How to: Manage Aphids in Your Garden

Aphids are tiny insects that can usually be found in groups on the undersides of leaves and stems. A few aphids can’t do much, but they reproduce quickly, are born pregnant, and can take over a plant in no time at all!

Treatment Options:

• Spray aphids off leaves with a blast of water from the sprayer and repeat as necessary for a few days
• Ladybugs are valuable ally and can be purchased to help with aphid control. Make sure you release them at night on plants that are infested with aphids, and it wouldn’t hurt to provide a source of water as well. They will quickly mate and lay their eggs, resulting in alligator-shaped larvae hatching and devouring aphids. A single ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids in their lifetime!
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• Green lacewing larvae are voracious predators of many soft bodied insect pests, including several species of aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, leafhoppers, and others.
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Aphids pretty much can attack any and all plants! Plants to especially watch:

• Squash, such as:
  • Acorn Squash
  • Butternut Squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Summer Squash (Zucchini)
• Plants in the Brassicaceae family, such as:
  • Arugula
  • Bok Choy
  • Cabbage
  • Collard Greens
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Turnips
• Peppers
  • Banana Peppers
  • Bell Peppers
  • Hot Peppers
  • Sweet Peppers
• Basil
• Beans (Bush & Pole)
• Beets
• Berries, such as:
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Currant
  • Elderberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
• Cantaloupe
• Chamomile
• Cilantro/Coriander
• Cucumber
• Dill
• Marigolds
• Nasturtiums
• New Zealand Spinach
• Okra
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Southern Peas (Black-eyed peas)
• Spinach
• Tomatoes (Bush & Vine)