what can I do??

9 years ago

I need help. This is my second year gardening. Last year we were in an apartment and I had a crazy container garden. This year we have a good sized backyard and front yard and just like lasy year we have aphids. They were bad on my plants last year but only cause I caught them late. I released lady bugs and sprayed some with soap. This year I caught them early and have kept the green and brownn aphids under decent control but the wooly aphids are out of control. They have destroyed about 18 petunia plants and my son's pansies and my fuschias. I spray with soap as needed and spray strong plants with water here and there. I have treated with neem oil twice in the last week.

Now the little devils are everywhere. And I really do mean everywhere. They are covering everything. They are all over my patio furniture, the BBQ, the sand box lid, our truck. When my dog comes in from the yard, even after being out for just a moment I have to hose her off cause they are on her. I first noticed just over a week ago when my son and I took a walk they were landing on us. A few green or brown aphids here and there but the wooly aphids are so much worse. At any given time I can look out the window and see three or more flying around.

My dilemma is, other than the obvious well being of my plants, we are having a baby shower in my backyard in a couple weeks and the following week will be my son's birthday party. Our house is too small inside so we can't move it indoors but I don't want guests to be plagued by aphids and I sure don't want them coming inside and getting on my house plants either. I'm sorry this is long. But aside of buying ten packs of ladybugs (which would be fun but we don't really have the money for) I don't know what to do. I try to be bee safe as much as I can because of our bee crisis here. 1/3 of our hives have died. Please help is you can!

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Comments (13)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
hey are covering everything. They are all over my patio furniture, the BBQ, the sand box lid, our truck.

==>>> seems odd.. for aphids ...

can we be sure on the ID???

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Dragonfly, I can relate to your problem every summer when the Woolly Hackberry aphids are flitting around like little bits of cotton. By any chance do you have hackberry trees in your neighborhood? They don't have to be next door for your property to be covered.

Yes, they do land on anything and everything. When I first moved here to Northern Alabama, I first thought that they were bits of cotton or ash falling from the sky.

Don't waste your money on ladybugs.

It would be a good idea to collect a couple, perhaps on a piece of tape, and let us see some pictures.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
man i am so glad i dont live in the south ... biting ants.. marauding hordes of insects .. termites that eat your house .... crikey...

remind of this next january.. when i am complaining how cold it is .... but winter is killing off most of the dormant bugs.. so we dont have those types of populations .... up here in MI ... lol

regardless.. we still dont have an ID ...

ken
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
I will try to get a pic. Not sure how clear it will be. I'm pretty sure that's what they are. Some are fuzzy some less fuzzy and hanging out with the other aphids. I saw some last year and thought they were cotton as well cause we have tons of cotton wood trees but then I looked closer after finding the green aphids.

I'm not sure about the hackneyed trees, I'm not sure what they look like so I'll look em up and see if any are nearby. There are a few huge tulip trees next door. Let me try to get a pic.
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
Will have to post separately. Sorry about that.
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
On my petunias. The ones that haven't died.
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
If these are something else please do tell me what they are. I looked and looked online and I think they are wolly aphids. There were some more fluffy looking ones but I killed them
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
Sorry they aren't the best. I read some species such as the wooly apple aphid are less wooly than some others. They look like some of the pictures I've seen but if I'm wrong I'd like to know! I have seen a few whiteflies here and there as well but nothing is so abundant as these things!

This post was edited by dragonfly_field on Sun, Jul 6, 14 at 21:30
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
Sorry wanted to be thorough. Hope these pictures help
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Those look like the cast off exoskeletons of aphids. They shed their skins as they grow. Are those that you have pictured alive and kicking....or just empties?

It's Hackberry, not hackneyed.
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
They seem to be alive cause they are always flying through the air during the day. I see them on plants where i have not seen any aphids. I actually haven't had too many aphids really the soap has been keeping them away pretty well. It's just these. All over everything. They are in spider webs a lot also.

Could they still be exoskeletons?
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
You know I looked up exoskelatons and the absolutely do look like them! So if they are I'm super confused as to how I don't have many aphids yet these thing are on everything! If I hose everything off around noon they are covered again by evening. And they, or something else that looks like them are constantly flying through the air. Not jus floating but flying with purpose. And these things are always landing on me or my dog. .. I'm so confused, maybe it's both?
dragonfly_field
Original Author
9 years ago
Oh and sorry about the tree name. I typed out hackberry and my phone changed it on me. I'm starting to think these smartphones aren't so smart...