Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators
Thanks to Anonymous,bruncher,niord,gvonge,Shelford, for Donating to support the site
A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
-
- Lemon Pip
- Posts: 96
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:14 pm
- Has thanked: 71 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
. . . . the little devils were decimating my fruit trees last year. I bought a spray but the aphids had already curled the leaves into protective bundles . . . .
I have a remaining mosquito coil ( ex-camping )- for producing permethrin-laden smoke.
Methinks a large plastic bag over a ( small ) tree + smoking coil within might smoke the devil out / kill them.
I won't be doing that until the blossoms have gone as I don't want to harm any pollinators.
What could possibly go wrong ?
I have a remaining mosquito coil ( ex-camping )- for producing permethrin-laden smoke.
Methinks a large plastic bag over a ( small ) tree + smoking coil within might smoke the devil out / kill them.
I won't be doing that until the blossoms have gone as I don't want to harm any pollinators.
What could possibly go wrong ?
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 3300
- Joined: December 7th, 2016, 9:09 pm
- Has thanked: 375 times
- Been thanked: 1093 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
malakoffee wrote:. . . . the little devils were decimating my fruit trees last year. I bought a spray but the aphids had already curled the leaves into protective bundles . . . .
I have a remaining mosquito coil ( ex-camping )- for producing permethrin-laden smoke.
Methinks a large plastic bag over a ( small ) tree + smoking coil within might smoke the devil out / kill them.
I won't be doing that until the blossoms have gone as I don't want to harm any pollinators.
What could possibly go wrong ?
Plastic is flamible and moves with the breeze, possible problem if the coil causes it to catch fire.
Talking "slightly mad" ideas, I did see someone on TV allowing parsnips to grow into their second year deliberatly because black fly and aphids love them. They claimed that the abundent insect food source lead to a large source of aphid preditors which kept nearby plants aphid free. It was easy for them as they grew parsnips and simply left a few each year for the following year.
-
- The full Lemon
- Posts: 10554
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:33 am
- Has thanked: 3682 times
- Been thanked: 5339 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
Urbandreamer wrote:malakoffee wrote:. . . . the little devils were decimating my fruit trees last year. I bought a spray but the aphids had already curled the leaves into protective bundles . . . .
I have a remaining mosquito coil ( ex-camping )- for producing permethrin-laden smoke.
Methinks a large plastic bag over a ( small ) tree + smoking coil within might smoke the devil out / kill them.
I won't be doing that until the blossoms have gone as I don't want to harm any pollinators.
What could possibly go wrong ?
Plastic is flamible and moves with the breeze, possible problem if the coil causes it to catch fire.
Talking "slightly mad" ideas, I did see someone on TV allowing parsnips to grow into their second year deliberatly because black fly and aphids love them. They claimed that the abundent insect food source lead to a large source of aphid preditors which kept nearby plants aphid free. It was easy for them as they grew parsnips and simply left a few each year for the following year.
I think I saw something of the sort on Gardener's world. I am sceptical that nature works that way for if there's an abundant food source, more will procreate and then just move on to the other crops. As for their predators: they never eat 'em all but always leave some for later!
THere was another type of garden who actually tolerated aphids on the grounds that they are part of the overall food chain - she was essentially trying to follow a wild gardening ethos. When I talk about keeping a small corner of the garden for wild flowers, letting the grass grow or even nettles to encourage inspects, I am firmly told by my wife I can think again. "NOT in my garden".
Arb.
-
- Lemon Half
- Posts: 5962
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:22 am
- Has thanked: 4324 times
- Been thanked: 2675 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
malakoffee wrote:.Methinks a large plastic bag over a ( small ) tree + smoking coil within might smoke the devil out / kill them.
One can buy insecticide smokes on eBay.
I've used them, although not in this way.
Little heat, much smoke, would probably work. Might need more than one to go off at once, depending on size.
What sort of tree?
V8
-
- Lemon Pip
- Posts: 96
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:14 pm
- Has thanked: 71 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
I try to be tolerant of the place of all things in the garden, but the fruit trees were pretty devastated and sickly last year.
Cox : Egremont Russet : Plum (somesort)
The two blackcurrants were affected , but not too badly.
All of the above aphid attacks were farmed by ants.
This year I have sticky grease-bands around the trunk bases.
I have wild flower areas : surrounding the fruit trees and not far away from the blackcurrants . .. . but the aphids are winning.
Thanks for the Ebay tipoff.
Cox : Egremont Russet : Plum (somesort)
The two blackcurrants were affected , but not too badly.
All of the above aphid attacks were farmed by ants.
This year I have sticky grease-bands around the trunk bases.
I have wild flower areas : surrounding the fruit trees and not far away from the blackcurrants . .. . but the aphids are winning.
Thanks for the Ebay tipoff.
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 1543
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:35 am
- Has thanked: 925 times
- Been thanked: 708 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
malakoffee wrote:
All of the above aphid attacks were farmed by ants.
This year I have sticky grease-bands around the trunk bases.
I had the same problem last year and bought grease bands to stop the ants. I spent a pleasant hour watching them find out about grease bands. After the first few got stuck they milled around for a while looking for an alternative route. I'd carefully sited the bands to stop that (don't forget to band any tree stake), they tried climbing over the top of their fallen comrades....and got stuck further on.
A couple of days later they had sacrificed enough of their number to have created stepping stones over the grease band and normal service was resumed.
You can't stop ants, you can slow them down but they always win in the end.....so far.
-
- The full Lemon
- Posts: 10977
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 8:17 pm
- Has thanked: 1504 times
- Been thanked: 3050 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
Arborbridge wrote:When I talk about keeping a small corner of the garden for wild flowers, letting the grass grow or even nettles to encourage inspects, I am firmly told by my wife I can think again. "NOT in my garden".
Arb.
You may need to spin a different story. Not grass: it's a total thug (you won't get rid of it, but don't emphaisise it), but emphasise some of the prettier meadow flowers, and whatever wildlife turns her on - bees, butterflies, birds, ...
As for nettles? If you have a garden, you must surely grow at least some food crops. Nettles are vigorous enough to share between the butterflies and your own kitchen!
-
- Lemon Pip
- Posts: 96
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:14 pm
- Has thanked: 71 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
A bit of feedback - while I remember :-
Smoking the fruit trees ( with permethrin coils ) :-
=====================================
This appears to have worked well, using a few smoking sessions for each tree - spaced out over the summer.
Any aphid/other attacks were swiftly diminished, keeping the trees in good condition.
Neighbours wondered whether I had gone even-more-nuts, but related that it was a bad year for aphids on their fruit trees.
Highly targeted application and time-limited exposure . . . . I'm hoping that it isn't significantly environmentally damaging.
Grease bands & freehand grease on tree trunks
=====================================
I have a pleasing memory of watching an ant, with a aphid nymph in its mandibles, desperately trying to get past the grease barrier . . . to start an aphid farm up the tree.
In summary, I kept the ants off the trees for most of the summer ( as long as it mattered ).
This required regular monitoring and several reapplications of grease.
Quite a faff, but certainly worthwhile. It worked.
Smoking the fruit trees ( with permethrin coils ) :-
=====================================
This appears to have worked well, using a few smoking sessions for each tree - spaced out over the summer.
Any aphid/other attacks were swiftly diminished, keeping the trees in good condition.
Neighbours wondered whether I had gone even-more-nuts, but related that it was a bad year for aphids on their fruit trees.
Highly targeted application and time-limited exposure . . . . I'm hoping that it isn't significantly environmentally damaging.
Grease bands & freehand grease on tree trunks
=====================================
I have a pleasing memory of watching an ant, with a aphid nymph in its mandibles, desperately trying to get past the grease barrier . . . to start an aphid farm up the tree.
In summary, I kept the ants off the trees for most of the summer ( as long as it mattered ).
This required regular monitoring and several reapplications of grease.
Quite a faff, but certainly worthwhile. It worked.
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 1543
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:35 am
- Has thanked: 925 times
- Been thanked: 708 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
malakoffee wrote:A bit of feedback - while I remember :-
Smoking the fruit trees ( with permethrin coils ) :-
=====================================
This appears to have worked well, using a few smoking sessions for each tree - spaced out over the summer.
Any aphid/other attacks were swiftly diminished, keeping the trees in good condition.
Neighbours wondered whether I had gone even-more-nuts, but related that it was a bad year for aphids on their fruit trees.
Highly targeted application and time-limited exposure . . . . I'm hoping that it isn't significantly environmentally damaging.
I've never heard of permethrin coils. Please explain exactly how you used them on the trees.
-
- The full Lemon
- Posts: 16629
- Joined: October 10th, 2017, 11:33 am
- Has thanked: 4343 times
- Been thanked: 7536 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
malakoffee wrote:A bit of feedback - while I remember :-
Smoking the fruit trees ( with permethrin coils ) :-
=====================================
This appears to have worked well, using a few smoking sessions for each tree - spaced out over the summer.
Any aphid/other attacks were swiftly diminished, keeping the trees in good condition.
Neighbours wondered whether I had gone even-more-nuts, but related that it was a bad year for aphids on their fruit trees.
Highly targeted application and time-limited exposure . . . . I'm hoping that it isn't significantly environmentally damaging.
Grease bands & freehand grease on tree trunks
=====================================
I have a pleasing memory of watching an ant, with a aphid nymph in its mandibles, desperately trying to get past the grease barrier . . . to start an aphid farm up the tree.
In summary, I kept the ants off the trees for most of the summer ( as long as it mattered ).
This required regular monitoring and several reapplications of grease.
Quite a faff, but certainly worthwhile. It worked.
Very enterprising. We used to use these coils in Hong Kong to keep away mosquitoes (you can now get an electric version). Evil smelling and horrible that they were they were effective. For the benefit of sq31 they are coils which just gently release a horrible smoke which certainly repels mosquitos and most other forms of life. How to use them for trees? Well that is up to the OP to explain.
Dod
-
- Lemon Pip
- Posts: 96
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 9:14 pm
- Has thanked: 71 times
- Been thanked: 34 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
sg31 wrote:I've never heard of permethrin coils. Please explain exactly how you used them on the trees.
a.k.a Mosquito coils - sold by camping equipment shops, etc.
Used for warding off mosquitoes, biting midges and other hungry insects.
My fruit trees are around six feet high and can be covered by a big, robust plastic bag ( which previously covered my new mattress, as delivered. )
1) Arrange an ad-hoc, tripod of hazel poles over the target tree. Peg the bottom of the poles into the ground - to prevent the wind gusts from toppling the "tent".
2) Carefully place the big, mattress bag over the tree & tripod. Pull the plastic down to ground level to ensure minimal smoke loss.
3) Place a lit mosquito coil within the tent - ensuring it cannot set the plastic on fire or damage the tree.
4) Give it an hour of smoke.
5) Remove the coil. Remove the plastic bag & tripod.
. . . . I think I'm going to have to beg, from the bed shop, for a king-sized mattress bag for next year.
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 1543
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 11:35 am
- Has thanked: 925 times
- Been thanked: 708 times
Re: A slightly mad idea for suppressing aphids
Thank you for the detailed reply. Very interesting. It should work on my small cherry trees, the plums are getting just a bit large for this treatment now and the bramley is way too big.
I'll keep my eyes open for suitably sized bags.
I'll keep my eyes open for suitably sized bags.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests