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Old 09-12-2008, 02:45 PM   #3
FreakNature
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Re: I have Aphids I believe!!!! Need Help

If they are aphids (these are small fat juicy flying critters - you can often see wings and legs - definitely not a caterpillar type of bug) you can hose them off if you aren't concerned about mold at this point. You also want to kill any ants...they can help aphids by treating them like a herd of cows, tending them and milking the honeydew off of the aphids and eating it. They are often seen streaming up and down the stem of a plant that has aphids.

Ladybugs do eat aphids, but their larvae (small black soft wingless insects with orange markings that do look more caterpillar-like) eat much more.

To kill the ants you can use diatomaceous earth as an organic option. This powder, available at many garden supply locations, is made from the skeletons of microscopic sea creatures and it acts like broken glass to lacerate the exoskeleton of the offending insect, causing them to dry out and die. It's very effective on ants. To a human and to animals it's non-toxic, but I wouldn't want to breathe in the fine power.
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