How to Get Rid of Aphids | 12 Effective Methods

Aphids are hands down one of the most complicated creatures that you will come across. Not only are they hard to spot, but they are also even harder to get rid of. If you don’t know what aphids are, they are likely those small green insects visible on your plants from time to time. These are small and soft-bodied insects that suck out the nutrients from the plants and regress their growth over time. 

Not only are they visible in the standard trees and plants, but you can also find them in abundance in the fruit and flowering plants. When attacking the plants in abundance, they can suck the essential nutrients out of them, causing havoc. They also multiply quickly, so you need to tame them before they start reproducing.

Also read: How To Get Rid of Carpenter Bees?

All that aside, if you are looking for ways to get rid of aphids, we have sorted out some of the most effective methods you can look into.

How to Know If You Have Aphid Infestation in Your Garden?

If you look at a glance, spotting aphid damage is going to be quite difficult. This is primarily because people don’t know what they are looking for in terms of damage. Not only are you looking for those small pesky insects, but you are also going to look for the following signs in your garden to confirm a possible infestation:

• Curled, eaten, or yellow leaves on the trees
• Sticky residue on the leaves of the plants
• Sooty mold from the honeydew residue from the pests
• The distorted or deformed appearance of the flowers and fruits
• Viruses on the plants that damage it from the roots

If you notice any of these symptoms or anything amiss with your garden, you must look for a possible sign of infestation and act on it quicker than you can.

Ways to get rid of Aphid Infestation

Once you are sure that you have an aphid infestation in the garden, it is time for you to take immediate action without fail. Here’s what you can do:

1. Find The Source

The first and likely the most important step towards preventing and killing the aphids is finding the infestation source. You need to ensure that you find the primary source of the infestation without fail. This ensures that you nip the problem at the bud instead of getting rid of it superficially. The process can be tedious because you have to look around the entire garden to source the aphids and where they have attacked the plants. However, if you find them in clusters, it is likely where the infestation is.

2. Stop From Reproducing

One of the worst things about aphids is that they multiply very quickly. This means that you need to look out for any eggs around your garden. If they start laying eggs and they hatch, it will become extremely difficult for you to stop the spread and infestation. So, go around the garden and spot any kinds of eggs and if you find any, destroy them immediately without fail. You can also spray the plants with some insecticides if needed.

3. Use Water

As weird as it might sound, you can use a strong spray of water to get rid of the aphids from infesting the plants. All you need to do is take a high force stream of water and then spray it on the plants that have been infested with the aphids. The strong force of the water should be enough to get rid of these aphids without any fail. Just ensure that you avoid spraying the extremely delicate or small plants because the force of water will damage them.

4. Use Your Hands

If the aphid infestation isn’t too much, you can always use your hands to manually remove them from the plants. The process can be a little tedious; however, you won’t have any issues with the bites or damage to your health since they don’t necessarily cause any damage. Aphids have a very soft body, so you can easily pick them out with your hands without any issues. When it comes to how to get rid of aphids, this is one of the preliminary ways.

5. Cut The Plants

If the plants that have been infested with the aphids are helping it grow in large colonies, the best thing you can do is cut the branch off the plant. This will prevent the damage and prevent colonies of the aphids further. Doing this will be extremely beneficial for the flowering plants and prevent further damage. Also, once you are done cutting the stem of the infested plants, you need to douse them in water or chemicals to kill the aphids infesting the stem.

6. Use Chemical Repellents

If the manual and non-toxic methods aren’t working, the next best option is to opt for chemical repellents. The process should be done safely, especially if you have kids or pets around the house. Make sure you tell them to avoid going to the garden for a few days after the treatment to keep them safe. There are several types of insecticides and pesticides available in the market that you can look into.

7. Try Soap Solution

Although not the most potent cure, the soap solution does work to an extent in improving the plant life and getting rid of the aphids for good. All you need to do is take a spray bottle and fill it will water and dish soap and then spray it onto the plants that have been infested with the insects. The process can be tedious; however, you need to ensure that you keep a check on all the colonies of infestation to prevent further risks and damage. You can even pour in some essential oil for extra measure.

8. Try a Blend of Essential Oils

Like any other insect and pest, even aphids don’t enjoy the harsh smell of essential oils. So, it isn’t even a question that trying this can eventually reap good results. However, there’s not one but a few different types of essential oils that you need to deal with. If you can, get your hands on clove, rosemary, orange, and peppermint oil and make a blend of the same. You can spray this oil mixture on the plants to prevent the infestation from happening now and in the future.

9. Try Neem Oil

Moving aside from the essential oils, even neem oil has potent benefits in getting rid of the aphid infestation for good. This is a plant compound with a strong smell and potent antimicrobial property, all of which helps in getting rid of the aphids and controlling their reproduction. You can make a 2% solution of neem oil and water and then spray it directly on the plants where you can find the aphids growing. Since neem oil is completely natural, it also doesn’t harm the plants, which is another benefit.

10. Use Commercial Insecticides

We wouldn’t recommend this until nothing of the other DIY methods work. If the infestation is extremely hard to get rid of, this method has been found beneficial. However, you need to be extremely careful with commercial insecticides, primarily because they contain toxic chemicals that can harm children and even the pets and plants that you are spraying it on.

11. Plant Aromatic Plants

Plants like allium and garlic can effectively get rid of a future infestation of aphids in the garden. So, if you have tried and gotten rid of the aphids once and don’t want a repeat of the same in the future, we’d recommend planting aromatic plants to deter their growth for good.

12. Call Professionals

If the infestation has gone out of control and there is nothing you can do by yourself, your last resort is the pest control professionals. The process is simple, and it gives you free will to get all your work done while you leave the hard work to the professionals. Just ensure that you advise them to get all the colonies and infestations.

Also read: How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants?

If you are looking for ways to get rid of aphids, we hope this article gives you all the inputs and information you need to look out for. Just ensure that you try the right method and get rid of the colonies to prevent uncontrolled infestation.

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