Aphids
Aphids, also known as Plant Lice, are one of the most common and easily recognizable plant pests. They are most often found on the new growth of plants and under leaves both indoors and outdoors. They are pear shaped and about 1/8 inch in size. Aphids can be red, pink, green, yellow, grey, black or white and they spread by crawling or flying from plant to plant. They suck the sap from new plant growth and secret honeydew. Honeydew is a sticky substance that encourages mold, fungus and disease. The leaves of an aphid infested plant will be curled and deformed and, with a bad enough infestation, will drop.
Aphids are different than other plant pests in that they don’t lay eggs but give birth to live young called nymphs. The nymphs mature into adults in 10 days. Each adult aphid can give birth to 3-6 nymphs per day lasting several weeks. Because they multiply so rapidly and the young begin sucking the plant sap from the time they are born, it’s best to catch an infestation early on.
The best treatment is prevention. Check your plants when you purchase them and every time you water or dust them. Check the leaves, underside of leaves, axis, everything. This way if you do end up getting pests (chances are you will at some point because nature can’t be controlled) you will know as soon as possible and can intervene. Pests are far easier to eradicate when there’s only a small amount compared to a heavy infestation.
If you do have aphids, you can try the following:
Dip a cotton swab in alcohol and wipe the bugs off the plant.
Spray the plant with Neem oil. This doesn’t kill them but it does prevent them from feeding.
Spray down the plant and crevices with a steady stream of water. This is great for light infestations.
Remove damaged or heavily infested parts of the plant.
Mix a solution of 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap and 1 gallon of water. Liberally spray down the plant. This instantly kills aphids.
Repeat whichever of these treatment plans you choose weekly until the infestation is gone.
There are many other pesticides and treatments if these don’t work but they can be harmful to the plants, animals and people so use them with caution and carefully follow the directions.
