Every year I bring my hibiscus trees into the basement for the winter. Every year they get like this by January (this is a picture from last year). I am assuming these are aphids, but am not really sure. I have tried spraying them with soapy water, but it does not seem to help much. Even though it looks horrible, there really does not seem to be any damage to the plant. When I bring them outside in the spring, I soap them up and spray with a hose and the little nasties just seem to disappear. It has been happening for four years now, so I have just accepted that it will and I don't worry much about it. But if anyone has some idea what I can do to prevent them this year, I am open to all suggestions.
They look like monster aphids! Wow-do you try to wipe them off or just spray them off? It may just be this insects prime time of the year.
ReplyDeleteYep they are aphids. There are heaps in my garden at the moment. I don't worry about spraying them, there are little Blue Wrens that are smaller than my fist that hop around and eat them. If I do sucumb to spraying I use soapy water. Maybe you need to make your mix stronger and use pure soap not detergent. There are commercial sprays avaiable here in Australia - but I haven't tried them - not sure how enviormentally friendly they are. Maybe worth a visit to your nursery or even a chemical store that sells farming type chemicals. Depends on how desperate you are I guess. You can also rub them off with your fingers - nasty job but it works.
ReplyDeleteI dunno if it works with yours but it does with mine. I prepare a home made solution for that.
ReplyDeleteCollect a few waste pieces of dry tobacco leaf (I use small pieces of chewing tobacco)add equal quantity of lauudry soap dissolved in water(no detergent plz) Boil it for a 3 mts and filter it when it is cold. Dilute if thick so that you can use it in a home sprayer
GROSS!
ReplyDeleteJac, Would the insides of a cigarette work? Your solution seems easy enought and worth a try.
ReplyDeleteCalidore,Yes, I have squished the little suckers leaf by leaf (with gloves on)and a Kleenex.
Yes, they are GROSS, takoma.
Dianne, they are not very big. I had to zoom in to seem them. They are really just little black specs.
I havent ever seen an aphid in my garden :) I am glad for that! You may be seeing them inside because all the natural prediters are left outside so they are uncontrolled. Aphids are sucking insects so can give your plants diseases.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it should work Zoey! but the chewing one is untreated and strong. We need a strong potion. Try anyhow, it doesn't cost you any.
ReplyDeleteIt works superb with the chewing one.