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If you have not tried to plant or grow flowers, you may not have any experience with aphids. This is a tiny insect that is more or less a parasite that feeds on budding plants.
They are called a “sap-sucking insect” and are from the superfamily Aphidoidea. There are many different species of this insect type. The most common types of aphids found in Florida are:
These little sap-suckers can be an annoyance. However, they are not always deadly to the plant which they are feeding on. Many times the plant can live even if infected with this tiny bug.
Still, most people don’t want this bugs on their plants or flowers. There are insecticides that can kill and prevent these bugs but sometimes a homemade remedy can do the trick.
One method you may try is just blasting the aphids with cold water. Dislodging them and washing them away has actually been known to work. But it is not a sure thing by any means.
Another natural way to get rid of aphids is by filling a squirt bottle with water and then dropping one or two drops of dish soap into it. You can spray your plant with this every two or three days for no longer than two weeks time. This method does the trick many times.
You can install other types of plants in the vicinity of your fruit, veggie or flower plants that you want to keep safe from aphids. Catnip, garlic and chives have been known to repel aphids from a garden. Planting these near your flowers may do the trick.
If your insect problem seems to be beyond your ability to control, call a local and licensed pest control agent. At Sunstate Pest we have forty years of service and experience in the pest field.
