Aphids are one of the most common garden and vegetable garden pests. These small sucking insects can cause significant damage to crops.
They feed on plant sap, which negatively affects growth and fruiting.
However, there are several ways to get rid of aphids, which are recommended by those who have already succeeded.
Method 1. Mechanical removal
The first and easiest way to control aphids is mechanical removal.
To do this, you can use a stream of water to wash the colony off the plants or cut off the affected parts of the plants. You can also use a brush or cloth to collect the insects manually.
Method 2. Using soap
Soap is another effective way to combat it. You can use regular laundry soap diluted in water and apply it to the affected plants.
Soap helps to destroy aphids by removing the protective wax on the pests' bodies and causing dehydration. In general, any aggressive impact on the insect's delicate body harms it. And laundry soap is a high alkali content.
Method 3. Using natural enemies
Many insects are natural enemies of aphids. You can attract these insects to your garden so that they can eat the pests. The most striking example is the ladybug. Its larva feeds on aphids and eats a huge amount of them.
Plant marigolds in the garden, which will attract ladybugs. By the way, aphids love them very much. Therefore, you can plant marigolds around the plot, then the pest will gather on them, and not on cultivated plants. It is much easier to destroy aphids on marigolds, since you do not need to protect the plant.
Method 4. Using vegetable oils
Vegetable oil creates an impenetrable film when it dries. The aphids simply suffocate. That is why some gardeners spray oil on the affected areas of plants.
Method 5. Flour
Flour creates a sticky layer due to gluten and acts in much the same way as vegetable oil. If you dust the places where aphids gather with wheat flour in the evening, by morning it will be soaked with dew, stick to the insects and they will die.
These pests can be a nuisance, but there are several ways to control them. Choose the method that works best for your garden.
