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Anyone who ’s Irish can separate you how lively spud are to the human diet . Alongside their fruity tomato kin , they ’re among the most widely used vegetable and incredibly democratic in craw garden .
But despite being fairly dauntless plant , potatoes have a natural foe that can devastate not only your murphy crop but also large portions of your vegetable garden – thepotato aphid .
Do n’t permit the name fool you . This is n’t a monophagous ( one food source ) pest , so you’re able to end up with them even if you are n’t grow potatoes .
What Are Potato Aphids?
Potato aphid ( Macrosiphum solanifolii , AKAMacrosiphum euphorbiae ) are pear - shaped aphids that are commonly green but will occasionally be pinkish .
As the name implies , these pests favour white potato vine plants , with the dark-green unity focus on older , downhearted leave .
However , the aphid egg can winter , and the nymph come forth in April to start feeding on perennial weeds .
For the earlier parts of the class , appendage of theChenopodiaceaefamily incline to be their main food source before switching around late May to early June to food crops such as cabbages , potato , and tomato plant .
Thisaphid specieshas a reach of predilection , feeding on approximately 200 species across 20 different plant families .
However , apart from the Chenopodiaceae mentioned above family , their preferences tend to be for members of theSolanaceaefamily .
What Damage Do Potato Aphids Cause?
Chances are , you ’ve heard about aphid before and how they suck the sap out of your plant ’ leave like little lamia .
This can leave the plant life vulnerable to disease or even other infestations and may even cause infested leaves to die .
Their excrement is full of undigested plant gelt , called honeydew , which attracts ants .
The ants employ the honeydew melon as a food germ , and in telephone exchange , will defend the aphid from natural predators .
This honeydew melon is also a perfect breeding ground for jet mold , however .
This wingless species is also fuck to be a vector for several :
How To Control Potato Aphids?
There are useable natural remedies that shape . However , be warned that chemical substance pesticide often do more harm than good .
The pesticides can introduce toxins into your intellectual nourishment and kill good insects , such as bees or ladybugs , without importantly impacting the aphid plague .
Even bad , many aphid species are becoming tolerant to popular pesticides .
If you must use a commercial pesticide , look for alive organic component , such as Azadirachtin ( a neem infusion ) .
Neem Soil Soak
talk of neem , perhaps the best curative of all is a neem soil soak .
Unless you ’re trying to drink an intact bottle , neem oil is perfectly safe for use around you and your pets and usable on most plants .
The filth soaking requires emulsify water system ( literally just 1 teaspoonful of Dawn dish max or saturated Castilla soap per gallon of water ) , so the oil can mix .
Stir in 2 tablespoons of 100 % percent inhuman - press raw neem crude oil and pour 2 to 4 cups of this mix over the root zone of your affected plant .
The plant will absorb the neem and its primary component Azadirachtin , which becomes a systemic insecticide .
When ingested , the neem will cause sterility , loss of appetite , and even interrupt growth cycles in aphid and other pest metal money .
Even better , it only harms glitch that thrust the works to feed so that it wo n’t affect good dirt ball .
you could reapply every 2 to 3 week as a preventative , and you ’ll usually notice the universe dropping after the first couple weeks of utilization .
As it ’s non - toxic , you may safely plow food crops 24 hours before harvest .
Rubbing Alcohol
You in all likelihood have rub alcohol sitting in your bathroom , but did you know it ’s an effective worm killer ?
Dip a cotton egg in some 70 % percent rub alcoholic beverage and dab the bugs directly for an exigent kill .
Alternatively , you could amalgamate the rub alcohol with weewee in a 1:4 proportion and use it as a spray in the dawn or eve .
As the alcohol evaporates quickly , this is another remedy you may safely employ a day or so before harvest home .
Natural Predators
As long as you manage with any ants first ( a flake of diatomaceous land sprinkled around the base of the plant life will work marvel ) , you may employ Nature ’s Little Helpers to help keep an infestation down .
Attract these predators by planting complementary plants , such as marigold , or you could often order them online .
Lacewings , ladybugs , and parasitic WASP are the three most pop predator species , but other aphid sea wolf include anthocorid bugs , midge , syrphid fly larvae , and even some species of bird .
