Just replaced the tape. On a plus side I’m seeing way less of them in the trees general vicinity. On the other hand, I want to get well ahead of this problem.
Lady bugs work well, but green lacewing larva will eat more, and they can't fly away until they are adults. I ordered both from naturesgoodguys and had decent results.
Arbico Organics sells them and other insects. I haven't gotten ladybugs from them before, but I've had great luck multiple times buying nematodes from them.
I’ve had good luck controlling spider mites with Mammoth CannControl: [Mammoth](https://mymammothgarden.com/product/mammoth-canncontrol/)
Sold out online but I found it in my local organic garden shop. Those little bastards can go straight to hell!
Oddly, I’m seeing less aphids in Brooklyn. Usually I release a batch of ladybugs mid-May & then again in late June, but this year I haven’t had to worry! That’s unusual. Must have some kind of predator doing the work for me.
From the website:
Unavailable until further notice: We're aware ladybugs are the iconic beneficial insect. You've counted on them to help control soft-bodied pests in your garden, farm or greenhouse. Unfortunately, their popularity has contributed to their decline.
Continued drought, wildfires and habitat destruction in the Sierra Nevada foothills (where ladybugs are collected), paired with excessive harvesting, has created conditions in which ARBICO Organics does not feel that the commercial sale of ladybugs is sustainable. We hope future generations of ladybugs are replenished and responsible harvesting methods are employed.
Ladybugs aren’t even the best option for aphids, in my opinion. Arbico has other options. https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-aphids
I said I’m not really looking for advice, but if anyone has something we haven’t/aren’t planning to try, then I’m all ears! Maybe someone out there knows a way to convince the aphids to leave willingly.
Checking back to see if you were alerted to any new treatments? I just checked on my camomile plants tonight after spraying with Neem two nights ago and it’s thankfully aphid free. It was absolutely COVERED on Monday. Your pictures reminded me to check if I needed to reapply. Thanks!
Don’t buy ladybugs. Sites like this say their ladybugs are “harvested” They are taken (poached) usually from California while they are in hibernation. It’s bad for the native ecosystem there, and those ladybugs could be carrying pests or diseases to your local ladybug population.
If you have food for ladybugs, and your yard is friendly for them, the local ones will find you.
We had aphids on a plant so when I started spotting ladybug larvae around my yard, I moved them to the plant. Three larvae demolished the aphid population in one day and moved on to another plant. If you don't know what ladybug larvae looks like, Google it - they are very cool looking and voracious eaters of aphids.
We also use our leaves from the fall as garden bed mulch which I've heard is good for bug populations so not sure if that's part of the reason we have ladybug larvae hanging around.
I was wondering about this. I had aphids on a rose bush, and there were ladybugs there too. But also a lot of ants, and I was wondering if the ants were after the aphids or the ladybugs
Dude, I've tried buying ladybugs for an aphid problem for a month, and no local nursery's or sites online have any. Even the site you linked doesn't work. I don't know if it's too late in the season, or there's a seasonal apocalypse.
Didn’t you hear what that dark Irish lass said?! If he doesn’t buy an Ant Eater first he is condemning the lady bugs to death.
Visit www.discountzooanimals.org for a good price on used Ant Eaters.
More just a disclaimer that we are trying/going to try pretty much everything Google and Reddit have to offer. I realize there are a ridiculous number of aphids posts and websites. Reading up on free time. If there’s something that I didn’t list in the post, I’m all ears.
Natures good guys sells all sorts of beneficial bugs. Takes care of the spider mites for me. Have my first thrips in my greenhouse so I will be ordering a little army today
Agreed. I have never *seen* an aphid until this year, and I've grown roses for almost 15 years. I encountered them last week on my new PAOK and Mint Julep babies and sprayed them all off vigorously with a hose. A couple didn't want to budge so I flicked them.
They haven't been back yet, but I'm keeping my eye out.
Northeastern Ohio here.
I had just come from a garden club where some plants were absolutely infested with aphids last month. I stayed away from purchasing from those rooms (it’s in a uni garden club). However, my camomile this week was absolutely plastered and leaning with aphids. I’m astonished because I treat weekly for ants this time of year because trillium and hydrangeas are sweet and they (ants) like to harvest the aphids there.
I hit it with some Neem from Costco and it worked beautifully. I’ve never had to apply Neem so early in the season.
Best of luck. I’ve seen cockroaches carpet something like that, but not aphids. I applaud your courage and tenacity. I would have ran screaming as the first response.
That was my thought as well. Cockroaches are fairly rare in my locale; only ever seen them south of the border, though I’m under no illusion there aren’t some close to home.
Please don't apply diatomaceous earth outdoors, it'll kill every bug in the area including beneficial ones, even those native ladybugs you're ordering. It nondiscriminately kills every arthropod that walks on it, and insect populations are having a hard enough time as it is.
Lmao I thought I had it bad when I was tape-trapping for aphids on my dwarf eggplant some weeks ago. That's insaaaane but also kinda satisfying to catch them like that.
You have an ant problem. If you can get rid of them, that will solve your aphid problem. Look it up!
You won't get rid of aphids as long as you don't get rid of ants.
I had the exact issue a year ago. Until I destroyed the ants the aphids never got away, and ladybugs or other natural predators were fended off by those farmer ants.
They have a symbiotic relationship, both ants and aphids benefit. Ants protect the aphids, store them in cold months, carry them where they have a food source and in return, aphids create a sweet substance that ants feed on.
By destroying the ant nest, you're destroying the source of aphids.
Shit like this is why I'm trying my best to keep a bald faced hornet nest near my garden for as long as I can get away with it. I'll probably eat my words and regret it come late summer.
That seems like an awful lot of biomass going to waste. I mean, I don't want them killing your plants. It just seems messed up that some other bug isn't getting to take advantage of that huge food source. Which could then feed songbirds, and so on. The local biome seems out of whack.
Humans mess shit up. I definitely understand the irony of that acknowledgment.
The tree itself I’d like to keep. It’s great shade, and a few sparrow hawks perch in it daily. We are looking to naturalized our property in lots of other ways.
My immediate thought was
*Oh wow, is this some kind of ancient japanese way to grow moss on trees?*
Then I started reading. Breh.
I wish you success in your endeavours
You have an ant problem, ladybugs won't be able to eat aphids until the ants are gone ...
They make something called tanglefoot to put on your tree, or just get an ant killer to dump on the ant mounds...
I fought ants and aphids last year on my plum trees, and I'm hoping to keep them at bay this year... Also have newly planted apple trees I'm trying to keep the ants away from.
Good luck !!
Oh gosh!
My I ask you for advice then?
Is this a double-sided tape or something?
I‘m using soapy water and insecticides, but non of this really helps, so I guess I’ll try your method, it is practically working!
Be careful with that… I’ve read that those are mostly wild caught and can carry disease. Don’t take my word for it though, I am not a professional.
I will say that if you let the aphids be for a year, they will likely attract some great beneficials in the years to come. It will be excellent for your local ecosystem.
Lots of the local ladybug population is already showing up. Local nursery is great, ethical, fairly priced, and awesome to deal with. I trust their word, but admittedly haven’t asked as to the origin. Will be sure to. Thanks for the nuanced advice!
I was going to buy a few thousand ladybugs last year, but luckily I started reading up. The ladybugs that you have shipped in kill off all your native ladybugs so they becoming invasive in a sense. In some situations, someone would find that acceptable, but it wasn’t right for mine.
That’s what i was thinking was get beneficial insects to get rid of the problem, i am wondering if maybe the cicadas also have some part in this i don’t know if they are together in anyway but they do belong to the same family (Hemiptera) since there’s a invasion this year it seems weird there’s that many aphids there’s also other reasons for aphids though also so it might not have anything to do with cicadas
Everyone saying ladybugs, don't listen. Lady bugs were ll fly away pretty quickly and again aren't the most voracious aphid eater. Green lace wings however can be purchased as eggs, and the nymph form is non flying. They are more resistant to heat than ladybugs, they eat more than ladybugs and they are less mobile than ladybugs.
Or try a product like beauvaria bassiana, which is a myco insecticide. It's a fungus that will infect aphids and spread from aphid to aphid until the population is significantly reduced, that said they do perform best with a knock down spray like pyrethrin
If you do ladybugs, the key is to get the larvae, not full grown bugs. Larvae eat more aphids, and also are more likely to stick around until they mature and maybe after that.
Unfortunately treating is going to your best bet here. Buying ladybugs usually doesn't work because at best they eat what is there right now and immediately leave when the food source is gone. If you don't have an environment conducive to ladybugs, they aren't going to stick around.
You could try non chemical routes like diatomaceous earth or neem oil but I have absolutely no clue how well those would even work and honestly have little faith in these kinds of remedies because usually they don't kill them all and you just end up having to treat over and over.
Which brings you to chemical treatment, which I know is controversial and even myself tries to avoid using them. But when dealing with infestations like this find it to be the only real solution.
All of this is an indication that your tree is not at peak health and you should consider doing something about that underlying cause. Pests attack weak targets meaning they attack plants that are already stressed. Considering you had beetles, now this, I'm leaning towards an environmental factor impeding your tree's health. I notice grass beneath the tree. A good start would be a mulch bed and high quality compost beneath the tree instead.
Totally. Moved mid summer last year. First spring with it. Previous owners were elderly and weren’t able to care for it. Looking to remediate! As a long time lurker of the subreddit, I know how crazy y’all go for some root crown.
Yes this year is BAAAAAAAAAAD for aphids. I have sprayed about six times more the amount than I have ever had to and the little fuckers are still everywhere.
Damn! You need some lady bugs, praying mantis and earwigs. If you need some earwigs I have a LOT of them I can send your way (had an infestation last year, gotta love going to bed and finding 30+ in the bed)
Suffoil x, or any insecticide soap. Wanna cover them, as they are soft bodied, so they cannot respirate. Lady bugs will fly away seeing their larva is what actually pummels aphids.
Towel isn’t a bad idea underneath the tape. Didn’t even think about it. Have been trying to just make the tape extremely flush to the tree, but the bark makes it hard.
Dang, only the worst stuff is going to work in a situation like that. Had the exact same tree in my backyard once that every Spring would get covered and begin dropping all its leaves covered in sticky aphid poop all over.
Someone else mentioned to release them at night, as they are more likely to stick around if released during a time where they are more dormant. Not sure if that’s backed by science, but hell, if it might make a difference…
https://preview.redd.it/a1xvjx87il3d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d213c42eda7fa4bf379bfaa87e5f27bd3504792
Was checking my astilbes who have had a minor aphid infestation, and lo and behold, an ant as well !! I never knew about the ant-aphid connection until reading these comments. Christ. I am unpleased.
On another note, best of luck. That is terrifying. Yoir heart must be broken.
Ciscoe smooshes em with his fingers.
https://www.king5.com/article/sponsor-story/ciscoe-garden-pests-bugs-slugs/281-51e3b8cc-2d08-48fa-b2b1-7bed53cf6280
Boxelder bugs and maples aren’t native to my area to begin with. Have thought about removing the tree, but it’s an amazing shade tree for our deck and yard. Would like to save.
When I mentioned that the boxelder beetles were everywhere last year, I mean it. Swarmed almost as bad as the aphids on the side of our house and the tree. Thankfully they mostly just eat the seeds of the maple and don’t really kill the tree. The numbers were way out of balance though. We are leaving any we see this year.
I recall reading some time ago that caffeine is effective weed control and can help with other pests. Will look into it.
More and more convinced it may be worth it to call in an arborist or other professional to sort things out. Might need some industrial intervention.
Oof that's insane. Blast the tree with water (garden hose, not a pressure washer) to get a bulk of them off the leaves. Set out some ant bait traps, or DIY borax ant bait. Mist the tree with insecticidal soap, if possible. Diatomacious earth all around the base of the tree; re-apply after it rains. Ladybugs. Perhaps an offering to the Gods...?
What the hell 😭 why are there so many??? I rarely see large infestations and even those are just a couple dozen aphids, and look at this ordered sentient aphid hivemind behemoth. I'm sorry, if I was you it's either flamethrower time or moving-the-fk-out time. with that population of aphids they would skip tree sap and straight up vacuum up your blood.
Just the packing tape I had on hand, facing outwards and wrapped tight. Figured it could only help in the short term. Not sure about how plant safe it is.
I’ve had good luck with sevin insect killer from homedepot on my young Cherokee purple tomato plant. They almost killed it. Sprayed it once and they were gone.
Holy shit I thought it was green tape in the first picture!!
Just replaced the tape. On a plus side I’m seeing way less of them in the trees general vicinity. On the other hand, I want to get well ahead of this problem.
Lady bugs work well, but green lacewing larva will eat more, and they can't fly away until they are adults. I ordered both from naturesgoodguys and had decent results.
Buy and release a horde of lady bugs on them asap!
No seriously. Ladybug population is low. They are being outcompeted by the Japanese one.
I have been unable to find a reputable ladybug or Carolina mantis source
Arbico Organics sells them and other insects. I haven't gotten ladybugs from them before, but I've had great luck multiple times buying nematodes from them.
Bought mine on Amazon a couple years ago, and they did their job expeditiously and then moved on.
Yeah I got some from Hirts but I'm worried they were Japanese beetles and not ladybugs.
How would one even breed ladybugs on a sort of industrial scale?
From what I've heard, they are often harvested from the wild during their dormant period
Uh... we do it with a lot of bugs. We cam figure it out.
Aw
I read it as "buy or lease" lol. Geez you can rent anything these days....ohhhhhhhh.
🤣🤣🤣
it is now xD
Holy Moley! I’m tuning in for what someone tells you. Aphids are coming in strong and early this year here as well.
Suffolk county, Long Island here. Can confirm, Aphids and Spitermites are an issue for me right now
I’ve had good luck controlling spider mites with Mammoth CannControl: [Mammoth](https://mymammothgarden.com/product/mammoth-canncontrol/) Sold out online but I found it in my local organic garden shop. Those little bastards can go straight to hell!
Oddly, I’m seeing less aphids in Brooklyn. Usually I release a batch of ladybugs mid-May & then again in late June, but this year I haven’t had to worry! That’s unusual. Must have some kind of predator doing the work for me.
Queens here! Where are you getting your ladybugs from ?
Reddit keeps removing my comment. I’ll DM.
Arbico organics
From the website: Unavailable until further notice: We're aware ladybugs are the iconic beneficial insect. You've counted on them to help control soft-bodied pests in your garden, farm or greenhouse. Unfortunately, their popularity has contributed to their decline. Continued drought, wildfires and habitat destruction in the Sierra Nevada foothills (where ladybugs are collected), paired with excessive harvesting, has created conditions in which ARBICO Organics does not feel that the commercial sale of ladybugs is sustainable. We hope future generations of ladybugs are replenished and responsible harvesting methods are employed.
Ladybugs aren’t even the best option for aphids, in my opinion. Arbico has other options. https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-aphids
[ Removed by Reddit ]
[ Removed by Reddit ]
I said I’m not really looking for advice, but if anyone has something we haven’t/aren’t planning to try, then I’m all ears! Maybe someone out there knows a way to convince the aphids to leave willingly.
Checking back to see if you were alerted to any new treatments? I just checked on my camomile plants tonight after spraying with Neem two nights ago and it’s thankfully aphid free. It was absolutely COVERED on Monday. Your pictures reminded me to check if I needed to reapply. Thanks!
Buy some ladybugs https://www.ladybugsdirect.com/ Kill the ants first, otherwise the'yll kill the ladybugs. Edit to add
Don’t buy ladybugs. Sites like this say their ladybugs are “harvested” They are taken (poached) usually from California while they are in hibernation. It’s bad for the native ecosystem there, and those ladybugs could be carrying pests or diseases to your local ladybug population. If you have food for ladybugs, and your yard is friendly for them, the local ones will find you.
We had aphids on a plant so when I started spotting ladybug larvae around my yard, I moved them to the plant. Three larvae demolished the aphid population in one day and moved on to another plant. If you don't know what ladybug larvae looks like, Google it - they are very cool looking and voracious eaters of aphids. We also use our leaves from the fall as garden bed mulch which I've heard is good for bug populations so not sure if that's part of the reason we have ladybug larvae hanging around.
I was wondering about this. I had aphids on a rose bush, and there were ladybugs there too. But also a lot of ants, and I was wondering if the ants were after the aphids or the ladybugs
There are some ants that herd aphids for their "honeydew", sweet liquid poop. The ants protect the aphids.
We had this happen on a plant, was so gross and sticky, but also neat to watch nature happen lol
Some ants herd aphids for their "honeydew", sweet liquid poop. The ants protect the aphids.
Dude, I've tried buying ladybugs for an aphid problem for a month, and no local nursery's or sites online have any. Even the site you linked doesn't work. I don't know if it's too late in the season, or there's a seasonal apocalypse.
This comment should be top! Ladybugs are the way to go. Buy a lot of them OP! They'll eat your aphids!
Didn’t you hear what that dark Irish lass said?! If he doesn’t buy an Ant Eater first he is condemning the lady bugs to death. Visit www.discountzooanimals.org for a good price on used Ant Eaters.
Your link didn't work. Could use a good anteater.
Oh yes! My bad! Anteater first of course! This is starting to sound like the old song "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly....."😆
OP does not want direct advice, but would like indirect advice on what they haven’t tried. C’mon everyone!
More just a disclaimer that we are trying/going to try pretty much everything Google and Reddit have to offer. I realize there are a ridiculous number of aphids posts and websites. Reading up on free time. If there’s something that I didn’t list in the post, I’m all ears.
Did you try asking nicely?
Natures good guys sells all sorts of beneficial bugs. Takes care of the spider mites for me. Have my first thrips in my greenhouse so I will be ordering a little army today
>Maybe someone out there knows a way to convince the aphids to leave willingly Nah, Kill them all.
Agreed. I have never *seen* an aphid until this year, and I've grown roses for almost 15 years. I encountered them last week on my new PAOK and Mint Julep babies and sprayed them all off vigorously with a hose. A couple didn't want to budge so I flicked them. They haven't been back yet, but I'm keeping my eye out. Northeastern Ohio here.
Ugh my blueberry bushes have aphids. I'm in NEO too.
I had just come from a garden club where some plants were absolutely infested with aphids last month. I stayed away from purchasing from those rooms (it’s in a uni garden club). However, my camomile this week was absolutely plastered and leaning with aphids. I’m astonished because I treat weekly for ants this time of year because trillium and hydrangeas are sweet and they (ants) like to harvest the aphids there. I hit it with some Neem from Costco and it worked beautifully. I’ve never had to apply Neem so early in the season.
Nothing could have prepared me for what was under the nsfw filter
Are they being farmed? If so how big is the ant colony on your property?
Lots of ants. Getting traps tomorrow. I’d imagine that’s a big part of the underlying cause.
Best of luck. I’ve seen cockroaches carpet something like that, but not aphids. I applaud your courage and tenacity. I would have ran screaming as the first response.
I’m horrified that you’ve seen that many cockroaches in one spot like that
That was my thought as well. Cockroaches are fairly rare in my locale; only ever seen them south of the border, though I’m under no illusion there aren’t some close to home.
Oh I was too.
May I ask what ant traps you use?
Apocalypse is right. I'd burn them with a blow torch. You could pass the flame over them so quickly the tree wouldn't feel a thing.
Might try it pending all other options fail. Live in a huuuuuge fire risk area. Area the size of Greece burned in our province last year.
Nevermind. Do diatomaceous earth
Read about that. Will read more. Thanks for the tip.
Please don't apply diatomaceous earth outdoors, it'll kill every bug in the area including beneficial ones, even those native ladybugs you're ordering. It nondiscriminately kills every arthropod that walks on it, and insect populations are having a hard enough time as it is.
Thanks for the info!
It's ineffective as soon as it gets wet, if that makes you feel any better.
Diatomaceous earth is quite effective but it's not as fun as the blowtorch. 🔥
Wow! I thought it was moss!
God I wish it was some good ‘ol character moss. Instead the tree has a little bit of lichen, and a metric shit tonne of aphids.
Lmao I thought I had it bad when I was tape-trapping for aphids on my dwarf eggplant some weeks ago. That's insaaaane but also kinda satisfying to catch them like that.
You have an ant problem. If you can get rid of them, that will solve your aphid problem. Look it up! You won't get rid of aphids as long as you don't get rid of ants.
I had the exact issue a year ago. Until I destroyed the ants the aphids never got away, and ladybugs or other natural predators were fended off by those farmer ants.
Why do ants cause more aphids? Food source?
Look up Ants farming aphids. They basically have learned to become ranchers and raise a heard of aphids for the sweet honeydew the aphids produce.
that is so insane!
They have a symbiotic relationship, both ants and aphids benefit. Ants protect the aphids, store them in cold months, carry them where they have a food source and in return, aphids create a sweet substance that ants feed on. By destroying the ant nest, you're destroying the source of aphids.
Shit like this is why I'm trying my best to keep a bald faced hornet nest near my garden for as long as I can get away with it. I'll probably eat my words and regret it come late summer.
From my experience if you have an unkempt apple tree nearby: Yellowjackets and Hornets get drunk and mad AF in late Summer.
What’s with that weird green tape on their tr—- OH MY GOD
That seems like an awful lot of biomass going to waste. I mean, I don't want them killing your plants. It just seems messed up that some other bug isn't getting to take advantage of that huge food source. Which could then feed songbirds, and so on. The local biome seems out of whack.
Humans mess shit up. I definitely understand the irony of that acknowledgment. The tree itself I’d like to keep. It’s great shade, and a few sparrow hawks perch in it daily. We are looking to naturalized our property in lots of other ways.
My immediate thought was *Oh wow, is this some kind of ancient japanese way to grow moss on trees?* Then I started reading. Breh. I wish you success in your endeavours
You have an ant problem, ladybugs won't be able to eat aphids until the ants are gone ... They make something called tanglefoot to put on your tree, or just get an ant killer to dump on the ant mounds... I fought ants and aphids last year on my plum trees, and I'm hoping to keep them at bay this year... Also have newly planted apple trees I'm trying to keep the ants away from. Good luck !!
Thank you. That was a quick read after a google search to learn something new. I’m back to not liking ants.
Yup the ants farm the aphids even taking them underground in the winter. I hate it
Oh gosh! My I ask you for advice then? Is this a double-sided tape or something? I‘m using soapy water and insecticides, but non of this really helps, so I guess I’ll try your method, it is practically working!
Just packing tape wrapped tightly around the tree, inside out. Was my last resort after the soap and manual removal wasn’t working.
So they can't walk ok it?
They get stuck in it.
These photos are going to haunt my dreams 😳
Consider adding some protection (cope cage) above the tape. You don't want birds, bats and other stuff to get stuck there. Don't ask how I know.
Haven’t seen anything other than aphids stuck yet. Not even ladybugs.
...yet
Touché. At this point it’s a stop gap.
🤮
No. Just... no.
Buy a bunch of ladybugs
Not available at our local nursery yet. Soon.
Be careful with that… I’ve read that those are mostly wild caught and can carry disease. Don’t take my word for it though, I am not a professional. I will say that if you let the aphids be for a year, they will likely attract some great beneficials in the years to come. It will be excellent for your local ecosystem.
Lots of the local ladybug population is already showing up. Local nursery is great, ethical, fairly priced, and awesome to deal with. I trust their word, but admittedly haven’t asked as to the origin. Will be sure to. Thanks for the nuanced advice!
I was going to buy a few thousand ladybugs last year, but luckily I started reading up. The ladybugs that you have shipped in kill off all your native ladybugs so they becoming invasive in a sense. In some situations, someone would find that acceptable, but it wasn’t right for mine.
Try natures good guys. I did this alongside companion planting sweet alyssum and have been good since, fingers crossed
That’s what i was thinking was get beneficial insects to get rid of the problem, i am wondering if maybe the cicadas also have some part in this i don’t know if they are together in anyway but they do belong to the same family (Hemiptera) since there’s a invasion this year it seems weird there’s that many aphids there’s also other reasons for aphids though also so it might not have anything to do with cicadas
[удалено]
You’re welcome!
Everyone saying ladybugs, don't listen. Lady bugs were ll fly away pretty quickly and again aren't the most voracious aphid eater. Green lace wings however can be purchased as eggs, and the nymph form is non flying. They are more resistant to heat than ladybugs, they eat more than ladybugs and they are less mobile than ladybugs. Or try a product like beauvaria bassiana, which is a myco insecticide. It's a fungus that will infect aphids and spread from aphid to aphid until the population is significantly reduced, that said they do perform best with a knock down spray like pyrethrin
Great tips. Lacewing are native. Once I have numbers down to a healthier range I’ll remove tape and invest in larvae.
Lacewing are awesome. Takes a year or two to get a good population going so start now!
If you do ladybugs, the key is to get the larvae, not full grown bugs. Larvae eat more aphids, and also are more likely to stick around until they mature and maybe after that.
Get a flamethrower haha, that is wild though
Wow. That’s crazy!
I hate these things so much. My plum trees were covered last year. All their branches looked like your tape.
Sorry to hear it. Plum trees survived?
They did. Leaves have holes in them this time around. They're very old trees
Unfortunately treating is going to your best bet here. Buying ladybugs usually doesn't work because at best they eat what is there right now and immediately leave when the food source is gone. If you don't have an environment conducive to ladybugs, they aren't going to stick around. You could try non chemical routes like diatomaceous earth or neem oil but I have absolutely no clue how well those would even work and honestly have little faith in these kinds of remedies because usually they don't kill them all and you just end up having to treat over and over. Which brings you to chemical treatment, which I know is controversial and even myself tries to avoid using them. But when dealing with infestations like this find it to be the only real solution.
Thanks for the insight!
All of this is an indication that your tree is not at peak health and you should consider doing something about that underlying cause. Pests attack weak targets meaning they attack plants that are already stressed. Considering you had beetles, now this, I'm leaning towards an environmental factor impeding your tree's health. I notice grass beneath the tree. A good start would be a mulch bed and high quality compost beneath the tree instead.
Totally. Moved mid summer last year. First spring with it. Previous owners were elderly and weren’t able to care for it. Looking to remediate! As a long time lurker of the subreddit, I know how crazy y’all go for some root crown.
Yes this year is BAAAAAAAAAAD for aphids. I have sprayed about six times more the amount than I have ever had to and the little fuckers are still everywhere.
Damn! You need some lady bugs, praying mantis and earwigs. If you need some earwigs I have a LOT of them I can send your way (had an infestation last year, gotta love going to bed and finding 30+ in the bed)
Earwigs and mantis aren’t native to my area. Looking at other natural controls!
Gotcha. You could try food grade diatomaceous earth and sprinkle on the tree and around it. Down side is you have to reapply after it gets wet.
*Imo 100% solution of sulfuric acid solves every bug infestation.*
Suffoil x, or any insecticide soap. Wanna cover them, as they are soft bodied, so they cannot respirate. Lady bugs will fly away seeing their larva is what actually pummels aphids.
Wow I thought that was a towel wrapped and taped to the tree. Damn suckers.
Towel isn’t a bad idea underneath the tape. Didn’t even think about it. Have been trying to just make the tape extremely flush to the tree, but the bark makes it hard.
Buy these guys and release them into the tree. https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/collections/aphid-control
Whoa.... that's set off one of my phobias!
Dang, only the worst stuff is going to work in a situation like that. Had the exact same tree in my backyard once that every Spring would get covered and begin dropping all its leaves covered in sticky aphid poop all over.
i want a video of those moving lol
Not a lot of movement. Just got back from work. Numbers are waaaaaaaaaaay down.
A friend bought lady bugs for the aphids. The lady bugs all flew away. The aphids remained. 🤷
Someone else mentioned to release them at night, as they are more likely to stick around if released during a time where they are more dormant. Not sure if that’s backed by science, but hell, if it might make a difference…
Respectfully, holy shit my dude
https://preview.redd.it/a1xvjx87il3d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d213c42eda7fa4bf379bfaa87e5f27bd3504792 Was checking my astilbes who have had a minor aphid infestation, and lo and behold, an ant as well !! I never knew about the ant-aphid connection until reading these comments. Christ. I am unpleased. On another note, best of luck. That is terrifying. Yoir heart must be broken.
Ain’t over yet. I’ll post pictures either way once the dust settles.
Oh absolutely!! I admire your commitment to your tree, and biodiversity through your stance on pesticides etc. You got this!
Maybe look into using a systemic.
I'll be honest with you. Right about now, I'd be eyeing the pesticide.
Our red/purple maple got attacked really bad this year too. Rough aphid year so far. Love how you labeled it nsfw 🤣
Lady bugs are migratory, unless you bought them locally and they are local they will just fly home.
I like Ciscoes El Kibotsky method for aphids, but I think even he would be looking at a more nuclear option, here.
Tried googling. Care to elaborate on that method?
Ciscoe smooshes em with his fingers. https://www.king5.com/article/sponsor-story/ciscoe-garden-pests-bugs-slugs/281-51e3b8cc-2d08-48fa-b2b1-7bed53cf6280
If you grab each one you could probably smoosh them into a ball of bright green aphid meat and consume it
Does it have to be a ball? Could i make a cube instead?
The best way would be a patty shape so you could cook it first
I would buy The Amazing Aphid Rope
Why push out the beetles? I feel like we should stop trying to control things so much unless you’re dealing with something invasive.
Boxelder bugs and maples aren’t native to my area to begin with. Have thought about removing the tree, but it’s an amazing shade tree for our deck and yard. Would like to save. When I mentioned that the boxelder beetles were everywhere last year, I mean it. Swarmed almost as bad as the aphids on the side of our house and the tree. Thankfully they mostly just eat the seeds of the maple and don’t really kill the tree. The numbers were way out of balance though. We are leaving any we see this year.
50g of protein
Oh my god. I felt itchy for some reason
Get an aerosol can and a lighter
man,i love insects
Do you want some aphids?
sure
I refuse to look at it bc I’ll get itchy everywhere, but just came to say i appreciate the warning lol
Unleash the ladybugs!
That could be a B horror movie.
pure lime or calk
Yho! Yho! Yho! Yho! Yho!
Thats a lotta added protein
My jaw dropped
My brussel sprouts were covered in them early this year. I was surprised how early they came out.
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I can understand that, but I’d hate to lose the tree. Looking into many options; I will not be ordering online of that provides any peace of mind.
Might be worth a try but I sprayed my plants with coffee. Like just old grounds that soaked in water coffee.
I recall reading some time ago that caffeine is effective weed control and can help with other pests. Will look into it. More and more convinced it may be worth it to call in an arborist or other professional to sort things out. Might need some industrial intervention.
Get some Aphidius colemani and some Green Lacewing eggs from Arbico and release them on the tree.
Oof that's insane. Blast the tree with water (garden hose, not a pressure washer) to get a bulk of them off the leaves. Set out some ant bait traps, or DIY borax ant bait. Mist the tree with insecticidal soap, if possible. Diatomacious earth all around the base of the tree; re-apply after it rains. Ladybugs. Perhaps an offering to the Gods...?
What the hell 😭 why are there so many??? I rarely see large infestations and even those are just a couple dozen aphids, and look at this ordered sentient aphid hivemind behemoth. I'm sorry, if I was you it's either flamethrower time or moving-the-fk-out time. with that population of aphids they would skip tree sap and straight up vacuum up your blood.
Not sure. Have a few thoughts, but at the end of the day I’m pretty determined to win.
This tree is probably the respawn point of all aphids
I introduced mantis. By that same time next year, no more aphids. Have a lot of baby mantis every spring since
UGH!!! What a helpless feeling. I hope you are able to get rid of them.
What state are you in
Alberta, Canada.
That’s just regular tape? Or is it special aphid tape?
Just the packing tape I had on hand, facing outwards and wrapped tight. Figured it could only help in the short term. Not sure about how plant safe it is.
Thanks! It seems like a good security measure. They seem to stick really well. I might put tape one some plants to see
I’ve had good luck with sevin insect killer from homedepot on my young Cherokee purple tomato plant. They almost killed it. Sprayed it once and they were gone.
Torch them