How to get rid of Aphids

[memory94]

My peppers but only peppers are full of aphids and ants! is this a way to get rid of aphids?

How to Get Rid of Aphids Naturally
Introduction
Aphids, those tiny, pear-shaped, sap-sucking pests, appear every spring to feast on your plants' tender new leaves. Not to fear; you don't have to resort to toxic chemicals to save your garden.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Steps
Step One
Examine your garden regularly for signs of aphids. Look for clusters of the little bugs on new growth and flower buds, as well as on the curled and twisted leaves.

Step Two
Remove the aphids by hand (wearing gloves) or using a sharp stream of water.

Step Three
Cut away and dispose of infested foliage.

Step Four
Capture flying aphids by placing yellow sticky traps near infected plants.

Step Five
Make a nontoxic pesticide by mixing 1 c. vegetable oil with 1 tbsp. liquid dish washing soap. Add 1 1/2 tsp. solution per cup of warm water to a hand held spray bottle.

Step Six
Hit the aphids directly with above mixture and spray entire plant thoroughly.

Step Seven
Introduce beneficial insects, such as ladybugs or green lacewings, to your garden to feed on the aphids. Both can be bought from any garden store or online.

Step Eight
Avoid planting aphid-attracting plants, such as birch trees, and instead grow plants such as white sweet clover, spearmint, sweet fennel and Queen Anne's lace, which attract and house the lacewings, ladybugs and other insects that feed on aphids.

Step Nine
Rid your garden of ants. Ants love to eat "honeydew," the sugary sap secreted by aphids, and will keep the aphids alive by fending off predators and carrying the sap makers to other plants.
Tips & Warnings

* Keep your plants healthy. Your garden's best defense against any pest is nutrient-rich, living soil and adequate water and light.
* Fertilize sparingly, using slow-release organic fertilizer to ensure steady, not explosive growth. Too many new shoots will not only tax the plant, but may attract more aphids to the succulent leaves.

Overall Things You'll Need

* Sticky Traps
* Lacewings
* Spray Bottles
* Dish washing Detergent
* Pruning Shears
* Ladybugs
* Garden Hoses And Attachments
* Vegetable Oils
* Fertilizers

How to Make Your Own Aphid Repellent
introduction
Say "So long" to those pesky aphids with this quick and easy home remedy.
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Steps

Step One
Mix together one tablespoon of liquid dish soap and one cup cooking oil.

Step Two
Blend two and one half teaspoons of this mixture with one cup of water.

Step Three
Pour contents into a spray bottle.

Step Four
Spray your flowers and plants.
Tips & Warnings

* Use this repellent up to every ten days.
* Use this repellent indoors or outdoors.
* This mixture may burn tender plants.

[rainbowgardener]

Step one is the easiest - removing by hand. Aphids are slow and stupid and just sit there and let you squish them.
I have a couple plants that tend to get covered in aphids every spring. I just go over it with gloved hand or tissue and squish them all. Maybe the dead bodies of their comrades acts as a warning, but they usually don't come back until the next spring.

The idea of plants to attract beneficial insects is really important.

The reason why the warning about burning your plants is there is because you are using dish detergent, which in some conditions/ concentrations can actually kill plants. Use liquid SOAP instead, like Dr. Brunners.

Unless you have a huge garden and are making gallons of this stuff a cup of veggie oil is way too much. Put 1/2 tsp of veggie oil in a spray bottle with water and few drops of soap. Be sure to spray undersides of leaves.

Don't spray your whole garden with anything but pure water. Use your repellant sparingly, where the problem is.

[imafan26]

I agree. Hand picking and physical removal by blasting the pests off with a jet of water are the most non-toxic methods you can use.

Homemade sprays are not really non-toxic. I'd call them less toxic. They sorta have to be toxic to kill the pest. The sprays may still kill beneficial insects like predatory mites which you wouldn't really see. It is a good idea to keep the plants as healthy as possible and also practice good sanitation by picking off and picking up fallen fruit, leaves, and bagging infested material and trashing them. It is best to target the specific pest rather than spray everything. Inspect plants whenever you are in the garden, treat problems early while the damage is small first by using the physical methods and moving on to the least toxic solutions for the specific problem. If the damage is limited, consider doing nothing and letting the beneficial insects handle the problem. Encourage beneficial insects by making sure you have a variety of nectar and host plants for them as well as a source of water. Beneficial insects need an adequate food supply, otherwise they won't hang around.

[chubwolf]

How do you get rid of ants? I don't think i can get an Aardvark in los angeles.

[imafan26]

Ant bait. Terro ant bait. the main ingredient is boric acid. It comes in liquid form or in indoor or outdoor bait.

You can make your own. Note: label containers and use measuring cup and spoon labeled for pesticide use only.

Ant bait for sugar and grease eating ants.
8 tsp sugar
1 tsp boric acid
1 cup warm bottled water
1 tsp vegetable oil

Heat sugar in water until it is dissolved. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to boric acid to make a paste then gradually stir in the rest of the boric acid and vegetable oil. Place in labeled container.

For bait stations indoors you can use margarine container. Use 6 inch pieces of pvc pipe for outdoor stations.

poke small holes with the tip of a scissors 1/2 in up from the bottom of the margarine container. Place 3-4 cotton balls in the container and wet the cotton with a couple of tablespoonfuls of the boric acid solution. Put cover on container and place container on an ant trail. For pvc pipe, push cotton into the center of the pipe section and saturate cotton with the boric acid solution. Place PVC pipe near ant trail outdoors. Replace bait when cotton balls get moldy.

If ants do not accept bait. Try ant gel or using a different sugar like honey, jelly or peanut butter. It costs more but is useful for stubborn colonies. Do not use too much boric acid, the ants must take it back to the colony to feed the queen.

Put out the baits early in the season, before aphids numbers get large. Ant predators will be driven off by the ants and the ants will carry the aphids to the new leaves.