What kind of bugs are these?

[clkingtx]

I just found out that in my garden, they prefer Brussels sprouts to swiss chard. I need to go over all my plants now. I didn't think I had any pests in my garden, but obviously I have a bad aphid problem! They appear to only be on the Brussels sprouts...Little boogers. I will get out there tonight with soapy water spray.

[kurt]

For me problem with bugs/insects control is not really identifying them but where did they come from?How they move and their life cycle(time from eggs to maturity).Most of the time I found out they come in the bags of soil/mediums that are dormant until they get a moisture and food source.I just went thru a batch of BCuzz soil mix that gave me russet mites and some brown cutworms I have never had before in all the years.Just understanding the life cycle will help eradicate the critters.Just spraying aphids off on to the ground lets them move to another plant if they don't get eaten on the way.A lot of sprays will kill the critters you see but they do love the ground,and mulching is great for moisture but a good habitat for critters also.It seems to be a never ending battle but we need them as much as they need us.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I leave as many aphids as I can stand on my plants for the ladybugs and other predators. They were all over my kale plants, the ladybugs showed up, and 2 days later, no more aphids. It was so bad I'd been thinking about removing the kale plants, but now they're totally aphid-free. I have lots of yarrow, and that's where I see the ladybugs now. Probably a third of my garden is plants for the pollinators and beneficials.

I have had diseases from aphids twice. I think it's CMV but I'm not sure. The disease looks like the tomatoes were exposed to herbicide, with small, curling twisting stems and leaves.
My mother lost her entire tomato garden last spring, we had to replant a month late because of same disease.
I don't mind aphids on my artichoke but I'm now much more careful with the tomatoes.
One thing I do to attract ladybugs is to let my radishes go to flower. A bunch of radishes is a sure way to attract ladybugs.

[Tracydr]

Any recommendations for washing kale? My kale is horribly infested, to the point that I haven't wanted to eat it.
We threw a bunch of collards away this winter, after spending far too long washing it.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Any recommendations for washing kale? My kale is horribly infested, to the point that I haven't wanted to eat it.
We threw a bunch of collards away this winter, after spending far too long washing it.

The old traditional way of washing collards and kale taught to me by my grandmother is to soak it for 1 hour in cold salt water first, then rinse each leaf as you strip it. That of course is when it is infested with bugs. If there are not many bugs no need for the salt.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by kurt

Aphids may be green, yellow, brown, red or black depending on the species and the plants they feed on. A few species appear waxy or woolly due to the secretion of a waxy white or gray substance over their body surface. All are small, pear-shaped insects with long legs and antennae. Most species have a pair of tubelike structures called cornicles projecting backwards out of the hind end of their body. The presence of cornicles distinguishes aphids from all other insects.
Adult aphids are generally wingless, but most species also occur in winged forms, especially when populations are high or during spring and fall. The ability to produce winged individuals provides the pest with a way to disperse to other plants when the food source gets scarce. Although they may be found singly, aphids often feed in dense groups on leaves or stems. Unlike leafhoppers, plant bugs, and certain other insects that might be confused with them, most aphids do not disperse rapidly when disturbed.

Winged aphid. Photo from the Florida Cooperative Extension

I thought the same.

that's interesting i have always read they can't fly or walk and that's why a blast of water is sufficient. maybe in the tropics, homestead is pretty far south in the us.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by tjg911

that's interesting i have always read they can't fly or walk and that's why a blast of water is sufficient....

Me too. But I did know that some of them are born winged, and they're wafted on the wind. As far as I know, they're not strong enough to fly under their own power.

[Riceloft]

I have that exact variety of aphid on about 4 or 5 plants. One worse than the others. I sprayed with neem oil yesterday and will give them some hard shots with the garden hose today.

Unfortunately, they're dwarfs, so they're really compact and its hard to get in all the nooks and crannies with either method.