Infested

reynajrainwater 7/22/2015, 1:49 am

Help!!! My garden is infested with aphids and ants. Sad

**AtlantaMarie** 7/22/2015, 7:26 am

You might try a large dose of cinnamon sprinkled around to run off the ants. But I usually just pull and get rid of them...

mollyhespra 7/22/2015, 8:18 am

You were asking about fertilizers in another thread and so I wonder if your plants might have had a nutrient deficiency which would have made them vulnerable to aphids. Did you ever get around to getting some good compost? Even if you pull all the plants and start fresh but don't correct the underlying issue it may happen again. What did you end up doing about the compost?

(If on the other hand your MM is in good shape and you still have aphids you might want to look into beneficial nematodes.)

HTH and good luck! Smile

**camprn** 7/22/2015, 9:32 am

Insecticidal soap spray. Use a spray bottle or garden sprayer to apply to infested areas.

reynajrainwater 7/23/2015, 12:23 am

It's all new Mel-mix, the pre-mixed stuff sold at The Home Depot. The ants have been around for a while but the aphids appeared recently. At this time only the pumpkin plants are affected.

**sanderson** 7/23/2015, 1:59 am

I'm surprised you have aphids at this time of the year considering where you live. It is hot and dry right now, correct? I fight spider mites at this time of the summer. I used Bonner's liquid peppermint soap in a solution for aphids earlier this summer and it really knocked down the numbers.

**camprn** 7/23/2015, 10:32 am

reynajrainwater, just a heads up, the pre made mix is notorious for not having enough compost in it at the time of bagging. If plants are growing in your garden but not looking great, I suggest a good quality compost, preferably homemade, but store bought will do. Rabbit, goat, alpaca manure you can apply directly to your garden. Mushroom compost won't help.

Good luck with the bugs.

Windmere 7/23/2015, 10:59 am

camprn wrote:reynajrainwater, just a heads up, the pre made mix is notorious for not having enough compost in it at the time of bagging. If plants are growing in your garden but not looking great, I suggest a good quality compost, preferably homemade, but store bought will do. Rabbit, goat, alpaca manure you can apply directly to your garden. Mushroom compost won't help.

Good luck with the bugs.

+1 I've worked with several bags of the pre-mixed stuff. I've had good results, but only after heavily amending with my own compost mixes.

duhh 7/23/2015, 11:32 am

cinnamon sprinkled around the base of plants help with the ants. Mine are usually gone by the next day. Aphids I use either use a mix of water with a little blue dawn and olive oil, or neem oil if i have any on hand. I also use neem oil as a preventative spray and as long as I do it regularly, I don't have such a problem with aphids, worms, and such.

Ants and aphids kinda go together. the ants like the sweet sticky waste the aphids create and they sometimes help to spread the aphids by moving them from plant to plant. Google "ants farming aphids" and it can tell you all about it!

Just remember that the first year is a lot of learning, but it gets easier the more you know what to look for and how to deal with different pests!

CapeCoddess 7/23/2015, 5:08 pm

sanderson wrote: I used Bonner's liquid peppermint soap in a solution for aphids earlier this summer and it really knocked down the numbers.

Good to know and so easy. Thanks.

Windmere 7/23/2015, 5:20 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
sanderson wrote: I used Bonner's liquid peppermint soap in a solution for aphids earlier this summer and it really knocked down the numbers.

Good to know and so easy. Thanks.

Sanderson, I have some Bonner's peppermint soap in my garden supplies. What ratio to water did you use for aphids?

**sanderson** 7/24/2015, 12:24 am

About a tablespoon in a quart sprayer. Audrey suggested it and it killed about 90% in one spraying. Neem works well but I am trying to save this pesticide for more urgent situations than aphids.

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