Aphids a first for me

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I have been very lucky with tomato pests in the past 3 years but out checking on my black krim (puchased plant 6 weeks ago not on the original plan to grow) and inscpecting saw a few ants crawling arond (diifferent problem) and saw what I thought were ant eggs but upon further inspection they were green aphids.

This explains the curled leaves that I thought was from too much water from the rain/hail the last week or so.

I removed some of the very lower branches as those needed to go at some point and since they had aphids on the underside I thought this was the best time. I sprayed with a non-organic incecticide that did say it controlled aphids anything else I should be doing?

I am a container gardener and so far only the black krim has any aphids.

[Ozark]

I've been spraying weekly, or as close to weekly as weather permits in between rainstorms, with both Daconil and Sevin.

This time of year, I've found that tomatoes get attacked a lot by aphids and flea beetles. It's been about 5 days since I sprayed, and today was hot and sunny. Today, I noticed elongated little white specks on my tomato leaves, which I'm pretty sure are the shells of aphid eggs that have hatched.

We've got still another 2" rain predicted for tomorrow, and right after that I'll spray again. I've found that you just have to stay on top of this with a regular spray schedule for both fungus diseases and insects to prevent damage before it happens.

[Zana]

Have you tried companion planting with your containers? In about every other to third container I usually put some garlic chives, the others I plant marigolds at the base of the tomato plants. In the past 7 years since I started doing this, I've had no probs with aphids. Before that they destroyed all the leaves on my tomato plants. Aphids particularly don't like Marigolds. So I plant them around the bases of my roses too. Haven't had to spray them for aphids in closer to 15 years since I started planting them around the roses. I prefer to use something more organic especially around food crops, so the companion planting works for me. Good luck whichever you try.

[Raymondo]

Ozark, aphids, as far as I know, bear their young live, so those eggs belong to something else.

[mcsee]

Try hanging a banana skin in each of the tomato plants that have the aphids, it is supposed to 'deter' them. Works for roses too.

[Tomstrees]

Ladybugs love my pool -
So I rescue them and place them on aphid infected plants.
Has worked awesome so far!!!

Can't go any "greener" than that ...

~ Tom

[Ozark]

Originally Posted by Raymondo

Ozark, aphids, as far as I know, bear their young live, so those eggs belong to something else.

You're right, generally. I just did a little reading and found that aphids have an extremely complicated life cycle, and that's what makes it so difficult to keep plants free of them.

They reproduce both sexually and through parthinogenesis. The first method involves eggs, but with the second each female produces about 5 other females a day without a partner and without eggs. Some of the females grow wings and can travel hundreds of miles with the help of the wind.

The white specks on leaves that I'm talking about are tiny, about the size of a grain of salt. They're elongated and they look empty, like a tiny strip of skin. If they're not the remnants of eggs, then maybe they're the shed skin of aphids as they grow - I don't know.

I do know from experience that when you see those white specks on leaves it's a sure sign aphids are present.

[huntoften]

I'm (fingers crossed) still aphid free this year! Last year, they devastated many of my plants despite sevin dust, and insecticidal soap...this year, not an aphid to be seen! I have not sprayed a single insecticide or used soap yet. The only thing I've done differently is use the reflective mulch film...I'm a firm believer in it now!

[Ozark]

huntoften - The article I just read about aphids said that the flying ones go great distances and they land by keying in on a color - dark green. Commercial farmers have had some success in minimizing aphids by planting strips of dark-green plants away from their light-green crops.

Since travelling aphids are so sensitive to color, it may be that your reflective mulch keeps the first colonizing aphids from landing on your tomato plants.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Originally Posted by Ozark

You're right, generally. I just did a little reading and found that aphids have an extremely complicated life cycle, and that's what makes it so difficult to keep plants free of them.

They reproduce both sexually and through parthinogenesis. The first method involves eggs, but with the second each female produces about 5 other females a day without a partner and without eggs. Some of the females grow wings and can travel hundreds of miles with the help of the wind.

The white specks on leaves that I'm talking about are tiny, about the size of a grain of salt. They're elongated and they look empty, like a tiny strip of skin. If they're not the remnants of eggs, then maybe they're the shed skin of aphids as they grow - I don't know.

I do know from experience that when you see those white specks on leaves it's a sure sign aphids are present.

I have the white specks too. I think I may need to round up some lady bugs.

[ChuckBartok]

An introduction of Lacewing Larvae can clean up
an aphid population below the threshold in 24 hours.
Verocious little critters.

We always keep some around in "cool" storage during the early season





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Natural Controls of Garden Pests

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Originally Posted by ChuckBartok

An introduction of Lacewing Larvae can clean up
an aphid population below the threshold in 24 hours.
Verocious little critters.

We always keep some around in "cool" storage during the early season





Sign up for our New FREE Newsletter

Natural Controls of Garden Pests

Where does one find these?

[ChuckBartok]

You already have them in your garden ,
just probably not enough.

Call Ron at Rincon Insectary, the First Company
in the Commercial Production of Lacewing.

800-248-2847
Tel him Chuck sent you


Me in 1964 on our HUGE Lacewing and
other Bug Collector

Ah, wasn't youth Grand....!

Don't forget to subscribe to the soon to be
released FREE Newsletter, bringing everything
up to date

http://beginnersmarketingclass.com/rincon.html


We will have actual Order pages up soon,
for Lacewings and all the other fine
Biological Control pest and predators available.

I am going back to my YOUTH, what a thrill!

I remember so well in 1963 growing Lacewing in the bedroom..

We wre all CRAZY, but the system works

[huntoften]

Found some aphids on my cherry tomatoes this week. They are the only tomatoes not mulched with the silver film. It wasn't a major infestation, but there were some clusters of 20-30 on a few of the new leaves...they reproduce fast though!

I used castille soap last year and wasn't impressed with the results, but I didn't notice them until the infestation was major though. I bought a bottle of Pyola concentrate this winter and remembered it when I saw the aphids. I mixed a couple of spoons full of it in a spray bottle and mixed with water. I sprayed the plants three days ago and again yesterday...today...no live aphids! A lot of dead soldiers, but no aphids!

[mdvpc]

I bought green lacewings this year for the first time-aphids have been a problem for me on my chile and eggplant. No aphids this year have survived the green lacewings.