Aphids are really getting bad

[texas butterfly]

I had aphids earlier in the season and then it seemed they either went away or were not that bad.

Now, a few of my plants they are really BAD.

I'm trying the baking soda thing. I did a 90% water and a 10% soda solution.
I didn't find the soap recommended, but may try to look again. I just want to see how it works without adding the soap.

As I was rinsing in the dark, I could feel the grainy bugs come into my hand. So maybe they didn't like it.

The plants that are really bad seem to have a sticky issue with tops of leaves.

We were drought striken but did have some rain in the last several days. I guess nature was disturbed and has stirred up aphids and also the ants.

I've been using Grits to keep the ant population down. Surprisingly it seems to be working.

Any other solutions to getting rid of aphids?

Way too many since there seem to be MILLIONS OF THEM.

I guess I could also see if I can find some lady bugs. $8 to fix or get a handle on this problem would not be bad. I think a garden center near me sells them.

[Mona Miller]

The lady bugs will eat the Monarch eggs.

I read 1 tsp of baking soda to a quart of water will do the trick. Works for fungus, too.

[texas butterfly]

I'll try the soda water mix and see how it works.

Some of the plants are so bad, that the bottoms of leaves are just yellow. If there was a Monarch egg on the leaf, I'm not sure that I could find it.

It almost seemed from my initial test the aphids did not like the soda water mix.

I'll spray the plant tomorrow during daylight hours and see if I can get the aphids off that one plant. If it works, then I'll start spraying the others also.

I may have to just try some lady bugs also to at least get this problem under control. I'll check leaves the best I can to see if some eggs are there before I release ladybugs.

A big red bug that looked like a lady bug seemed to be already there this afternoon. So, maybe the lady bugs will come automatically. I'll keep monitoring my lady bug population also.

[Mona Miller]

The big red bug eats the milkweed especially in the larvae stage.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/2970
Labidomera clivicollis - Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

The other alternative is to cut back the milkweed.

[texas butterfly]

Well it looks like my soda mix was too strong. It burnt the plants that I sprayed.
I'll have to dilute it more and see if that helps.

I'll probably have to cut some of the milkweed back. As many of the leaves seem to also have the rust problem in addition to bugs. Other plants still look great, but these are yuck.

The red bug that I saw look more like a lady bug, but bigger than I normally have seen.

[Mona Miller]

If you are going to cut them back, then also spray them with Safer soap spray. My friend drinches the ground, too. And, if possible put them into an enclosure. That will keep the bugs off.

A friend once told me that if you take ground up aphids and add those to water and then spray that will keep them off. They must think that the plants already are covered with aphids.

Can you send a pic of the large lady bugs?

[texas butterfly]

Did not see the red bug again. I'll keep looking.

It looked kinda like a lady bug. No black spots. Little bit bigger.

I went and bought some lady bugs at a garden center near me.

Some of the lady bugs are already chowing down on those little yellow critters.

I'll probably still chop some of the plants down, since it looks like they have aphids and the brown spots, so they will turn yellow and drop off anyway.

This morning I found it very dewey. So, plants are getting moist probably after midnight.

I did find about 45 eggs so brought them in.

Released my last butterfly after the last batch. I think that I released about 25 Monarchs so far this first year as a rookie.

[Mona Miller]

I went into my tent today to find that one large container of caterpillars had chewed the milkweed down to almost stubble. So, out I went to pull in another and relocated the crew. I hope I have enough milkweed. I am using this net paint strainer that I got a long time ago from this company. I think I'm going to see if they still make them. This keeps the caterpillars in the container and not roaming all over the tent. It looks like a king sized pillow case, but made out of netting--sleeve. It is not parasite proof enough for outdoors unless you double them. The caterpillars can make their chrysalis at the top. I added the double, ringed, plastic coated tomato cage for support. And, then covered it with the sleeve.

[vigilante]

Mona, please tell a source of that paint strainer.

[Mona Miller]

Contact is Richard Riggsbee (rriggsbee@reavesdrop.com) at Reaves
800-334-0967. See info below on sizes.
Butterfly bags come in two different sizes and have a draw string closure.
20" x 36" $2.50 each
36" x 50" 5.98 each
Material: Nylon
Mesh: 85-95 Woven Mesh 124 Microns
Color: White
Handling Fee for orders less than $250.00: $20.00
(Note: Prices may have changed)

Reaves is now Trimaco, but the number should still work. I don't know if these prices are current or if Richard Riggsbee still works for the company. Good luck.

I any one sews they could use this material to make the bags:
http://www.skeeta.com/html/netting/mosq ... etting.htm

[Mike1624]

I'm a newbiie on this forum and also in dealing with Monarchs. I planted three marsh milkweed plants two years ago. Plants did well, but found no larva. Now in my 2nd year, the plants were a little slow appearing after a very hard winter. When they were still pretty small, they were covered with Monarch cats. They ate the plants down to the ground, stem and all. After the plants rebounded, they became infested with an extremely persistent yellow aphid. I tried Safer's Soap, hot liquid wax and several home made remedies, none of which worked. The aphids have damaged the plants to the point that the seed pods aren't going to produce seeds this year. The remainder of the plants are again covered with cats, but there is not a lot of foliage. If anyone knows of a solution to this problem, I'd like to hear it for next year. Thanks.

[Mona Miller]

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp ... ady%20bugs
Stay at Home Ladybugs


I ordered Stay at Home ladybugs. I have a Cynanchum vine (milkweed) that is about 15 ft. up a small tree. I can't get up there to squish the aphids. The aphids in my yard are starting to explode. I've been squishing, washing them off, but they are getting a head of me.

[Mike1624]

Thanks. I guess that I have enough aphid ammo to start the next season with.

[Paul Cherubini]

If anyone knows of a solution to this problem, I'd like to hear it for next year. Thanks.

http://tinyurl.com/3uxazg6 Dilute 2 teaspoons per gallon of water. It's what professional monarch breeders use to control aphids on milkweeds in their huge greenhouses.

[Mona Miller]

What do people who don't use pesticides do? Some people actually know that pesticides kill or weaken butterflies.

You see Paul sells this stuff. Maybe you should go peddle your poison on some other list serve.

[Paul Cherubini]

Some people actually know that pesticides kill or weaken butterflies.

Is milkweed that has been damaged and weakened by aphids healthy for the caterpillars?