Aphids
Aphids are a common pest in the garden. Here are a few ways to stop them eating your vegetables before you do.
How to Remove Aphids In your garden
Here are some simple things you can do to deter aphids from visiting your garden.
Aphids: I use yellow sticky traps to monitor what pest are heading into the garden to help prevent unwanted outbreaks.
If you have an outbreak on your young plants, use the jet setting on your hose spray to knock them off. This will reduce the numbers, then in a few days you will see hoverfly's and lady bugs come along to clean them up for you.
To attract lady bugs to do the work for you. You can use teaspoon of ground ginger and a teaspoon of gelatin mixed in warm water (allow to cool but not set) and sprayed onto aphids and plants. I found that the lady birds came in quite quickly to feed on them but I am unsure if the ginger or the gelatin was that attracted them? I like this spray as it does not deter the beneficial insects and I will be using this easy spray again as a deterrent on my cabbages to see if it works on them.
Preventing aphids: Another tried and proven spray is garlic and chilli. To make: you will need a handfull of each chiilli and garlic, boil until very soft. Mash into water or use a blender, strain contents through mesalin cloth and bottle. use 1 cup per litre in a spray bottle.
Please be careful when using pyrethrum as it will kill beneficial insects and bees.
If you have an outbreak on your young plants, use the jet setting on your hose spray to knock them off. This will reduce the numbers, then in a few days you will see hoverfly's and lady bugs come along to clean them up for you.
To attract lady bugs to do the work for you. You can use teaspoon of ground ginger and a teaspoon of gelatin mixed in warm water (allow to cool but not set) and sprayed onto aphids and plants. I found that the lady birds came in quite quickly to feed on them but I am unsure if the ginger or the gelatin was that attracted them? I like this spray as it does not deter the beneficial insects and I will be using this easy spray again as a deterrent on my cabbages to see if it works on them.
Preventing aphids: Another tried and proven spray is garlic and chilli. To make: you will need a handfull of each chiilli and garlic, boil until very soft. Mash into water or use a blender, strain contents through mesalin cloth and bottle. use 1 cup per litre in a spray bottle.
Please be careful when using pyrethrum as it will kill beneficial insects and bees.
