Treatments for Green Aphids 🐛

Now that temperatures are starting to rise, trees are activating and beginning to sprout. This activity also awakens some pests, such as the green aphid.

Apple trees, for example, are really sensitive to this pest, although it is true that if they have no imbalance, it will not kill the tree. If, however, it suffers from lack of water or some deficiency, it could be much more affected.

What are green aphids?

It is a very small, wingless insect that camouflages very well due to its green color, and we may not detect it until there are many specimens on the infected tree.

Can green aphids kill the tree?

Aphids feed on the plant by sucking sap from the leaves or the tenderest shoots. This can affect the development of the specimen, creating deformed shoots or even drying out entire leaves or shoots.

Although this can negatively affect the plant, it should not be fatal, as it would take a long time for the aphids to kill it. If the plant is balanced in terms of watering, sun, and nutrients, its growth will be greater than the damage the aphids can inflict.

Aphids can attract ants, which feed on the sticky substance secreted by the aphids as they eat. They can also attract the sooty mold fungus.

In nature, green aphids have natural predators like ladybugs. This means that outdoors, this pest can often be controlled on its own. Indoors, however, it can advance much more quickly.

How can I get rid of this pest?

The first thing you should do is isolate the affected specimen to prevent it from spreading to the rest.

Then we can try some of the following treatments:

Washing with soap and water

Wash the plant with water and neutral soap or dish soap (the latter is also effective against mealybugs).

Soapy water should kill the aphids on contact, so this can be a very cheap and easy remedy to obtain.

Homemade anti-aphid spray

Prepare a solution with half a liter of warm water and a teaspoon of organic soap and spray the mixture on the plant. It is an effective remedy but slower than the previous one.

Potassium soap

We can spray the affected areas with a solution of 20ml of potassium soap per liter of water (2%). We will repeat the treatment in two weeks.

This treatment will also be effective against the sooty mold fungus.

Neem oil

Neem oil is a very effective natural insecticide against aphids. It is easy to find.

Nettles

Cut a bunch of nettles and let them steep in water. Use the resulting filtered solution with a sprayer.

How can I prevent it from coming back?

A preventive remedy would be to spray a solution of wine vinegar in water. The solution would be 100ml of vinegar per liter of water.