Many hobby gardeners face the challenge of plant pests at least once. Sucking insects seem to appear out of nowhere and spread en masse. However, many attempts at pest control come to nothing. What really helps to fight black aphids?

Black aphids on vegetable plants should be combated with mild means

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Beneficial insects against aphids
  3. Black aphids - home remedies
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Predatory insects that feed on aphids are ladybirds, earwigs and parasitic wasps. (22.99€) The beneficial insects are mainly suitable for use in the garden and greenhouse.
    • Various home remedies are recommended for combating black aphids on houseplants or kitchen herbs.
    • Plants with essential oils help against the juice sucker. A heavy infestation can be treated with vinegar. Rapeseed oil and washing-up liquid are recommended for sensitive plants.

    Beneficial: Remedy against black aphids

    If you want to control black aphids, the right means are important. There are a number of beneficial insects that prey on aphid colonies in nature. This keeps the populations in check and creates a natural balance. You can use these helpers in your garden to fight the pests naturally.

    ladybug

    Ladybugs love aphids

    These beetles are true aphid eaters. When the adult animals wake up from their winter break in spring, they satisfy their cravings with an average of 50 aphids per day. Therefore, ladybugs can be observed in nature on heavily infested plants. Females lay their eggs here in spring, from which larvae hatch after a short time. These aphid lions capture around 400 to 600 aphids before they pupate. The offspring of a single ladybird eat more than 100,000 of these sap-sucking pests each season.

    coloring number of points Happen
    Asian ladybug light yellow to dark red mostly 19, partially fused to cover the body originally Asia
    Seven-spot ladybug Red 7 Europe, Asia, North Africa
    Checkerboard Ladybug light yellow to intense yellow 14, partially merged across the board Europe, Asia
    Four spot ladybug yellowish to light red variable, mostly 4 black dots on the pronotum Europe
    Mushroom Ladybug strong yellow Elytra: 22, pronotum: 5 Europe, North Africa, Asia
    Four-spotted ball ladybug black 4 Europe, Asia
    Ten Spot Ladybug light or dark Elytra: variable, pronotum: 5 Europe, Asia

    digression

    Please do not use the Asian ladybug

    A few years ago, the Asian ladybird was deliberately used as a pest exterminator in Europe, as it caught five times the amount of aphids compared to the native species. However, in some places this species is more common than the seven-spot ladybird. Animal rights activists fear that this beetle will displace native species. Another disadvantage is that the Asian ladybug also attacks the eggs and larvae of other beneficial insects.

    lacewing larvae

    These insects, popularly known as golden eyes, become active in spring from temperatures of twelve degrees. They lay their eggs in spring on stems and leaves infested with aphids. The freshly hatched larvae are, along with the ladybirds, the biggest enemy of aphids and are also referred to as aphid lions.

    They are extremely agile and will immediately hunt for prey. They suck out aphids, leaving the empty body shell on the plant. A larva eats several hundred lice before pupating. They are ideal for use in greenhouses. Adult insects find their way outside.

    youtube

    catchy tunes

    The common earwig, also known as the earwig, is a nocturnal predator. Her favorite food are aphids. If they find a suitable shelter nearby, the beneficial insects can rid an infested tree of pest infestation within a few days. During the day they hide in dark niches with humid and warm conditions. Suitable habitats are spaces under stones, piles of leaves or the brittle bark of an old tree.

    How to attract earwigs:

    1. Fill clay flower pots with wood shavings, leftover linen, moss or straw
    2. Make sure the filling is loose to allow free space
    3. Cover opening with wire mesh
    4. run a sturdy hanging wire from the cover to the drain hole
    5. Bend the end of the wire into a hanging hook

    Attachment of the earwig housing

    Hang the pot directly in the infested tree so the beneficial insects have direct access to the food source. If your roses are infested, you can also attach the housing to a small post. If after a few days not enough earwigs have settled in the hiding place, you can temporarily hang the pot in a wild hazelnut or elderberry bush. There are almost always catchy tunes here.

    parasitic wasps

    The species Lysiphlebus testaceipes is particularly suitable for controlling black aphids. It is active in a comparatively large temperature range between 15 and 32 degrees. Females lay their eggs in the plant pests, so their offspring eat the lice from the inside. A parasitic wasp can destroy up to 200 aphids with its offspring.

    Fight black aphids - home remedies

    While beneficial insects do not disturb the garden, other means are required in the apartment. There are a number of home remedies that you can use to combat insects that suck on indoor plants. It is important that you carry out the measures regularly. Otherwise, not all insects will be caught and the plague will return.

    Black aphids can be easily combated with home remedies.

    Intensely scented kitchen herbs

    With a light infestation, it is sufficient if you put a peeled clove of garlic in the soil of the affected plants. If the lice have developed large colonies, a homemade garlic brew will help. Soak a crushed garlic clove in a liter of water for about two weeks and then spray the aphid colonies with the broth.

    Recipe for Oreganosud:

    • Pour ten grams of dried herb into a jar
    • pour over a liter of boiled water
    • Leave to cool and sieve off the leftover herbs
    • Dilute the brew in a ratio of 1:3 with water
    • Spray thoroughly on underside of leaves and stems

    potash soap

    Soft soap solution or black tea is not good for aphids

    This medical soft soap (€44.90) is made from linseed oil and potassium hydroxide. It is used to control pests and is not dangerous to larger insects such as bees. Dilute 20 grams of the soap in a liter of water and spray the solution on the affected parts of the plant. Sensitive plants can be damaged by the treatment, so you should test the product on a small leaf area as a precaution.

    tips

    Treatment with black tea is particularly suitable for sensitive plants. It contains tannins that kill aphids.

    Herbal sprays

    Plants produce various substances such as essential oils or tannic acids to protect themselves from predators. These can be extracted by boiling the plant parts in water or letting them steep for several days. The brews are sprayed with an atomizer over a large area on the affected plants. If necessary, the treatment must be repeated several times. These plants are particularly suitable against black aphids:

    preparation application fitness
    rhubarb Boil 500 grams of leaves in three liters of water for 30 minutes filtered and undiluted e.g. tomatoes, roses
    onion Simmer diced onion in a liter of water for 30 minutes filtered and undiluted especially for roses
    nettle Pour hot water over half a bucket of leaves and leave to infuse filtered and undiluted ornamental and useful plants

    detergent

    Spirit vinegar and dish soap prove to be effective control agents, which are sprayed on the aphid colonies in diluted form. Mix 500 milliliters of vinegar with about four liters of water and add a few dashes of washing-up liquid. This ensures that the aphids can no longer cling to the plant parts. After one application, wait at least three days before the next application. Sensitive plants such as roses and orchids can alternatively be treated with a dish soap and water solution without vinegar.

    tips

    A solution of rapeseed oil, water and a few drops of dish soap works wonders against aphids. The agent blocks the respiratory openings and prevents the aphids from adhering to the substrate.

    frequently asked Questions

    In one year, treatment with plant decoctions achieves good results, in others they do not help against black aphids. What can be the reason?

    It depends on which parts of the plant you collect and use at which time of the year. Depending on the weather and time, the concentrations of effective ingredients vary. They usually increase in spring and reach their peak in summer before the ingredients are slowly broken down again. After longer dry phases, the content of active ingredients is also higher. Many plants produce more substances in the sun than their peers that grow in semi-shade under less light conditions.

    Are there different types of black aphids?

    The black bean aphid is particularly common

    There are various black colored species, most of which are wingless. When food becomes scarce, generations of small black winged aphids develop. If you look for black aphids on Wikipedia, you will hardly find anything. The pests represent a species-rich subfamily, of which 850 different species occur in Central Europe. Black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) and cherry aphid (Myzus cerasi), which is also black in color, are widespread.

    Where do black aphids appear?

    The plant pests attack various herbaceous plants and vegetables in kitchen and ornamental gardens. They occur on beans, turnips, potatoes or tomatoes and can occur on cherry trees and herbaceous plants such as parsley, poppy, goosefoot or balsam.

    What to do to prevent an aphid infestation?

    Pay attention to mixed cultures in the garden, as this creates a natural balance between beneficial insects and pests. A balanced supply of nutrients is important, as aphids prefer to spread on weakened plants. Paint the trunks of fruit trees white and, as a precaution, spray a mixture of rapeseed oil and water in spring.

Category:

Animals in the garden