How do I get rid of Aphids from my garden and plants naturally?

Question

How do I get rid of Aphids from my garden and plants naturally?

Answer 1

put ladybugs in your garden.  They will eat the aphids.

Answer 2

Use a soapy water mix spray...1 tbs of dawn in a normal size windex bottle ...spray the mix on them and then use a strong stream of water to knock them off..spray them again with the soapy mix after spraying them with the strong stream of water....also, if you are fertilizing, cutting it back a bit will help...aphids are attracted to the fresh, soft new growth of plants and when they are heavily fertilized it makes them  grow much faster and therefore making their ends very soft and vunerable to aphids. They are naturally attracted to certain plants tho, regadless of fertilization or not. Make sure there is plenty of air flow around your plants....and proper weeding is a must. Weeds attract aphids. If it's feesable....trim off the tips and place the aphid covered ends in a plastic garbage sack ....tie it closed well and dispose of  it away from your garden. Good luck

Answer 3

Make sure that your yard is a welcoming place for the beneficial insects that eat aphids.  If it's not, then buying ladybugs won't help you -- they'll just fly away in search of a yard that provides them with the things (other than aphids) that they need to live.

Beneficial insects like plants with tiny flowers, especially the "umbrella shaped" ones.  Queen Anne's Lace is ladybug heaven, but they're also fond of dill, carrots, fennel, and sweet alyssum.  Flowers in the sunflower family are favorites as well: sunflowers, cosmos, etc.  Leaving a "weedy" patch somewhere in your garden will give them shelter and a place to lay their eggs.  If you make everything too manicured, the good bugs will have no place to live and breed, and they won't want to stick around your yard for very long.

Beneficial insects also need water to survive, so if you put out a shallow saucer filled with rocks and a little bit of water, it's far more likely that they'll hang around long enough to eat up all your aphids.

Give them what they need to survive, and the good bugs will show up eventually to eat your aphids.  Until then, you can just pick them off your new growth and flower buds with your fingers and squash 'em.

If you do buy ladybugs, making sure that they have good sources of water and shelter and releasing them at night will make it less likely that they'll just fly away to your neighbor's yard.  

The link below has great information on making your garden a welcoming place for beneficials.

Answer 4

I’m with “Justafren’s” suggestion. If you dial 1-800-livebug on your phone or do a search for them on-line, you will be able to order as many ladybugs as you like (ladybugs LOVE sweet, tasty, juicy aphids) – and if you have enough aphids, the ladybugs will stick around until they run out of food and have to look elsewhere.

As natural as it gets – bring in an army of something hungry for aphids.

The insect company even has praying mantis to help keep your garden free of insects that damage your plants

You may even find other insects available that would be beneficial to your garden.

Source:

I found out about 1-800-livebug, from a school teacher I knew who would order caterpillars for her class to watch metamorphous and then release them (if I’m not mistaken, the insect company asks where you live so they are not sending you anything that will upset or interfere with the local species).

Answer 5

I've read that soapy water can repel aphids.

Answer 6

Ignore them, don't use insecticides and their predators will show up and eat them.

Answer 7

Shoot them off the plants with a strong stream of water.