How to get rid of aphids on houseplants

Aphids And Ants

Ants will bring aphids to a houseplant so that they can feed off of the honeydew which is produced when the aphids feed on the plant. So, if you have ants in your house, then that may be where the aphids are coming from.

Vinegar kills aphids by working as a natural contact pesticide that burns them to death. The solution contains acetic acid and water that when sprayed on an infested plant will help control the aphids.

Make a homemade insecticidal soap, a low-toxicity bug control solution that will desiccate the soft bodies and kill the aphids without doing harm to your plants. Simply mix a few teaspoons of liquid dish soap with one quart of water, then spray or wipe the solution onto the leaves, stems, and buds of the plant.

Eliminate colonies

No matter how often you spray your plants with water, soap solution, or even the Aphid Chaser, they will not go away unless the heart of the colony is removed.

Natural Pest Repellent

Cut up banana peels to bury 1 to 2 inches deep in the soil around plants that are prone to aphid infestations to repel and remove aphids from the area. Orange peels contain d-Limonene, a natural chemical that destroys the waxy coating on ants and aphids, causing them to suffocate and die.

There are a few facts that everyone agrees on: Most aphids live on or under the leaves of plants, piercing them and extracting sap, which can cause leaves to deform or curl up . Grey-white root aphids, on the other hand, live in the soil and can attack plants causing them to suddenly wilt and die.

Aphids (Aphis spp.) do not bite human beings or chew plant leaves. Commonly called plant lice, colonies of aphids inject saliva into plants as they suck fluids.

The result of being ‘bitten’ by the aphid is a red swelling that disappears after an hour or so, but leaves a very itchy rash that can persist for two to three days.

However, the most harmful effect of aphids is the transmission of viruses. Aphids can transmit dozens of viruses from a diseased plant to healthy one iin just a few seconds, especially the winged generations.

When the weather is warm, many species of aphids can develop from newborn nymph to reproducing adult in seven to eight days. Because each adult aphid can produce up to 80 offspring in a matter of a week, aphid populations can increase with great speed.

You can often get rid of aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dish soap. Soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.

Neem oil can help stop aphid infestations from growing, especially as crawlers move up stems. Do not use insecticidal soaps to control soil-borne aphids.

The infestation process begins as winged adult aphids come in from their winter hideaways (usually the craggy bark of nearby trees) during early spring when weather is warm enough to allow their flight and migration, and this can be very early in the season.

Insects tend to be most active in the early morning. The best time of day to spray for aphids is first thing in the morning. When it comes to aphids, the time of day is less important than attacking the problem when you first notice it.

Life cycle of aphids

All the aphids born from the winter eggs are females. Several more generations of female aphids are born during the spring and summer. A female can live for 25 days, during which time she can produce up to 80 new aphids.

Heat and high humidity can really knock them back as they are fairly fragile and die off in droves when temperatures are over 90°F. Soap sprays work by smothering the aphids by coating their skins.