Invincible Flying Aphids!

[ardyexfor]

I have been battling with black flying aphids that seem to mostly attack the underside of the new growth of my hops. I have used insecticidal soap, neem oil and introduced ladybugs. The soap/oil seems to last for such short periods of time that I would literally have to spray dialy. Also some of my hops have grown out of reach to be able to spray the new growth which is where the aphids are hanging out. The ladybugs all flew away even though I sprayed all the plants with water and released at night over three nights.

I'm running out of ideas, I've mostly resorted to just spraying them all off with a hose in the evenings. Any bright ideas? Lacewings? Chemical insecticides? Voodoo?

 

[Brewmech]

plant something that the aphids like better?

 

[Whsoj]

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[mcspanner]

I read this bit of advice in a gardening magazine discussing aphid infestation.

Hang bird feeders, many songbirds will queue for the feeder, visiting it one or two at a time and, whilst waiting will snack on any available invertebrates.

I don't know, though, whether any species of bird enjoy hop buds, which would obviously not be desirable.

Might be worth a try before resorting to chemicals on plants that are going to get boiled into your beer?

 

[ardyexfor]

The funny part is I have herbs, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and peppers all growing too. The aphids only seem to like the hops.

As far as the links to attracting beneficial insects, it didn't work with the ladybugs. I'm aprehensive to try green lacewings if they may jusy fly away as well.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

All my ladybugs flew away too, but they also mated like crazy. I came out the next day and the ones that stuck around were all going at it.

The ladybug larvae are what you really want anyways, after they hatch 2-3 weeks after you apply the ladybugs they are the ones that eat a ton.

Im starting to see quite a few ladybugs on my hops now 4 weeks later. Not 1500 like i released,b ut maybe 2-3 per plant.

 

[Indianhead_Brewer]

The problem with neem oil and insecticidal soaps is that they are only really effective on insects that are on the plant when you spray and aren't persistent for long periods, which is great since you aren't potentially impacting any insect predators that may come along later. If you don't want to resort to chemicals, you are just going to have to be consistent with your other methods. I would recommend spraying the neem on a 7 day cycle until the problem is at tolerable levels and you can continue to spray off your hops with water in between if the aphid numbers get too high in between, but make sure to spray early in the morning since wetting your hops in the evening is just providing a prime environment for mildews to attack.

As with any integrated approach you are also going to have to consider your surrounding habitat which is likely harboring aphids. I know trees of the genus Prunus (think apples, plums, cherries, apricots, etc) tend to overwinter aphids, so if you have any of those nearby you need to treat them too. Additionally, you might consider down the road planting native vegetation that attracts beneficial insects you desire. Your local cooperative extension should be able to provide some insight.

In the end don't totally rule out the chemicals, especially if you are getting extreme damage during this time of year when you should be getting the most growth out of your hops. If you do use chemicals you might want to consider something with pyrethrin in it as it has the tendency to degrade relatively quick in the environment versus some other chemicals. Spraying now would be better than later since you don't have any cones yet.

 

[numbskul]

I was doing some research on the matter and found this: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-control-aphids-less-toxic-methods
I still have no idea how to get rid of them. My plants are no where near ready to flower so I don't think a little sevin dust will do anything bad.

 

[ardyexfor]

I keep reading that lacewings are less likely to fly away and may be worth a shot. Plus you can buy them as eggs or larva which will insure that they stay for atleast a while. I am definetely going to look into some companion planting to attract natural predetors. Problem is most plant I have looked at also attract aphids. Win/lose.

 

[ardyexfor]

For whatever reason the ladybugs have begun to come back. They've been multiplying slowly as well. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much of a change in the aphid population though. We'll see how this develops...