Are these aphids?

Discussion in 'Garden Pest Management and Identification' started by lanarkcp, Jul 2, 2006.

  1. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    These appeared on my daisies overnight and there are thousands of them, covering the stems, almost completely. The heads of these insects appear to be piercing the stem. They are very small and red in colour. Will they kill the plant?
     

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  2. 81044

    81044 Active Member

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    Look like aphids to me...could very well kill your plant or severly weaken it...try washing them off with a hose...it usually works.
     
  3. wild-rose-43

    wild-rose-43 Active Member

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    They look like Aphids to me too. Washing them off will help but only for a short time, they'll be back. There are numerous pesticides that will rid your plants of these pests.
     
  4. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    Thanks for responding. I will spray them with Trounce, to see if that works. Are the eggs laid in a nest on the plant, otherwise, how could such a number of them appear so suddenly? If the Trounce works, what would be the source of a reinfestation and will I have to spray regularly all summer? I forgot to mention that it looked like some of them had wings.
     
  5. Margaret

    Margaret Active Member 10 Years

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    What about using ladybugs to get rid of them?
    Margaret
     
  6. 81044

    81044 Active Member

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    You can try ladybugs...but I find that they seldom stay around in 1 place very long...they tend to fly off to whereever ladybugs want to go for vacation.
     
  7. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    I sprayed this morning with Trounce. The insects held on for a few hours, but when the sun came round to the front, they started dropping off.

    How do you buy ladybugs? By the pound in a package?
     
  8. wild-rose-43

    wild-rose-43 Active Member

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    I've seen packages of ladybugs for sale at Fred Meyers in the garden department. Seems like a risky way to control aphids to me, like 81044 says, they tend to leave and I don't know how you'd fence the little beggers in!
     
  9. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    The Trounce seems to have worked fairly well. The aphids have come back in much smaller numbers and I have been knocking them off (so to speak) by shaking the plant stalks or rubbing them off. I live in a forested area, so I know I will not win any battle with nature, but keeping the flowers just healthy enough to give me some colour will do.
     
  10. oscar

    oscar Active Member

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    Then don't fight nature, work with it ;) use plants that attract predators, a combination of hoverflies and ladybirds or ladybugs as you call them, will soon eat all the aphids....it will take 3 or so years for a balance to be reached, and you may lose a few plants along the way, but using organic principles really does work.
     
  11. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    Thanks - what plant would attract ladybugs?
     
  12. oscar

    oscar Active Member

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    I was thinking more of the hoverflies when talking about attracting predators with plants, i made a list of plants for attracting wildlife, its aimed at UK gardens, however, a lot of plants are readily available there, anyway heres the list;
    Plants for wildlife gardens.....Attracts
    Abies koreana................Owls and finches
    Achillea........................Bees, insects
    Allium...........................Bees, insects
    Aquilegia......................Insects
    Aster frickartii...............Bees and butterflies
    Buddleja......................Butterflies and pollinating insects
    Caryopteris..................Insects
    Centranthus.................Insects
    Cephalaria Gigantea ......Bees, butterflies, insects
    Clearodendron...............Insects
    Digitalis........................Bees
    Echinacea....................Insects
    Hebe...........................Insects
    Hedera helix..................Birds, insects and mammals
    Hyssops.......................Bees and butterflies
    Ilex.............................Birds
    Iris..............................Insects
    Leycesteria...................Birds
    Lonicera.......................Moths
    Malus...........................Bees and Birds
    Melitis..........................Bees
    Mellisa.........................Bees, insects
    Monarda......................Bees
    Nepeta........................Bees
    Penstemon...................Insects
    Photinia.......................Insects
    Prunus padus................Pollinating insects, Birds
    Pyracantha..................Birds (nesting)
    Rosa...........................Bees, birds and mammals
    Rubus.........................Bees
    Saponaria....................Insects, moths
    Scabiosa.....................Insects
    Sedum........................Bees and butterflies
    Sorbus........................Birds
    Stipa tenuissima...........Birds particularly finches
    Thymus......................Insects
    Viburnum opulus...........Birds
     
  13. lanarkcp

    lanarkcp Active Member

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    Thank you. The list is overwhelming -- I will use it this evening to find photos on the Net. I never thought of encouraging such things as owls, yet it makes perfect sense, given the number of mice and moles in the area, which can be a problem come fall. The only thing I have ever deliberately tried to attract is the monarch butterfly, by keeping a patch of outlawed milkweek behind the house.
     

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