A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners
Aphids!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kobus Jooste on
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In South Africa, there are no commercial sources for beneficial insects. Take a look at Margaret Robert's organic insecticide. It is canola and garlic oil. Just use sparingly, as it does tend to make a oily residue on all your hardware. Also use a cheap spray bottle as it tends to mess those up after a while. Lastly, where there are aphids, there may be ants. If you do have ants, you need to sort them fast as they cultivate the aphids and will move them all over the place.
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Permalink Reply by Thérèse-Ann Maré on
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We do have a ant problem. Some of the bigger plants i have given a 'bath' to get rid of the aphids. It does seem to help. We also have little flies. Do they also spread aphids? We have been going for 3 months and it is a constant learning curve. I worked in a nursery in Durban and though much bigger didn't encounter the amount of pest problem we have here. So i have very limited knowledge of AP - but leaning fast. I enjoy this website tremendously. Thank you for advice.
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Permalink Reply by TCLynx on
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sticky cards can help with the flies or whiteflies I don't think they are affecting the aphids though.
Ants farming aphids means the ants will usually bring them back. Ants are much harder to control though. My system is outdoors and to tell the truth, I tend to ignore pests for the most part as long as we get enough for us. My biggest problem right now is a squirrel or other rodent eating half of my tomatoes just as they are about ripe.
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Hi there
Do you buy or grow seedlings? I have found that most seedlings in the PE / Uitenhage area are eventually full of something or another - I keep anything I buy seperate for a while and wash / treat thoroughly before they go into the system. In terms of pests, I found that a closed system (greenhouse / shadehouse) seemed to contain MORE of them than an open one - funny that way but there has been many similar reports from other on the forum. If you have a raised structure, you can treat the supports low down to the ground to try to discourage ants. There is also a nice borax mix recipy floating around here somewhere. If they are in gravel beds or net pots (those pesky black ants love to move into pots and structures, but the red ants farm the pests more intensively) you have a bigger problem.
Thérèse-Ann Maré said:We do have a ant problem. Some of the bigger plants i have given a 'bath' to get rid of the aphids. It does seem to help. We also have little flies. Do they also spread aphids? We have been going for 3 months and it is a constant learning curve. I worked in a nursery in Durban and though much bigger didn't encounter the amount of pest problem we have here. So i have very limited knowledge of AP - but leaning fast. I enjoy this website tremendously. Thank you for advice.
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Permalink Reply by Nate Storey on
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I've got one word for you- the only word you will ever need to hear in regards to aphids: Botanigard
We use Aphidus wasps for long term control ( but we're in a greenhouse too) but between Aphidus wasps and Botanigard spot spraying every 3 to 4 months, our aphid problems are gone.
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Permalink Reply by David Waite on
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I can attest to botanigard es for aphids. I have had two infestations this year and the botanigard wiped the out both times. It also wacked the white flys at the same time. Great product and passes the organic certification requirements.
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Thanks for the botanigard tip guys. I will run a search for it here but if it goes the same route as the potassium bicarbonate fungicide preparations, I'll be miffed. Those are only imported by a few people and cost the earth here.
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well, it can be a little pricey, but once it's mixed to the right ratio, a little goes a long way and really, it's totally worth it. Now I just spot spray, because the control is so nice that I only have aphid issues ever 4-6 months. It's beautiful.
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No hits on searches so far. Will postg it in the SA page to see if someone can sniff it out.
Nate Storey said:well, it can be a little pricey, but once it's mixed to the right ratio, a little goes a long way and really, it's totally worth it. Now I just spot spray, because the control is so nice that I only have aphid issues ever 4-6 months. It's beautiful.
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This 1 qt makes about 50 1 qt spray bottles or more. Must use what you mix within 12 hrs or the bacteria dies.
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