Stubborn Aphids

[Cym Ladye]

Soap acts as a desiccant so when it is applied to the buds, it will cause them to shrink and usually shrivel and fall off. On Cyms, it causes the outer bud segments to "claw" when the buds open.

I would take the plant outside and spray with Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Insect Disease and Mite Control. If you freak out with this, take it outside and just turn the hose on it, strong enough to wash off the aphis as often as necessary. Den kingianum is a tough species and will take most anything.

[bil]

I use a systemic insecticide, Imacloporid, aka chemical megadeath.


Applied properly it is no problem. I just blitz everything anywhere near the affected plant.

Point is, two applications two weeks apart deals with most everything. Two applications probably causes less problems than soaking it in soap all those times.

[kg5]

Aphids and wooly aphids.

To break or damage the exoskeleton of the aphid is the challenge at hand.

Using methylated spirits, method is the way to go for me by spraying it onto the insect.

If what you use damages your skin it will damage the outside of an insect. But to keep the hoist alive is a big issue.eg Bleach at full strength would most probably kill the plant as well but weakened down with water helps to keep the plant alive while killing the insect.

[estación seca]

The purpose of soaking (submerging) plants is to drown the insects and their eggs. This is different from spraying with insecticidal soap or other chemicals, where the idea is to kill the bugs with chemicals. In my experience, soaking a plant once for 2-3 hours is very much more likely to kill all the bugs than is spraying with even very nasty pesticides.

Some insects with waxy or furry skin can hang on to bubbles of air, and don't drown in clean water. To deal with this you can add a small amount of any soap to the soaking water. This breaks the surface tension of the water, and wets the bugs. It doesn't need to be insecticidal soap for this purpose.

The amount of soap needed for this is quite small, and unlikely to harm the plants. You are trying to add just enough that the water makes a few bubbles when you swish your hand in it, and not a heavy lather. It might be as little as a teaspoon (5ml) in a gallon of water (3.78 liters) if your water is soft.

Completely submerge the plant for a few hours. You will probably need to use something to hold it under the water. The bugs will be dead and your plant is unlikely to be harmed.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Sort of why you add dish soap to your weed killer to act like a wetting agent?

[estación seca]

Exactly.