Aphid Infestation

[Decado]

So I was testing my new wide angle lens I received recently and while taking a picture of a flower I noticed this:
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/Aphids00.jpg[/img]
Luckily the quality of this lens is high enough that I was able to notice that this plant was completely infested by aphids. What can I do to get rid of these things? Is insecticidal soap sufficient?

(there's also one of those stupid fungus gnats I can't get rid of on there )

[rainbowgardener]

Actually that's far from the worst aphid infestation I've ever seen!

Search the Forum is your friend! Type aphid control into the keyword box that comes up when you click on Search the Forum and you will find two pages of listings of things that have been written here already.

Here's one to start you off:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=99388&highlight=aphid+control#99388

[Decado]

It's actually a lot worse on the other branches, only out of focus in that picture so I cropped the focused area. Thanks for the info.

[Decado]

Well I sprayed it with the insecticidal soap and they all turned black, I'm guessing that means they're dead? The problem is that the leaves are now bubbling up and turning brown, is this from the soap?

[soil]

what kind of soap did you use?

can you simply give the plant a good wash off? a strong stream of water knocks them off and usually they die before they get back on. a week of this and most plants are cured of infestation ( and like said thats far from the worst, when the whole branch is covered and you cant see the stalk, then its bad)

that and encourage beneficial insects if you can. the stronger your gardens ecosystem the less pest pressure there will be.

[Decado]

Well beneficial insects wouldn't have helped since it was inside and I got it from a friend and I'm pretty sure it came from there, I've never had an aphid problem before probably because we have so many ladybugs here. The soap was schultz insecticidal soap, it got a good wash off in the rain but it's still getting worse.

[applestar]

So sorry to hear that

The spirally closed bud reminds me of Plumeria, though I can't see the foliage so I'm not sure. Many tropical plants can be sensitive.

At this point, I think you'll just have to clip off the damaged leaves. It doesn't sound like they'll recover. For future reference, use a more dilute solution and test on an inconspicuous leaf. Remember, too, that new leaves are more tender than older leaves.

I've been battling aphids on my wintered over Jalapenos and Sweet peppers. Recently I found a ladybug outside ande it's been helping, but a single ladybug hasn't been enough. So, I continue to use soapy water made of Dr. Bronnor's liquid soap and a large watercolor paint brush. Heavily infested leaves can be dipped in the cup and given a thorough wash. (A small piece of paper towel in the solution helps to clean off the aphids off the brush). I just keep the cup of soapy water and the brush next to the plants and have at it whenr I see aphids.

[farmerlon]

the stronger your gardens ecosystem the less pest pressure there will be.

I totally agree with that.

When I first started gardening, I made all the usual mistakes ... like using 10-10-10 and other chemical fertilizers. Plus, I'm sure I used too much of it.
When that chemical Nitrogen would hit hard, I would have incredible "aphid blooms" on tomato plants, etc... .

I hope the bugs aren't listening, because I'm sure it's a big mistake to say this out loud ... but, since I made the transition to Organic gardening, I don't have any real issue with bugs at all. {knock on wood}