How to Get Rid of Aphids

A lush green garden, with blossoming flowers and luxuriant trees, greatly enhances the beauty of a house. At the same time, it adds a touch of serenity, peace and calm to it. Not to forget, the benefits of having flowers, fruits, etc, right at your doorstep! However, building up as well as maintaining a garden is not a very difficult task. You have water it on a regular basis, add fertilizers, do pruning and get rid of the harmful pests. Amongst the most irritating pests that can destroy a garden are aphids, which seem to appear every spring. If you are facing trouble at the hands of these small monsters, make use of the tips & techniques provided below, for getting rid of aphids.

How to Get Rid of Aphids

Items Needed

Gloves
Garden Hoses and Attachments
Pruning Shears
Sticky Traps
Vegetable Oils
Dishwashing Detergent
Water
Handheld Spray Bottle
Lacewings/ Ladybugs

Instructions

First of all, you need to be sure that you have aphids in your garden. For the purpose, examine it on a regular basis. If you find clusters of the little bugs on new growth and flower buds or even curled and twisted leaves, you have the proof of their existence.
The next step towards the removal of aphids will comprise of manual removal. Wear gloves and remove them, either by hand or with a sharp steam of water.
Using a pair of pruning shears, cut away the area that has been infested by aphids and dispose it off properly.
If you notice some flying aphids also, the best way to capture them is by placing yellow, sticky traps near infected plants.
Next, make a nontoxic pesticide at home. For this, you need to mix 1 cup vegetable oil with 1 tbsp liquid dishwashing soap.
Put 1½ tsp of the homemade pesticide in 1 cup warm water. Now, pour this solution into a handheld spray bottle.
Spray this mixture directly on the aphids and also cover the entire plant with it.
To ensure that aphids are not able to thrive in your garden, introduce insects, such as ladybugs or green lacewings, in the garden.
Some trees, like birch trees, attract aphids. It is better to avoid planting such trees in your garden.
Grow plants like white sweet clover, spearmint, sweet fennel and Queen Anne's lace in the garden. They attract insects that feed on aphids.
Ants eat the "honeydew," the sugary sap secreted by aphids, and help in keeping them alive. So, take steps to remove ants from your garden.

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