How To Get Rid Of Plant Lice (Aphids)

There is nothing more distressing than see your cherished plants  fading away because of those unwanted insects that can destroy the whole garden. I'm talking about these highly destructive insects called aphids.

Aphids are small sap sucking insects that can multiply rapidly, causing serious economic losses for farmers in general. They are also known as plant lice, greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies. There are over 4,000 species, of which at least 250 cause agricultural losses. They feed on plant sap by piercing the conductive vessels. In addition to direct losses, the aphids spread diseases among plants and favor the emergence of fungi.

Their reproductive cycle is very interesting, and in the warmer months of the year females produce other females parthenogenetically, ie, without fertilization in a viviparous manner, whereas in the fall, there is mating between males and females, and they become oviparous .

Depending on the species, aphids may show different colors, displaying  brown, green, yellow, red, gray, black, or almost colourless bodies. Natural predators of aphids are ladybirds, syrphid (flower-flies), beetles and wasps, but there are numerous other animals capable of preying them. Some ants, in order to get protection from predators, make use of an aqueous solution rich in sugars the aphids excrete.

It is possible to control aphids  naturally by introducing  predators and parasites in the affected areas. Other traditional, efficient forms of combat include spraying  tobacco syrup and mineral oil on the plants. Commercial insecticides should be used only when the plants are not flowering and fruiting, as they also kill beneficial insects to plants such as bees.