Here’s what to do when your vegetable garden has an aphids infestation

Garden Pests Home

Aphids Infestation:

The Aphids insect, also known as plant lice can be one of the most destructive garden pests for vegetable gardens. The insect will also damage various plants, shrubs and citrus trees.

There are roughly 4,400 species of the insect. About 250 of these species are known to cause concern among farmers and the forestry department when it comes to the harm they can do.

As mentioned early in this article, an aphid feeds on different plants. They eat the sap that is found in the phloem vessels. This living tissue transports nutrients to other parts of the plant where it’s needed. For example, in a tree the bark is the phloem is found.

Aphids can be green, brown, black, and even pink. They have antennas and a stylet. The stylet is part of the mouth used to suck the sap from plants.

A rostrum, which works like a sheath, surrounds this body part. Many aphids feed on one plant while others feed on hundreds of different species.

Do your plants have these symptoms of Aphids infestation?

• The saliva from aphids is believed to be toxic to plants. Some of the symptoms from the garden pest include:

• Slow growth—curled leaves—stunted growth—wilting—browning—molted leaves.

• The plant loses its vitality when the insect removes the sap.

Many resources have been exhausted looking for methods to control aphids infestation. This is true of farmers who have lost thousands of dollars in crops because of this garden pest.

During feeding they secrete a honey like substance causing a fungus known as sooty mold to develop on the leaves of the plant. The honeydew secretions left behind from the aphid attract ants that feed on the sweet substance.

A infestation can occur throughout the world but are more commonly found in mild temperatures. It is not uncommon for the insect to be carried by the wind many miles away. Moving infested plants from one location to another can also spread the insect.

What to do when aphids infest?

Winning the war against this GARDEN PEST can be carried out using its natural enemies.

Crab spiders, parasitic wasps, ladybugs, lacewings and hoverfly larvae are all known to hunt and feed on aphids.

There are other methods of controlling a aphids infestation on plants and in gardens. Using a low-pressure sprayer with soap and water is a known method. You don’t need more than a tablespoon of soap per gallon of water to get desirable results.

The trick to spraying for aphids is making sure you hit the underside of the leaves. The underside of a leaf is where aphids are often found.

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