How to get rid of aphids on home ornamental plants? Why is aphid dangerous and how to prevent its appearance? Methods of dealing with chemicals and folk remedies. Video tips. Indoor flowers are the pride of any housewife. They create coziness in the house, add bright colors and give the interior a finished look. Therefore, every florist takes care of the flowers, and if aphids appear on them, then such a phenomenon saddens any mistress. Aphids spread quickly, so it is important to start pest control in a timely manner. You can get rid of small insects at home with the help of folk recipes and professional remedies.
What are aphids?
Aphids are a small sucking insect of the order of beetles, which parasitizes plants. Most often breeds in warm weather (spring and early summer). Lives in large colonies. It feeds on the juice of young greenery, so it is easiest to notice it on the young shoots of the underside of the leaf and bud. Females lay eggs without fertilization on the back of the leaf. In the warm season, female larvae are born, which immediately after emergence begin to wreck. The family lives on one plant or moves to neighboring ones. Each colony contains wingless and winged individuals. By the end of summer, winged females and males are born. This is a migratory generation, which in a short time moves to all plants and settles in colonies. The winged are responsible for distribution, and the wingless provide reproduction. For several weeks of life, the female lays 150 eggs, 40 eggs at a time.
Types and photos of aphids on indoor plants
Now there are 4000 varieties of aphids, of which 1000 are found in Europe. They all differ in color and size. Most of the pests reach 2-3 mm in size, but sometimes pests up to 7 mm are found. Aphids are distinguished by color: white, yellow, pink, green, black. There is no significant difference between the types of parasites.
What is the danger of aphids on indoor plants?
Aphids are equipped with a proboscis, which pierces the plants and sucks out the sap. Pests invade the leaf plate, disrupting its integrity, draw out important substances and secrete a sweet liquid (honeydew), which attracts other insects. Damaged leaves are deformed and twisted, and injured buds fall off before they can open. Without the use of emergency measures, the plant dies in a month. Indoor roses, petunias, fuchsias, violets, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, begonias, geraniums, cyclamen and primrose are especially affected by aphids. Only palm trees bypass the aphids. It is also dangerous because it is a carrier of viral plant diseases. And flowers weakened by parasites become defenseless against diseases.
How does aphid appear on indoor plants?
Usually aphids settle on flowers in colonies. The most favorable conditions for the reproduction of parasites are high temperatures and dry soil. To minimize the encounter with pests, we will find out how they enter the apartment.
- Open windows - the most common way for insects to appear. Penetrating into the house, the parasites instantly hit the plants. To protect indoor flowers, you need to have an anti-mosquito net on the windows and not ventilate the room during the activity of pests.
- Land from the street. The larvae fall into flowers with soil dug up on the street. Therefore, do not neglect the disinfection of the earth.
- New plants only purchased from the store and cut flowers in a flower bed are often carriers of aphids. Therefore, when purchasing them, carefully check the plants for the presence of parasites.
How to recognize aphids on indoor plants?
You can find aphids on flowers by the following signs:
- A sticky layer has formed on the leaves of flowers and stems, which is left from aphids.
- The buds and stems become "shaggy", which means that a whole colony of parasites has settled.
- Dark spots appeared on the flowers - these are traces of a sooty fungus.
- Fresh shoots curl, turn yellow and wither.
- Affected open buds look ugly and painful.
How to deal with aphids on indoor plants - the best remedies
You can get rid of aphids on indoor plants at home with the help of folk remedies, professional biological products, insecticidal agents. Let's consider all the options available.
Chemical fight
The modern market offers a wide variety of insecticides and pesticides. In a specialized store, a sales assistant will help you purchase an effective drug. But it is worth noting some of them the most effective.
- Fitoverm - a biological product based on the waste products of bacteria and fungi. Not phytotoxic. Safe for humans and does not require outdoor treatment. The plant is thoroughly sprayed with a spray: stems and leaves. The procedure is repeated after 5 days. The death of insects is observed after 4 days. The plants are sprayed a second time to consolidate the result. For processing, a solution is prepared: 200 ml of water is dissolved in 2 ml of the drug.
- Aktara - an insecticidal drug that blocks nerve endings, causes paralysis and death of pests. Death comes instantly. The drug is used if aphids are found in the ground and on flowers. In the first case, the soil is cultivated (watered), in the second, the plants are sprayed. Protective properties remain in soil for 2 months, on leaves - 20 days. But re-processing should be done after 2 weeks. The solution is being prepared: 8 g per 1 liter of water. For the procedure, the plants are taken out into the street.
- Actellic - removes parasites from the ground for 1 treatment. Begins to act during spraying. Work with the drug in the fresh air with rubber gloves and a respirator.
Fight with folk remedies
It is not difficult to remove aphids with chemicals. However, parasites can be defeated with safe and harmless folk methods. Spider webs and white aphids can be removed by one of the following remedies. It is important to remember that any product includes a soap base. Due to the viscous soapy consistency, the mixture envelops the bodies of pests and causes difficulty in breathing, and as you know, aphids breathe through the skin.
- In 1 liter of water, dilute one of the following: 5 ml of ammonia, 20 ml of vinegar, 1 tablespoon each. baking soda and salt, 10 g of tar soap, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 40 g of tobacco or 20 g of ash. Mix the selected solution thoroughly and combine with shavings of laundry soap. Spray the plants with a spray bottle.
- Pour 30 g of ripe red pepper with 250 ml of water, stand for a day, boil, cool and add laundry soap.
- In case of severe infection, a very strong infusion of one of the following components mixed with a solution of laundry soap will help: tobacco, orange peel, garlic, needles, onions, onion peels or red pepper.
- Tomato infusion helps. Chop 400 g of tomato leaves, pour 1 liter of water and boil for half an hour. Add 4 g of soap before use.
- For spraying, a solution of 25 g of 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted in 0.5 liters of water is used.
- Pour 300-400 g of fresh celandine herb or 100 g of dry herb with 1 liter of water, leave for 36 hours or boil for 30 minutes.
- For minor damage to flowers, regular bathing in the shower will help.
- Infuse 300 g of crushed roots of medicinal dandelion or 400 g of fresh leaves for 1-2 hours in 10 liters of warm water at 40 degrees, strain and spray.
How to prevent the appearance of aphids on indoor plants?
Preventive measures against aphids are ineffective, since the infection is almost noticeable. But nevertheless, there are a few tips that will keep your indoor plants safe.
- Inspect plants periodically for fungi and pests.
- Make sure that no ants appear, because they are "friendly" with aphid colonies.
- Give your plants a shower and prune damaged shoots.
- Keep new plants away from others for a week to eliminate the risk of contamination from new flowers. If there are no pests on the new flower, cancel the quarantine.
- Rinse the presented bouquets under the shower and keep away from indoor pots.
- Heat can spread aphids, so keep an eye on the room temperature.
- Preventive measure: flea shampoo. Dissolve 1 cap of the product in 0.5 liters of water and spray the flowers with the solution.
- Put fragrant pelargonium on the window, it repels insects.
- Remove dried leaves in a timely manner, pests like to sit on them.
Now you know all the secrets of fighting aphids on indoor plants. And the videos below will help you see the most effective methods of treating plants from aphids:
