If clusters of small insects become noticeable on the leaves and buds of indoor flowers, then you urgently need to save the “green pets”, since aphids have settled on them. This tiny organism multiplies exponentially by sucking sap from plant cells. As a result, the leaves curl, the buds wither, and the stem becomes bent. Flowers find themselves helpless in the face of such an invasion. And if measures are not taken to destroy the insect, they will quickly die. How do you control aphids?
What are aphids
Aphids are small pests, their body size is 2-3 mm. Individuals of different colors fit the description of aphids - from yellow to black. But more often the color is yellow-green: this way they are less noticeable against the background of green foliage.
Using the proboscis, the aphid pierces the plant cell and sucks out juice rich in carbohydrates. After which the individual secretes sweet honeydew, or “honeydew,” which ants are very fond of. Other insects do not refuse to eat honeydew either. In addition, a sooty fungus appears in place of the sweet discharge. It is black in color and sticky to the touch. So the pest brings another problem to the plant - a fungal disease.
Attention! If aphids appear on indoor flowers, then expect an invasion of ants. And vice versa, when ants appear, a pest will appear in the near future, because ants often carry female aphids on themselves, organizing new colonies.
Aphids reproduce very quickly, laying eggs from which winged and wingless forms are born. Wingless individuals appear without fertilization (parthenogenesis). There are many of them when there is enough food. Winged forms are numerous at a time when it is necessary to “conquer” new habitats. They fly to new plants, where they create their colonies.
In a month, a female is capable of breeding up to 3 generations of insects, which after a short period of time also begin to actively reproduce. Flower leaves lose turgor (elastic state), curl and dry out, and the buds gradually fall off. In terms of feeding and lifestyle, aphids resemble mealybugs, which also suck sap from plants, forming colonies.
How to detect aphids
Single insects are small, so they are difficult to notice. And the colony usually settles on the underside of the leaf, and an abundance of sedentary “green inclusions” can be found on young shoots. These are its most common habitats, although a colony can settle on any part of the flower. When wiping or spraying the crop, turn the leaf blade over. This is where the pest most often lives.
Houseplants are an outlet for many owners. Of course, they delight the eye with bright colors and green frames all year round. But sometimes it happens that indoor pets get sick: the appearance of the plant loses its former beauty, the leaves turn black and dry, the buds fall off. The reason why such unfavorable changes occurred may be aphids. You should know how to fight aphids on indoor plants so that the pest never returns, and your plants delight you with their beauty and sophistication for a long time.
Aphids are sucking insects that feed on plant juices of a wide variety of plants. The insect has an oval body on which long limbs are located. The mouthparts are prickly and elongated, so the aphids leave small punctures on the stems and leaves while feeding. The pest is characterized by low mobility and small size: from 0.5 to 7 mm. The largest individuals are females. The insect has a variety of colors. The most common types of aphids found on houseplants are green or white.
Aphids on indoor flowers reproduce at an incredible rate. In one season, a flower can undergo up to 20 generations, which constantly form colonies. One female can lay about 100 larvae during her life. It will take two weeks for the larva to transform into an insect. Individuals are divided into winged and wingless, which perform different functions: individuals without wings form colonies, and winged ones capture new plants.
In total, there are about a thousand varieties of this pest. Identifying one species or another is a rather difficult task, because most aphid species adapt well to a new habitat and often resort to modification. The insect is most often found on young plants on the inside of the leaves. Likes to plant plants such as hibiscus, orchids, roses, cyclamens, fuchsias.
Threats and signs
The leaves of a plant that has been occupied by aphids first become deformed, and then wither and fall off. By sucking the juice from indoor flowers, pests create conditions favorable for the growth of the fungus. An adult female can lay up to 25 eggs per day, as a result of which the insects immediately spread to other indoor plants.
Aphids begin to capture a new flower from the bottom of the plant. If you find that a colony of eggs and small bugs has formed on the inside of the leaf, it’s time to start fighting pests. There are special chemicals that kill insects in just one or two sprays, but you can also use safer, older methods.
initial stage
If you are used to closely monitoring your plants, then it will not be difficult to notice when aphids appear on your house flowers for the first time. In the first stages, it will be enough to crush the female and destroy the eggs if she has already laid them. Then it is recommended to carefully examine all the plants that were in the room with the infected flower.
Sometimes it is necessary to trim damaged leaves to prevent aphids from breeding - there is nothing wrong with this. This procedure will not harm the flower too much, because it can recover very quickly. In cases where time has already been lost and there are too many insects, more radical methods of pest control should be used.
Use of folk remedies
Fighting aphids on indoor plants is a rather tedious task. You can ask a smoker for help, if there is one in the house:
Killer aroma
The first means of pest control can be made from shag or by buying a pack of cigarettes at the nearest store and removing the tobacco from them. To do this, you will need about 40 g of dry ingredient, which must be soaked in a liter of boiling water and left to infuse in this state for at least a day. The strained solution is used to spray flowers. It is best to use a spray bottle so that all the product gets on the roots and lower leaves.
The second recipe consists of one liter of water and 30 g of chopped garlic. The spice is soaked for a day, then the infusion is poured into a container with a spray bottle. Instead of garlic, you can use one medium or two small onions per liter jar of water. Covered with a nylon lid, the infusion is kept for about 8 hours. The onion method can rid the plant of both aphids and spider mites.
Heavy artillery
Celandine is capable of destroying both pests and warts. In a jar with a liter of water you need to put 300 g of fresh raw materials or 100-150 g of dry. The infusion is kept in the refrigerator for about a day. Flowers affected by thrips or aphids must be sprayed with a spray bottle.
If you have a few hot peppercorns lying around the house, this will also be a great help in fighting the pest. You just need to cut the product into small pieces, add water and put on low heat. It is necessary to boil the water with pepper for about 50-60 minutes, and then leave to infuse for another day. Pour the resulting mixture into a spray bottle.
To avoid burning the flowers, it is recommended to dilute the concentrated infusion with water at the rate of 10-15 ml of concentrate per 1 liter of water. The effect can be enhanced by using laundry soap: rub a small piece and dilute the resulting shavings in pepper liquid.
Elementary solution
Sometimes it will be enough to simply wash the aphid-infested indoor flowers in the shower:
Ash and mustard
Burn some wood from any type of wood in the stove. You won't need coals, so you don't need to mix them with ash. Collect clean raw materials from the ash pan and dilute it in water. You will need 2 tablespoons of ash per 1 liter of water, plus about a spoon of laundry soap. Mix the preparation thoroughly so that all components are successfully dissolved. Spraying should be done with a brush, as ash particles may get stuck in the spray bottle.
For the second method, you will need 10 g of powder made from mustard seeds (white). This amount of ingredient requires a liter of water. The solution must be infused for 2 days, after which it is recommended to strain it well. It is recommended to dilute the tincture with water to avoid damaging the plants. In extreme cases, when the plant is in a neglected state, it is allowed to use a concentrated product.
Dandelions and marigolds
Aphids cannot tolerate the aroma of some plants. This weakness is recommended to be used when fighting arrogant insects.
First option: steam 40 g of dandelion roots and leaves in a liter of water. Wait two hours, then strain the broth. The liquid should be sprayed on all plants that were in the same room with the sick person, and then repeat the procedure a day later.
The second option: place pots of marigolds next to the affected plant or make an infusion for spraying from leaves and dried buds. A handful of dried raw materials is poured into three glasses of water. You need to wait two days and add laundry soap shavings to the solution. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray the plants.
Unpleasant remedy
Harmful bugs do not like the scent of geranium. Aphids will quickly leave their “home” if a new neighbor is placed next to infected flowers. You can also use pelargonium instead of geranium.
Very often, a tincture made from onions or other natural ingredients turns out to be powerless in combating the pest, or the aphids disappear for a couple of weeks and then return again. In such situations, the use of insecticides cannot be avoided.
Professionals recommend using “Confidor” or “Aktara”, “Agravertin” or “Aktellik”. To get rid of aphids on house plants, you can try Iskra, Kinmiks, Fitoverm or Karate. Excellent removal of aphids "Decis", "Neoron" and "Inta-vir".
- You should carefully study the instructions and be sure to follow the dosage indicated therein. Insecticides recommended for indoor plants are not volatile, but it is still recommended to wear a mask or gauze bandage and gloves when working with the drug.
- During pest control, it is necessary to remove all children from the house and lock pets in other rooms.
- It is necessary to treat both affected and healthy areas so as not to miss the eggs laid by aphids.
- If the pests have not disappeared after the second treatment, you should purchase another product. Aphids have the ability to very quickly adapt to insecticides and become insensitive to certain control agents.
- Before you start treating flowers with a chemical, you should wipe all the leaves with a cloth soaked in a soap solution - this will enhance the effect of the insecticide.
The best way to fight is prevention
It is quite difficult to remove small greenish bugs from a plant due to their tenacity, so it is best to prevent their possible appearance in the house:
If you carefully monitor weakened and diseased flowers, inspect their buds and leaves daily, then it will not be difficult to see aphids that have not yet managed to occupy the plant. At the first signs of the appearance of aphids, it is recommended to first use folk remedies to combat the pest, and only then, if infusions and decoctions turn out to be useless, resort to insecticides.
We consider in detail how to fight aphids on indoor flowers. We tell you how to get rid of aphids at home using proven drugs and folk remedies.
Convenient step-by-step instructions and a pest prevention section have been prepared.
How to fight aphids on indoor plants?
To remove aphids you need to know the correct control measures and, of course, apply them in practice. We have drawn up an action plan that is aimed at getting rid of aphids on house plants.
COMBAT MEASURES
- If aphids are found, trim off all buds and flowers, especially on flowering specimens.
- Place the plant separately from the others and inspect the others in the apartment. Wipe with a soap-alcohol solution where the flower stood on the windowsill, as well as the window and the outside of the pots.
- The top layer of substrate in the plant pot needs to be replaced.
- To wash off aphids, rinse the flower before applying pest control in the shower or wipe with a cotton swab (soft toothbrush) with a solution of water and methyl alcohol (1:1) or soap solution.
- After treatment, rinse off the solution and leave the flower to dry. After the water has evaporated from the leaves, spray the plant, topsoil, and water the soil with a systemic insecticide.
- Ventilate the room thoroughly to remove traces of the chemical.
ADVIСE. Species whose leaves cannot be washed must be sprayed, preferably with preparations.
If an aphid colony is detected early, in order to get rid of it, it is often enough to collect the aphids by hand and wash the plant with warm water (soap solution).
If the spread of aphids is more serious, it is necessary to cut off the affected shoots or flowers and completely wash the home flower with a soapy solution.
Aphid eggs, larvae and adults
An effective remedy for aphids on house flowers
Among the remedies for aphids, there are chemical preparations and folk remedies; they are perceived differently by gardeners. Most people believe that a more effective means of controlling aphids is a chemical.
The use of systemic insecticides (especially for flowering species) is considered more effective, as they will kill aphids at all stages of development. Spraying home flowers can be supplemented with a spill of soil.
By the way, folk remedies have a large number of fans among flower lovers and, according to their reviews, they remove aphids much more effectively than other pests (scale insects, mealybugs, thrips or spider mites).
Anti-aphid drugs
Chemical preparations do not lose their popularity as in many cases they are the ones that completely destroy aphids at home. We have prepared a list of worthy preparations for aphids on home flowers.
Next to each drug we indicate its hazard (toxicity) class: 4 – low danger to humans, safe for bees and beneficial insects, 3 – moderately dangerous substance, 2 – highly dangerous substance, 1 – extremely dangerous for humans and animals.
Non-systemic insecticides of contact-intestinal action
- “Akarin” (old name “Agravertin”) – 4, (avertin), price: 4 ml package – 13-20 rubles.
- "Actellik" - 2, (pirimiphos-methyl), price: 2 ml package - 30-50 rubles. In Russia, the drug for personal use is not registered as of October 1, 2016. Although sometimes the drug can still be found in small stores and on the Internet.
- “Bankol” - 3 (bensultap), price: 10 gram package - 30-40 rubles.
- “Vertimek” - 2, (abamectin), price: 90 dollars/liter, manual packaging - 2 ml - 25 rubles.
- “Inta-Vir” - 3, (cypermethrin), price: 8 g package - 10-15 rubles.
- “Karbofos” (“Malathion”, “Fufanon”, “Iskra M”) - 3, (malathion), price: 30 g package - 30-40 rubles (strong unpleasant odor).
- “Fitoverm” - 4, (aversectin C), price: package (ampoule) 4 ml - 15-20 rubles.
Systemic insecticides of contact-intestinal action
- "Aktara" - 3, (thiamethoxam), price: 1.2 ml ampoule - 40-50 rubles, 4 g package - 90-120 rubles.
- “Confidor Extra” - 3, (imidacloprid), price: 1 g package - 30-40 rubles.
- “Tanrek” - 3, (imidacloprid), price: 1 ml ampoule - 10-15 rubles.
- Prices are based on hypermarkets such as “Obi”, “Leroy Merlin” according to the exchange rate of 1 dollar = 65 rubles. These drugs are widely found in many flower shops.
Which drug to use against aphids on indoor plants?
These drugs can be alternated, if necessary, with each other in order to completely get rid of aphids on indoor flowers.
In case of serious damage or weak effects of previous chemical preparations, move on to Actellik, Karbofos or Vertimek, as they are more toxic.
"Karbofos", "Vertimek" and "Aktellik" can only be used to treat indoor plants outdoors.
"Fitoverm" from aphids
The drug "Fitoverm" effectively removes aphids from houseplants, and many gardeners recommend using it first. "Fitoverm" is an insectoacaricide of biological origin with minimal danger to humans and domestic animals.
To destroy the pest, dissolve 2 ml of the drug in 200 ml of water and spray the indoor flower. Apply treatments every 5-8 days depending on the size and age of house plants, as well as air temperature.
In most situations, 3-4 sprays of the flower are enough to completely get rid of aphids. Some gardeners treat aphids with Fitoverm every 5 days three times and completely kill the pest.
A week after the last or next spraying with Fitoverm, a home flower can be treated with Epin to support the plant.
"Aktara" from aphids
If it is not possible to buy Fitoverm or the effectiveness of the drug has decreased, then take Aktara to get rid of aphids on home flowers. "Aktara" is a very powerful systemic insecticide that can easily remove aphids in most cases.
An indoor flower is sprayed with an Aktara solution of 1 gram per 1.25 liters of water (enough for 25-30 plants) and the soil mixture is spilled - 1 gram per 10 liters of water.
Treatment must be carried out 2-4 times, every 10-12 days, depending on the air temperature. In most cases, after 2-3 procedures, it is possible to get rid of aphids at home.
After spraying the plant with Aktaru, there is no need to rinse it off. The waiting period when spraying is 1-24 hours, and when watering is 2-4 days.
"Aktara" is a favorite remedy for many gardeners against gnawing and sucking pests. Due to simultaneous spraying and watering, the active ingredient of the drug (thiamethoxam) reliably kills aphids on indoor plants.
Drug for severe aphid infestation: “Actellik”
Dilute an Actellica ampoule (2 ml) in a liter of water and spray when aphids appear. No more than 2-3 treatments in a row. The waiting period is 3 days.
IMPORTANT! Actellik can only be used outdoors. Pregnant women, people suffering from asthma and allergic diseases should not work with them.
The drug "Actellik" is a powerful and toxic remedy that helps get rid of aphids on house plants, but also many other pests and beneficial insects.
Drug treatment plan
- Treat indoor flowers with insecticides 3-4 times every 7-8 days at an average daily temperature of 22-24°, and when the temperature is higher (25-28°), then after 5-6 days. At an average temperature of 15-20° - 10-12 days, and if below 15° - 8-10 days.
- Be aware that if the air temperature at the time of spraying is below 18°, the effectiveness of chemical preparations against aphids is seriously reduced.
- After spraying, there is no need to put a plastic transparent bag on your home flower; it is more important to repeat the procedure at the right time.
- Remember that a single treatment with any drug gives an immediate effect.
IMPORTANT! If aphids are detected, it is necessary to treat all house plants as aphids move easily. If you only treat part of your collection, there is a high risk that the pest will be detected again.
How to properly treat plants with drugs?
- Be sure to take personal protective measures (skin, respiratory organs) when working with chemicals. After the procedure, wash your hands and face with soap, and rinse your throat and nose with water.
- Treat plants only when they are dry.
- The best time for the procedure is before 12.00. On a cloudy day, until 14.00. During and after treatment, until the plant dries, it should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
- The optimal temperature is 20-26 degrees Celsius.
- The place to treat a flower with drugs of the 3rd and 4th hazard classes can be a balcony or a bathroom, and with drugs of the 2nd class only the open air. Avoid contact of drugs with foreign objects.
- After treatment, dead aphids must be removed (they may die a couple of hours after treatment, and not immediately), and the indoor flower must be thoroughly washed with warm water.
- For greater effect from spraying with any drug, it is recommended to add soap to the solution.
- Be sure to ventilate the room well after using medications.
IMPORTANT! Carefully read the instructions for the drug - consumption rates may differ as they are often produced in liquid and dry form, in different concentrations of active ingredients or package sizes.
How to get rid of aphids using folk remedies?
Folk remedies for aphids occupy an important place in the arsenal of many flower growers and gardeners. Unlike other pests, aphids are easier to remove from indoor flowers using home remedies.
However, we should not forget that traditional methods against aphids are best used when the pest is detected early and the colony size is small.
We present the most popular home and folk remedies for aphids on indoor flowers, and whether you use them or not is your right.
1. Soap solution for aphids
Among folk remedies for aphids, soap solution is especially revered by many gardeners. For preventative purposes, it is recommended to periodically wash affected domestic flowers with soap and water.
To prepare the solution, you can take laundry, tar or green potassium soap, and, in extreme cases, any soap, as well as dishwashing detergent, will do.
Green potassium soap is an effective and safe product for people. It can be used not only in the garden, but also at home. To do this, dilute 20 grams of green soap in liquid form in 1 liter of water.
- It is necessary to treat the entire houseplant with a soap solution, as well as the window sill, window frame, pot and pot tray. The more foam in the process, the better.
- After wiping the plant, it is better to wash off the soap suds after 2-4 hours.
- When spraying, try not to let the soap solution get on the soil, especially on the roots of the flower. To do this, cover the soil in the pot with film.
If there are a lot of plants in the apartment and they have small leaves, then you can spray them with a soap solution to save time. The effect of treatment will be lower, but not everyone has the patience or time to wipe.
RECIPE. Pour a tablespoon of soap shavings into a glass of warm water. To enhance the effect, you can add a teaspoon of ammonia (technical, medical, or, in extreme cases, vodka) and 300 grams of water.
The soap-alcohol solution must be washed off after 10-15 minutes with warm water so as not to burn your home flower.
IMPORTANT! Some experts insist that using soap solution on indoor flowers is not permissible. In their opinion, soap blocks the stomata of the plant, which leads to disruption of photosynthesis and plant development.
Plants with delicate leaves should not be treated with alcohol.
2. Wood ash from aphids: solution or infusion
Wood ash from aphids is often and successfully used by many gardeners. An infusion or solution of aphid ash can be the savior of indoor flowers.
Add one glass of crushed wood ash to five liters of water and leave for 3-4 hours. Then add 50 grams of soap and start spraying the plants with an infusion of aphid ash.
2ND RECIPE. Pour boiling water over 250 grams of ash, strain after cooling and spray the plant.
3. Garlic against aphids: solution or infusion
Garlic infusion is often used in pest control, and aphids are no exception.
Pour a glass of water over five crushed cloves (a teaspoon of pulp) of garlic. Infuse the mixture in a tightly sealed container for 1-2 days, and then wash the plant every 7-8 days. To spray, strain the infusion through three layers of gauze.
Recipe No. 2. A teaspoon of garlic pulp (4-5 cloves crushed) is poured into 500 ml of boiling water and left for 4-5 hours. The infusion is filtered and the affected flower is wiped.
4. Onions against aphids
A medium-sized onion is finely chopped, mashed and poured with a glass of water for 2-3 hours. Then everything is the same as with garlic.
ONION PEEKS. To prepare an infusion against aphids, pour 20 grams of husk with a liter of warm water and leave for 13-16 hours. The resulting infusion is sprayed on indoor flowers; usually 2-3 procedures are enough to remove aphids at home.
5. Pepper infusion against aphids
To destroy aphids, use an infusion of red hot pepper: boil 20-30 grams of crushed (finely chopped) pepper in 200 ml of water for 60 minutes. Then leave the resulting liquid for 24 hours and strain. To spray, dilute 10 ml of pepper infusion against aphids in a liter of water.
You can treat indoor flowers against aphids with pepper infusion once every two weeks. Pepper tincture can be stored for a long time in its finished form, which allows it to be used very quickly after detecting aphids.
6. Infusion of tobacco against aphids and tobacco smoke
Another popular folk remedy for various pests. An infusion of tobacco against aphids is prepared as follows: 40 grams of dry tobacco (shag) is infused for 24 hours in a liter of water.
You can also make a decoction of tobacco leaves for aphids: 40 grams of dry tobacco (shag) is poured into a liter of water and boiled for two hours, then filtered and the volume of the solution is brought to one liter.
SMOKE FROM TOBACCO. Some gardeners advise trying to kill aphids at home using cigarette smoke. Place the indoor flower in a tight bag and let cigarette smoke inside, then tie the bag and leave it overnight. According to their reviews, 1-2 procedures are enough to get rid of aphids on a house plant.
We would like to add that this method has not been used in practice and it is difficult to assess its effectiveness and safety for the plant.
7. Marigolds for aphids
Blooming marigolds need to be cut and dried. 40? A gram of dried marigolds are infused for two days in a liter of water and filtered. The resulting infusion is sprayed onto indoor flowers.
8. Mustard for aphids
A well-known means of combating aphids using mustard. 10 grams of crushed mustard seeds are infused for two days in a glass or enamel container. Then filter and prepare a solution for spraying plants: 100 ml of mustard infusion is diluted in 400 ml of water.
9. Celandine for aphids
Take 300-400 grams of fresh celandine during flowering (or 100 grams of dry) and leave in a liter of water for 24-36 hours. The resulting infusion of celandine can be washed and sprayed on indoor plants against aphids.
10. Soda for aphids
To prepare a soda solution for aphids, take a teaspoon of baking soda and dilute it in 500 ml of water. For open ground: 75 grams of soda per 10 liters of water.
2ND RECIPE. Dissolve a tablespoon of soda ash in a liter of water.
11. Vinegar against aphids
A vinegar solution for aphids is quite popular among gardeners. It is prepared according to this recipe: add a teaspoon of vinegar or 1 tbsp to 300 ml of water. spoon per liter.
12. Kerosene against aphids
This powerful folk remedy for aphids is only suitable for treating plants outdoors or in the garden.
Dissolve a tablespoon of soap shavings in 200 ml of hot water. Then add two tablespoons of kerosene and stir in 2 liters of water. Rinse the infected plants, and after 10-15 minutes, rinse the solution with water. After 6-8 days, the treatment must be repeated.
PROCESSING RULES. Folk remedies for aphids are recommended to be used every 5-6 days 3-4 times in a row with one of the infusions. For each procedure, it is necessary to prepare a fresh solution, with exceptions (pepper tincture).
ADVICE. For greater effect from spraying with a folk remedy (it will stick to the plant better), add soap to the solution - about a teaspoon of shavings per liter of infusion or solution.
ATTENTION. Flower growers periodically ask about fighting aphids using potassium permanganate. Therefore, we think it is important to tell you that there is no need to use a solution of potassium permanganate against aphids; it is not effective in 99% of cases.
There are other less popular home and folk remedies against aphids on flowers: dissected hogweed, creeping bitterweed, datura vulgare, nettle, dandelion, tansy, wormwood, tomatoes, yarrow, citrus fruits, pine needles and others.
We believe that the list of folk remedies for aphids on indoor flowers will be sufficient for a gardener. Since these home remedies are easy to find and make an infusion or solution, they are also effective enough to fight aphids on plants.
- Based on their experience, the editors of the Flower Festival magazine believe that the following folk remedies are the most effective in the fight against aphids: soap, wood ash, garlic, onions, pepper and tobacco. Tobacco, celandine, soda, vinegar, mustard and marigold help a lot.
Houseplants against aphids
Some gardeners advise growing fragrant geranium (pelargonium). According to their reviews, the smell of geranium suppresses aphids well. A pot of geranium is placed near the affected home flower and the aphids are destroyed after 2-3 days.
Prevention of aphids on indoor flowers
The basis for aphid prevention is proper plant care and regular careful inspection of your home collection.
Aphids often infect indoor plants when they are not cared for properly: excess or lack of watering. Also, a high nitrogen content leads to intensive development of aphids.
Aphids at home can cause harm all year round. Aphids appear more often in warm rooms with dry air. The higher the temperature, the faster the aphid reproduces; maximum pest activity is observed in spring and summer.
- To protect plants from aphids, you can use special balls and sticks; they are especially suitable for flowers in large pots, hanging baskets or garden containers.
You can also wipe home flowers from aphids with folk remedies (tincture of garlic, pepper or onion) once every 2-3 weeks.
See the section “Where do aphids come from in the house” in an additional article to better understand what needs to be done to prevent aphids at home.
ADDITIONS TO THE ARTICLE:
We hope that now it will be easier for you to fight aphids at home with the help of the proposed drugs and folk remedies.
We wish to destroy the pest on all indoor flowers forever!
How to get rid of aphids on home ornamental plants? How dangerous are aphids and how to prevent their appearance? Control methods using chemicals and folk remedies. Video tips.
The content of the article:
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 gardener treats flowers with care, and if aphids appear on them, then this phenomenon saddens any housewife. Aphids spread quickly, so it is important to start pest control in a timely manner. You can get rid of small insects at home using folk recipes and professional remedies.
What are aphids?
Types and photos of aphids on indoor plants
Why are aphids dangerous on indoor plants?
How do aphids appear on indoor plants?
You can detect aphids on flowers by the following signs:
- A sticky layer has formed on the leaves of the flowers and stems, which remains from the aphids.
- Dark spots appeared on the flowers - these are traces of sooty fungus.
- Fresh shoots curl, turn yellow and wither.
- Affected open buds look ugly and painful.
How to fight aphids on indoor plants - the best means
You can get rid of aphids on indoor plants at home using folk remedies, professional biological products, and insecticides. Let's consider all the available options.
Fighting with chemicals
The modern market offers a wide variety of insecticides and pesticides. In a specialized store, a sales consultant will help you purchase an effective drug. But it is worth noting some of them are the most effective.
- Fitoverm- a biological product based on waste products of bacteria and fungi. Not phytotoxic. Safe for humans and does not require outdoor treatment. The plant is thoroughly sprayed with a sprayer: 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 treatment, prepare a solution: 200 ml of water dissolve 2 ml of the drug.
- Aktara- an insecticidal drug that blocks nerve endings, causing paralysis and death of pests. Death occurs instantly. The drug is used if aphids are infested in the ground and on flowers. In the first case, the soil is treated (watered), in the second, the plants are sprayed. The protective properties remain in the soil for 2 months, on the leaves - 20 days. But re-treatment needs to be done after 2 weeks. The solution is prepared: 8 g per 1 liter of water. To carry out the procedure, the plants are taken outside.
- Pour 30 g of ripe red pepper into 250 ml of water, leave for 24 hours, boil, cool and add laundry soap.
- In case of severe infestation, a very strong infusion of one of the following components mixed with a solution of laundry soap will help: tobacco, orange peel, garlic, pine needles, onions, onion peels or red pepper.
- Tomato infusion helps. Chop 400 g of tomato leaves, add 1 liter of water and boil for half an hour. Before use, add 4 g of soap.
- For spraying, use a solution of 25 g of 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted in 0.5 liters of water.
- 300–400 g of fresh celandine herb or 100 g of dry herb, pour 1 liter of water, leave for 36 hours or boil for 30 minutes.
- For minor flower damage, regular showering will help.
- Infuse 300 g of crushed dandelion roots or 400 g of fresh leaves in 10 liters of warm water at 40 degrees for 1–2 hours, strain and spray.
How to prevent aphids from appearing on indoor plants?
Preventive measures against aphids are ineffective, since the infestation is almost noticeable. But nevertheless, there are several tips that will protect indoor plants.
- Periodically inspect plants for fungus and pests.
- Make sure that no ants appear, because... they are “friendly” with aphid colonies.
- Give plants a shower and trim off damaged shoots.
- Keep new plants away from others for a week to eliminate the risk of infection from new flowers. If there are no pests on the new flower, cancel the quarantine.
- Wash donated bouquets in the shower and keep away from indoor pots.
- Heat promotes the spread of aphids, so monitor the room temperature.
- Preventive measure: flea shampoo. Dilute 1 cap of the product in 0.5 liters of water and spray the flowers with the solution.
- Place fragrant pelargonium on the window, it repels insects.
- Remove dried leaves in a timely manner, as pests love to sit on them.
Aphids are a most unpleasant insect that can settle on almost any plant. And half the trouble, if this bug simply spoiled the appearance of your flowers, it sucks all the juices out of the plant, for some reason it begins to hurt, wither and may even die. We will talk further about how to detect and how to get rid of aphids in indoor flowers.
What are aphids and how to recognize them?
Aphids are small sucking insects. It usually lives in colonies and reproduces very quickly. Prefers to settle on young buds and shoots, as well as on the underside of leaves. About a thousand species of these bugs are known, which differ not only in color, but also in morphology, but the gardener does not need to know the smallest differences, because any aphid is radically different from all other insects, and recognizing it will not be difficult. 
What is the danger of aphid infestation for indoor flowers?
So, as soon as a female aphid settles on your green pet, she begins to multiply quickly, and newborn aphids literally cling to the stems. Hundreds of thousands of individuals can be born from one female in a month. Insects begin to suck juices from the plant through their special proboscis. A plant affected by aphids quickly loses strength and begins to wither. Most likely, voracious insects will suck out too much juice, the excess of which will be released onto the stem and buds. The excess juice secreted by aphids, called honeydew, promotes the development of sooty fungus (dark spots on leaves that can be scraped off with a fingernail). The sooty fungus blocks access to sunlight, photosynthesis processes are disrupted, and the plant, again, withers. However, the danger from aphids is not only that they can destroy the plant they have chosen. Some individuals have wings and can easily move not only to nearby flowers, but also to very distant ones (even to the point that they sometimes fly onto the veranda or balcony from the street).
Where do aphids come from on houseplants?
White aphids are often found on houseplants, although other varieties may also appear. Pest colonies can settle on any part of the plant: stem, leaves, roots and flowers. On indoor flowers, aphids are usually located on the underside of leaves or along shoots, almost completely covering them. Pests lead a sedentary lifestyle, feeding on plant sap. Leaves affected by aphids gradually wither, curl and dry out; the buds also die and fall off without blooming. The pests themselves are clearly visible to the naked eye, so diagnosing the lesion is not difficult.
These insects can appear on indoor plants in various ways:
1.Aphids may appear on indoor flowers even before you plant them. When purchasing, check all flowers for its presence.
2. If you often take your flowers outside to air, be careful.
The first two points imply that the pest got on your flowers due to your negligence. But this is not the only way to come home one day and be surprised at how beautiful your previously beautiful indoor plants look.
Most often, infection occurs at the initiative of the female aphid. It enters the house through a window or balcony door and begins to actively lay larvae. One female is capable of producing from 140 to 170 larvae. Small pests can cause harm to everything without exception. The only tree that aphids don't like is the palm tree.
3. Brought into the house on clothing or household items. A colony of aphids on a flower can be settled by ants that feed on honeydew and spread these insects throughout the plants. This often happens in greenhouses.
Preventive measures against aphids on indoor plants
To keep your houseplants healthy, prevention is necessary. It is imperative to constantly check the appearance of aphids on indoor plants from the beginning of spring to the beginning of autumn. If ants appear near your home flowers, you should pay attention. After all, ants fight white aphids; they are attracted by the secreted sweet mass, syrup. To protect against insects, you should cut off yellowed leaves, ventilate the room, and insulate the plant area. It is difficult for any tree to develop in the cold, especially to fight insects.
With careful care, the appearance of a female is immediately noticeable. If it has just appeared and has not had time to produce offspring, it is very simple to fight it - the pest should simply be crushed. If one or more buds are covered with eggs or small bugs, these buds can also be removed.
Aphids spread very quickly on indoor flowers. Therefore, it is important to frequently conduct a detailed inspection of potted plantings.
Only purchased green plants are at greatest risk, because when brought into a room from the street they can attract both colonies of ants and female pests.
How to get rid of aphids on houseplants
For minor aphid infestations, it is recommended to regularly wash indoor plants in the shower. Carry out the same procedure after pruning a heavily affected flower.
We also suggest using the following folk remedies to get rid of aphids on indoor flowers.
Aqueous tincture of shag or tobacco
Very effective against aphids. Stir 40 g of tobacco in 1 liter of water and leave for 24 hours, spray the plant with tobacco infusion.
Garlic infusion is often used in pest control, and aphids are no exception. Pour a glass of water over five crushed cloves (a teaspoon of pulp) of garlic. Infuse the mixture in a tightly sealed container for 1-2 days, and then wash the plant every 7-8 days. To spray, strain the infusion through three layers of gauze.
A medium-sized onion is finely chopped, mashed and poured with a glass of water for 2-3 hours. Then everything is the same as with garlic. Onion infusion is used to spray indoor flowers. This remedy will save plants not only from aphids, but also from spider mites.
Celandine
To prepare the infusion, take 300 g of fresh or 100 g of dried raw materials, dilute with 1 liter of water. Infuse the mixture throughout the day. Use a spray solution. This remedy will also help get rid of false scale insects and thrips.
Nettle
Nettle infusion against aphids: infuse 500 g of fresh nettle (before flowering) in 5 liters of water for 12 to 24 hours. Spray aphids with fresh infusion.
Hot pepper
To destroy aphids, use an infusion of red hot pepper: boil 20-30 grams of crushed (finely chopped) pepper in 200 ml of water for 60 minutes. Then leave the resulting liquid for 24 hours and strain. To spray, dilute 10 ml of pepper infusion against aphids in a liter of water. You can treat indoor flowers against aphids with pepper infusion once every two weeks. Pepper tincture can be stored for a long time in its finished form, which allows it to be used very quickly after detecting aphids.
Marigold
Blooming marigolds need to be cut and dried. 40 grams of dried marigolds are infused for two days in a liter of water, filtered. The resulting infusion is sprayed onto indoor flowers.
White mustard
The concentrate is prepared by infusing 10 g of mustard seed powder per liter of water in a tightly closed glass or enamel container for 48 hours, then filtering. To prepare the working solution, add 150-200 ml of concentrate per 850 ml of water. Plants affected by aphids are sprayed with this solution.
Pine infusion
Pour 50 g of pine or spruce needles into 2 liters of water, leave in a dark place for 1 week. Dilute the resulting concentrate with water in a ratio of 1:7 and treat the plant.
The fight against aphids on indoor flowers with oil-based preparations is also popular among gardeners. They are non-toxic, absolutely safe for people and environmentally friendly. These products are sprayed evenly so that a film forms on the surface of the sheet. Make sure that the drug does not get on the buds and flowers, as they can stick together and wither. If you decide to use chemicals against aphids, there are also plenty of them in specialized stores.
The most popular among them:
- Karate;
- Decis;
- Inta-vir;
- Aktellie;
- Arriva;
- Neoron;
- Aktara.