The Bug Battle

[Sylvia Bernstein]

How are people tackling the bugs that find our systems?  I've been using a combination of beneficial insects (mainly ladybugs) and spraying with insecticidal soap when I have to...but I worry about the effect that using too much of that might have on the fish.  If a plant is pretty small (lettuces, greens, beans, peppers) and is pretty bug infested I'll take it out of the media and let it soak in the fish tank for about 15 minutes. the bugs drown, and the fish seem to love them.

I know some people use neem oil with success.  What are the downsides?  What else do you guys use?

Also, my most buggy plants are salad greens and peppers.  They've stayed totally off my herbs, broccoli, and tomatoes.  What have other's experience been with this?  Any hypothesis as to why?  Travis thinks it has something to do with nitrogen levels...

[Paul Letby]

Hey all.  I wasn't thorough enough with my first few days dunking, and have noticed aphids appearing all over the place in the last few days.  I decided I would do a long term dunking in my fishtank upstairs where I could watch the carnage. I found where they originated from as one large lettuce was absolutely covered in aphids.  The rest had mild concentrations where they had migrated over.  Looks like I caught the infestation just in time.  I'd hate to get them out of the African Violets.

 

I put my lettuce in 45 minutes ago and the aphids are still climbing around on the leaves.  They are beginning to congregate near the edges of the leaves now, and the fish seem to pick them off once they're there.  Goldfish seem to hit them after they let go and drift in the current.  I have white cloud mountain minnows though, and they're hitting every aphid they run across.  I only have three of them and they're stuffed to near exploding on aphids. :)

 

I'll post how long it takes for all the aphids to give up the ghost.

[Sylvia Bernstein]

Great information, Paul!  I thought I had clocked them at 15 minutes until they gave up their grip, but clearly that was optimistic!  Looking forward to your report.

[TCLynx]

hum, might vary according to dissolved oxygen levels seeing as aphids breath through their skin.

Sylvia Bernstein said:

Great information, Paul!  I thought I had clocked them at 15 minutes until they gave up their grip, but clearly that was optimistic!  Looking forward to your report.

[Paul Letby]

In that case TCLynx, I may be up the creek.  Oxygen is pearling in this tank.  Maximum dissolved O2.  I'll just keep swishing the leaves to knock them off then.  It's been 1 hr and 15 minutes.  They're still crawling all over. 

TCLynx said:

hum, might vary according to dissolved oxygen levels seeing as aphids breath through their skin.

[TCLynx]

might have to switch to the squirt bottle method against them then.  I know some people have used seaweed extract and said that had some effect against aphids.

 

And some I know if will remove offending plants from the system and carry away from the system in order to safely spray a soap or oil mixture on the plant before taking it back to the system after the spray has dried or been rinsed off but you dare not submerge such plants into the fish tank again for fear of killing fish with the residues.

If you were to try one of these methods I would suggest wrapping the net pot and roots in a towel to keep them from becoming contaminated and probably taking them to the bath or shower for treatment.

[Paul Letby]

Well, after 2 hours submerged with occasional swishing I still had to remove some by hand.  Just tossed them back into the water for the fish.

 

I have safer's soap, and will follow your directions if I can't finish these guys off in the next week or so.  Thanks TCLynx.

 

Happy fish!

 

 

[Michelle Silva]

I had my first really issue with a tiny bug today on some bok choy and spinach. Interestingly, it was only on the ones in teh vertical pots, and none in the rafts. I sprayed them with a diluted Dr. Bronners (castille soap)...seemed to do the trick. Only noticed them on a handful of plants. Hopefully, they won't be on others tomorrow.

Paul Letby said:

Well, after 2 hours submerged with occasional swishing I still had to remove some by hand.  Just tossed them back into the water for the fish.

 

I have safer's soap, and will follow your directions if I can't finish these guys off in the next week or so.  Thanks TCLynx.

 

Happy fish!

 

 

[TCLynx]

I've read that you can control scale insects by wiping them off with an alcohol swab, I suspect this would also work on aphids.  I've never tried this though.

 

For the past year and a half I've only occasionally tossed a caterpillar into the fish tank and otherwise just ignored bugs.

[Harold Sukhbir]

I've had a huge aphid problem to the point of almost destroying  most of the plants.I did some research on Hydrogen Peroxide(H2o2), it's safe and beneficial to plants when used as directed. It solved the ant and aphid problem and can be mixed with white sugar and water or the following:

--
Mix equal parts 3% hydrogen peroxide and water in a spray bottle. Spray on
plant to control aphids and other insects. If this is not working well enough,
mix up a batch consisting of 1 c 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1 c black strap
molasses, and 1 gallon water.

TCLynx said:

I've read that you can control scale insects by wiping them off with an alcohol swab, I suspect this would also work on aphids.  I've never tried this though.

 

For the past year and a half I've only occasionally tossed a caterpillar into the fish tank and otherwise just ignored bugs.

[Raychel A Watkins]

Aloha

If you looked at my video you saw how many aphids were on the roses.  I had my helpers actually take the plants off the rafts and wash them gently back and front of leaves.  Then they sprayed leaves back and front with Murrays concoction of soap, oil and molasses, One of those may be my ingredient.  I use a non microbial dishwashing liquid and olive oil.  I put 1 TBS of oil, 1Tbs of soap, and a little molasses in a quart spray bottle.  I put it in after I fill up the bottle to keep it from foaming.  Then I put the plants back.  We try to spray lightly every 2 weeks or so.  I had to spray twice I think but I do not have aphids anymore.  This also worked for white fly and some other insects and pests.  I had a really really really bad aphid problem.  This is the same stuff I used to spray on my fruit trees minus the molasses (because I didn't know about it)  I had a really bad flying (aphid) insect on my taro and it is gone also.

[Raychel A Watkins]

http://www.homeandgardensite.com/companion_planting.htm

Let me try again every thing disappeared just as I got done.  This site has a good article on companion planting not only what plants that  are good for each other but what plants will attract good insects,  such as anise that attracts wasps that prey on aphids.  Alyssum attracts hover flys which eat aphids.  Check it out.  I am going to try some of these let you know what happens

[Green Acre Aquaponics]

We have a terrible aphid problem.  They are attacking only the older plants and particularly arugala, chard, kale and chinese cabbage.  Interestingly they have not touched any of the newest seedlings or any lettuces.  We set loose 4500 ladybugs three days ago and have not seen great results yet, perhaps we will see better results when the larvae hatch.  It was very peculiar that when released, nearly every single lady bug immediately began migrating North.  Perhaps a dozen didn't.  Now more than anything, they are congregating in the greenhouse corners and 'making lady bug babies' but doing very little eating!  We will be trying the combination of soap, oil, molasses and water soon.  We were told yesterday to try blending several of the aphids with rain water and then spray this mixture on the aphid infested plants.  Anyone heard of that solution? Thanks.