I grow milkweed plants (for monarchs) so I have a limited amount of plants but it’s doable and the plants are healthy.
Hey Jason. You feeling ok? You look a little pale. Just asking out of concern. Hope your feeling well. Take care of yourself. And great video. One day I hope i can be as informative as you are. Best wishes for you and your family from South Louisiana! 🐊🐊🦐🦞🦀
Thanks, I'm fine. I took this vid in some funny lighting conditions (morning shade of a bright day) and my color grading skills aren't awesome, so I bet that's what you're seeing.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm ok good. Make sure you rest and eat good. And i am gona stop mother henning now lol.
That was a GREAT video!
I'm not that into roses, but I'm definitely staying for more like this! Thank you! 💚
My pleasure -- thanks for the feedback Anna
Out of all the videos I've watched about aphids- controlling them, managing them, etc.- I've never heard anyone mention the fact about them being born pregnant!?!? So interesting for they can just clone themselves!
Yeah, they've got the fast reproduction down to an art!