Aphids...

[Random User]

... so after having a bit of a battle with these damned aphids, I happened to be at the garden centre where I purchased this plant to begin with (a bougainvillea).

I told the guy about my problems with it dropping the bracts and flowers when I treated it with various products and he told me that they had the same out-break of aphids after I purchased my plant from them (shortly before X-mas).

He told me that they treat ALL problems with the same products, and told me that the active ingredient that does the best job is the Pyrethrines (@ 0.01% in this case).

Treatments every 10 days, and it controls aphids and various other pests in all stages of growth, the only thing with it is that it is a "contact" spray... it must be sprayed on the pest to kill them.

http://www.woodstreambrands.ca/safe...e-31-6025can?gclid=CKGJlcDN79ICFVNqfgods64OGA

This is the exact product that he gave me, but I don't know if it's available in the States... it's made in Brampton, Ontario, so I'm not sure of the Border thing/problem.

I thought this might be of particular interest to @sorce since he loves his aphids so much, and anyone who has problems with scale.

 

[Starfox]

This is the type of product I use although it's 0.02%. It's sold as Insecticida Biologico here and it works a treat. It's a bit indiscriminate though and will take out the good guys too but if you have a infestation I don't suppose that is the biggest worry.
I spray them when I see them and then hose them off the next day, I just repeat whenever I see new bugs. So far I have seen no evidence that it harms the plants at all even after repeated spraying.

Good stuff.

 

[quietobserver]

... so after having a bit of a battle with these damned aphids, I happened to be at the garden centre where I purchased this plant to begin with (a bougainvillea).

I told the guy about my problems with it dropping the bracts and flowers when I treated it with various products and he told me that they had the same out-break of aphids after I purchased my plant from them (shortly before X-mas).

He told me that they treat ALL problems with the same products, and told me that the active ingredient that does the best job is the Pyrethrines (@ 0.01% in this case).

Treatments every 10 days, and it controls aphids and various other pests in all stages of growth, the only thing with it is that it is a "contact" spray... it must be sprayed on the pest to kill them.

http://www.woodstreambrands.ca/safe...e-31-6025can?gclid=CKGJlcDN79ICFVNqfgods64OGA

This is the exact product that he gave me, but I don't know if it's available in the States... it's made in Brampton, Ontario, so I'm not sure of the Border thing/problem.

I thought this might be of particular interest to @sorce since he loves his aphids so much, and anyone who has problems with scale.

I always recommend pyrethrin for aphids and spider mites. Doesn't seem too popular though. Doesn't usually kill helpful insects, so it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Random User]

This is the type of product I use although it's 0.02%. It's sold as Insecticida Biologico here and it works a treat. It's a bit indiscriminate though and will take out the good guys too but if you have a infestation I don't suppose that is the biggest worry.
I spray them when I see them and then hose them off the next day, I just repeat whenever I see new bugs. So far I have seen no evidence that it harms the plants at all even after repeated spraying.

Good stuff.

Thats the bit I forgot to put in the first post... it is a "natural" insecticide and they say that if you spray it on veggies or fruit, you can safely eat them the next day... so the 1/2 life of the Pyrethrines isn't very long.

I don't think anyone should go out of their way to buy this exact product, just look for the "Pyrethrines" and you should be good to go.

 

[Random User]

It WILL however, piss me off if I'm blabbing this on the internet and it doesn't work.

 

[Starfox]

I first heard about from those crazy cowboy exterminators on tv, you know the one whose brother is allergic to stings so always sends him up the ladder with the tin of Pyrethrin spray. Lol.

It's great on wasps and ants too which we get plenty of.

But it does work very well, almost instantly.

 

[Random User]

Just so I don't get a flood of responses about all kinds of products to kill aphids, I'd like to reiterate that the goal was to "kill the aphids without causing the vine to drop all of the bracts and flowers" as it had been doing with my other attempts... this is supposed to be the solution to that problem.

 

[just.wing.it]

This worked wonders for me, dude!
I love this stuff.

 

[just.wing.it]

Just so I don't get a flood of responses about all kinds of products to kill aphids, I'd like to reiterate that the goal was to "kill the aphids without causing the vine to drop all of the bracts and flowers" as it had been doing with my other attempts... this is supposed to be the solution to that problem.

That Safer brand stuff didn't hurt my Fukein Tea, which was the one with the infestation....
And I used is as a preventative measure on all my stuff.
No ill effects at all.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Pyrethrins is a safe, organic insecticide created from the chrysanthemum plant. It has a powerful "knockdown" effect on insects, and can even be sprayed on soil where you suspect insect pests to be hiding, and it will bring them to the surface. However toxicity of pyrethrins is relatively low, and in some cases, insects will survive exposure. Therefore some insecticides created from pyrethrins also include piperonyl butoxide (PBO). PBO is a synergist that makes pyrethrins more toxic to insects. Because it is not a naturally occurring substance, PBO is not organic, and it cannot be used on certified-organic crops. It is listed as a Group C Carcinogen "possibly carcinogenic to humans", though additional studies suggest this risk may be minor.

So just be certain that your "pyrethrins" insecticide doesn't also include PBO, because I have seen some products that do not identify its presence except in fine print on the label.

 

[Random User]

@B'nut

I have some "Schultz" insect spray with the piperonyl butoxide in it and it (the spray) will discolour the bracts and flowers, and within 2 days they all fall off. Oddly, the Schultz product also has 0.02% pyrethrins, and it didn't have a lasting effect on the aphids... it could be though that my applications weren't frequent enough.

@just.wing.it

If you like that stuff, you'll REALLY like this stuff that I am talking about, if this guy's story is to believed.

 

[Random User]

I'm saved!... the End.All seemed to be working good, but I was outside roaming around today and found some lady bugs... I shipped them straight indoors... should be the end to my problems...

 

[Bonsai Nut]

By the way, I am a little late to this thread and posted earlier about pyrethrins...

Just spray your plants with neem oil. Problem solved. Will destroy aphids, but won't bother larger insects including honey bees. Neem oil has the added benefit of being 100% organic, and a fungicide as well (at 1% strength or higher).

 

[Random User]

I either read somewhere, or was told, that the neem oil would cause the bracts to fall off of the bougs that I'm treating, so I didn't want to go that route... if I can get this thing to begin to "flourish" instead of just survive I'll try it... for now, the lady bugs can do the heavy lifting.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I spray neem oil on everything and I have never noticed any negative impact. I have 15 adult citrus trees and during the winter I rotate neem oil and a pyrethrins/sulfur blend. I was losing big citrus trees prior to spraying, but now they are amazing. Whenever I spray my citrus I spray my bonsai.

I pretty much don't spray from March - Sept. Once the spring growth has hardened off I don't seem to have insect problems.

 

[Random User]

I should have asked you specifically about neem oil/bougs earlier then...

If I had it to do over again, I'd leave them in the store where they were sitting. lol

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I think you know I have bougs all over the place in my yard - but no bonsai. They are really bulletproof once established but don't like when you mess with their roots. But if you don't touch their roots you can cut them back to the ground and they will spring back.

I am actually surprised to hear that you are having aphid problems. Bougs are pretty hardy in my experience.

 

[Random User]

Lets just say that it's a long story, the aphids bear 1/2 of the responsibility for it lagging, and "I" bear the other 1/2... zone 3 indoors for bougs isn't a great thing, when this is my first round with them... BUT, there is always "a silver lining"... my light cabinet will be a great place for a few experiments with Mary jane if the legislation passes next July 1st.

... if this boug keeps annoying me, @wireme might find a parcel on his doorstep sometime next fall...

 

[AZbonsai]

Another thing you might check for is an ant infestation. Ants and aphids have a symbiotic relationship. Ants protect aphids from predators...aphid secretions feed the ants....just an idea.

 

[Random User]

Another thing you might check for is an ant infestation. Ants and aphids have a symbiotic relationship. Ants protect aphids from predators...aphid secretions feed the ants....just an idea.

That is a good point, but I know there aren't any ants.