Root Aphids, up close and personal

[parhamr]

Okay! I sprayed the nematodes. What a thrill.

They’re invisible and will make it so I don’t see something when I next transplant in a year. How… satisfying ?

 

[markyscott]

Bill - a long time ago Guy Guidry recommended that I use Orthene to get rid of root aphids. Just dissolve it according to the instructions, thoroughly water the tree and repeat after a week or so. I guess I’ve been doing this ever since in the spring. Have you ever tried this and, if so, do you have any thoughts about it’s effectiveness?

S

 

[Mellos]

Where does one acquire beneficial nematodes?

Hi John, it looks like you can buy NemaShield on Amazon which is a BioWorks product that contains the beneficial nematode Steinernema feltiae. We use it at work to control fungus gnats and it's an excellent product, but I haven't seen any actual research that suggests it works to control root aphids. There are quite a few other products out there containing S. feltiae, but I couldn't tell you anything about their performance.

 

[BillsBayou]

Bill - a long time ago Guy Guidry recommended that I use Orthene to get rid of root aphids. Just dissolve it according to the instructions, thoroughly water the tree and repeat after a week or so. I guess I’ve been doing this ever since in the spring. Have you ever tried this and, if so, do you have any thoughts about it’s effectiveness?

S

Story Time: Guy Guidry may have gotten that tip from Vaughn Banting. He was a big proponent of Orthene. Vaughn had come up with a technique for eliminating aphids on crepe myrtles using Orthene. He'd take the powder, mix it into a slurry, and paint a band around the base of the tree. The Orthene would become systemic and kill the aphids. He told this to the USDA Cooperative Extensive Service in New Orleans. They did their own tests and found it to be 100% effective. They then released their findings as a recommended treatment for aphids. It irked Vaughn that he never got credit for it.

I like to be cautious when using pesti-fungi-herbicides to treat problems. But then, I also like to hold on to chemicals that have been banned by the government. My yard is about to become an EPA Superfund site.

My dogs investigate everything in the yard and drink any standing water they find. Any bald cypress I have that is in a draining plastic tub will still fill with water when it rains. If I can stay away from using chemicals, I will.

 

[BillsBayou]

I just googled and looks like the Met just might help the root aphid situation too.

Good old THC farmers eh? A good weed grower can answer all our questions it seems sometimes. View attachment 233451

When your cash crop earns you this much cash? You better believe they're ready to battle the bugs.

By the way, I had a nightmare over the weekend. I had just finished spraying everything with fungal spores to fight the root aphids. Only, just as I finished, I began to wonder if the fungus was going to attack my beneficial nematodes. I was cursing you out, in my dream, for having given me the idea to use those damned spores. I wasted all that money on nematodes only to go and kill them off.

"Just a dream. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep."

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Too funny, thanks for posting

 

[GGB]

Hey @BillsBayou , how're things looking looking on the nematode front? took my eye of this thread so im just finding some of this awesome info tonight