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aphid apocalypse

Posted by DFW_Gardener 7b (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 19, 12 at 18:34

My cucumber is dying, and now my zucchinis are suffering, from a horde of aphids.

Can I save this cucumber, or just pull it up and call it a day? What do you folks recommend about an outbreak like this?

Here is a link that might be useful: aphid apocalypse


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: aphid apocalypse

I didn't watch your entire video, just the first roughly 45 seconds. Looks pretty salvageable to me. Aphids are among the easiest to control, IMHO, almost any good insecticide dust or spray should do them in quickly.

If it were me, I would use something like this Bayer product:

Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer Advanced Vegetable Spray


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RE: aphid apocalypse

Or smoosh them daily like I do. :)


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RE: aphid apocalypse

Spectracide's Triazicide works too.


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RE: aphid apocalypse

I'll echo the Bayer Insecticide. I usually avoid them altogether, but when I found aphids eating my lettuce, eggplants, pepper plants, and even my tomato plants, I was not going to let them have my garden.

I went to the garden center and they recommended the Bayer spray. I sprayed the garden and it worked beautifully. I probably did that a month ago and I haven't seen an aphid since.


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RE: aphid apocalypse

I have no clue why one of the easiest to control (but certainly quite damaging) pests would need chemical insecticides. K-based soap and a strong stream of water and your fingers is all it takes with aphids, imo. What you want to eliminate are any Argentine ant colonies (little black ants) nearby that may a part of your aphid apocalypse. I can't remember if DFW is invaded by them in the way SoCal is?

Here is a link that might be useful: Argentine ants and aphids


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RE: aphid apocalypse

Yeah, I'll second that notion that chemicals really aren't needed if the problem is aphids. I have an old bottle of window washer, the kind that you just hook up the hose to and spray your windows with. Anyways, the bottle is empty now, so whenever I find an aphid outbreak I put a few drops of dawn dishoap in there, hook up the hose, and let them have it! Doesn't damage the plants a bit, but turns the aphids into goo! Hope that helps!


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RE: aphid apocalypse

Thanks for the suggestions!

I went ahead and did both, I squashed as many as I could with my fingers especially where the leaves curled up then rinsed them off with a squirt bottle with plain water, then followed up with the Bayer solution after it dried.

I'll follow up tomorrow RE results.

Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener


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RE: aphid apocalypse

Here's a followup:
cucumbers
zucchini

And it looks like I've got a second round of squash vine borers to add to my litany of woe.

Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener


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