View Full Version : Aphids on my lilies
Cowiche Ponder
07-01-2005, 01:54 AM
I have aphids on my lilies. What can I use to treat that doesn't hurt the fish??? :thinking:
rocmon
07-01-2005, 01:57 AM
Hose them with a strong spray of water—you get a 70–80% kill rate. It breaks their little beaks...
You could also submerge them awhile.
Cowiche Ponder
07-01-2005, 02:01 AM
I've been hosing them but don't see a kill rate like that, but will keep doing that.
danzcool
07-01-2005, 02:24 AM
I like using pam cooking spray. Spray on, wait 10 minutes, spray off with hose, your done.
pandora
07-01-2005, 03:00 AM
I went to our garden center, and they had this stuff that showed on the label it was safe for pond use . . . When I got home and looked at it, it said you had to take the plant out of the pond, spray the stuff on it, wipe it down, and rinse it off . . . :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: If I wanted to do all that, I woulda just wiped them off in the first place . . . :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: I took it back . . .
Wayne S.
07-01-2005, 09:19 AM
One homemade spray for aphids that I have seen is: 1/3 cup Rubbing Alcohol, 1/3 cup Hydrogen Peroxide, 1/3 cup water, 3-4 drops dishwashing soap, 3-4 drops Peppermint Oil (essential oil, not the kind you buy in the grocery store. You can get it at a health food store). Using a spry bottle, shake it up and spray on your plants. Some people leave it on, and others wash it off after 5 - 10 minutes. (Keep this mix away from pets such as dogs and away from children). A couple easy options are the cooking spray product “Pam” which is basically Canola (rapeseed) oil sprayed directly on the plants or take a one quart squirt bottle and mix a teaspoon of vegetable cooking oil in the bottle filling the remainder with water. Only use these early in the morning, or late afternoon to avoid the combination of the treatment and the hot sunny weather increasing the risk of the plants being scorched.
Wayne S.
I'll second Wayne's choice, I've used it for years tho I skip the peroxide. Rubbing alcohol, water and a couple of drops of dish detergent to help it stick. Also, I have seldom had trouble with aphids as long as I have NO water lettuce.
pandora
07-01-2005, 09:44 AM
I'll second Wayne's choice, I've used it for years tho I skip the peroxide. Rubbing alcohol, water and a couple of drops of dish detergent to help it stick. Also, I have seldom had trouble with aphids as long as I have NO water lettuce.
Hmmmm Lynn, I have had none at all this year, and I have not floaters in my pond . . . You're so smart!!!! :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:
Cowiche Ponder
07-01-2005, 10:12 AM
I'll second Wayne's choice, I've used it for years tho I skip the peroxide. Rubbing alcohol, water and a couple of drops of dish detergent to help it stick. Also, I have seldom had trouble with aphids as long as I have NO water lettuce.
Is this fish safe? Doesn't sound like it. Pam cooking spray..same question, it doesn't sound fish safe?
Hmm water lettuce? I can throw it out, its not doing that well anyway.
I've thought about ladybugs, but not sure how well they would like being in the pool. I will maybe see if they have any locally I can put in.
FYI for anyone getting ladybugs, release after dusk and they don't tend to fly away
danzcool
07-01-2005, 12:28 PM
Is this fish safe? Doesn't sound like it. Pam cooking spray..same question, it doesn't sound fish safe?
I've used it with my fish about 2 or 3 times ayear for the last three years. The only possible issue I've heard mentioned would be a possibility of reduced oxygen in the water after use due to the oily skim left after hosing it off. If you have a skimmer, the oily skim will be gone in no time, if not it will break down within about 3 days. If anything, my fish seem to have increased appetite after using the pam spray, I guess they like greay foods just like humans?
Illinois Sue
07-02-2005, 12:17 AM
O.K just so I'm sure, are water aphids the bugs that run all over the water surface? I know what aphids are on land plants, but there are lots of larger bugs in my pond that run on the water.
tammie
07-02-2005, 01:03 AM
Oh, Sue, sorry. I think the guys "running" on the surface of your pond are water striders? Aphids you'll see on top of the lily pads, and up the stems that are above the water surface. Tammie