Today, we have a guest post from Drill Sergeant Dan of How To Get Rid of Slugs.
Drill Sergeant Dan
Hey there soldier,
Welcome to boot camp.
My name’s Drill Sergeant Dan and I am going train you to be a lean, mean, aphid-killing machine. You will learn all the battle tactics and weapons you have at your disposal to get rid of aphids from your plants forever.
For too long, the aphids have been destroying our crops and I am here to tell you enough is ENOUGH! It’s time we took up arms and declared war on these vile creatures.
We shall fight on the beaches,
We shall fight on the landing grounds,
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
We shall fight in the hills;
We shall never surrender.
Know The Enemy
Listen up. Knowing your enemy is key to defeating him and understanding an aphid’s strengths and weaknesses will help you destroy them.
Our military scientists have created this accurate depiction of an aphid and it’s anatomy to aid us in the war effort:
Aphid Anatomy
Primary Weapon
An aphid’s primary weapon is it’s stylet. This tube-like device is located on aphid’s head and used to puncture the phloem vessels in a plant and suck out the sap. This results in the plant losing hydration and nutrition causing it to wilt and eventually die. It is our job to protect our plants from this untimely demise.
Secondary Weapon
A good offence is a strong defense, which is why we call an aphid’s cornicle a weapon even though it is defensive in nature.
These abdominal tubes are located on the underside of the aphid and secrete cornicle wax, which is a sticky substance that can render preadators and other threats immobile. There is also evidence to suggest that this wax also alerts other aphids of impending danger.
Camouflage
Aphid’s are masters of disguise and subterfuge. The pictured aphid is green to help it to blend in with the plant it is feeding on, so you need to very observant to spot it. In addition, aphids are found in a variety of different colors including black, brown and beige. Keep your eyes peeled!
Safety in Numbers
Aphid populations are huge and they vastly outnumber us – an aphid colony can increase by 500% every single week. Despite us being in the minority, a well-trained human can wipe out entire colonies of aphids without suffering so much as a scratch.
Primary Weakness
An aphid’s main weakness is it’s soft body and lack of exo-skeleton, which does little to protect them from predators and disease.
Secondary Weaknesses
In addition to their soft body aphids are also small and light, which means (individually) they can easily be knocked off or removed from their host plants.
Many aphids will only feed on one particular type of plant. Therefore, if their source of food is removed, they will quickly die of starvation.
They also make a tasty snack for larger insects in the food chain.
Your Aphid-Killing Arsenal
Soldiers, you have three primary weapons in your arsenal for getting rid of aphids, each of them targeting one of the aphid’s weaknesses.
Your Gun
The best weapon against the aphid scum is your gun, or to be more accurate, your SPRAY GUN.
If you have a mister or spray bottle around your house, you will now refer to it as your gun. But, of course, a gun is nothing without ammunition so you need to load it with your very own aphid-killing chemical.
Mix a little dish-washing detergent (washing-up liquid) with water in your gun and thoroughly soak the enemy with the solution. Because aphids are soft-bodied the chemical weapon will dissolve their outer coat and kill them instantly.
Your Artillery
Time to bring out the heavy weapons. Your artillery, otherwise known as a hose pipe or pressure washer can be used to blast aphids off of your plants and to kingdom-come.
Those that survive the blast of the water cannon will quickly die of starvation without a source of food.
Your Allies
Finally, you have the option of calling in our aphid-hating allies.
Our most powerful allies are the ladybugs (known in some quarters as ladybirds). Although they may look beautiful, don’t be fooled – they are natural aphid killing machines.
Attract or release ladybugs into your garden and you will have a natural and ecological solution to your aphid problem.
Summary
You now know both the strengths and weaknesses of the evil aphid as well as how you can get rid of them quickly and effectively.
Congratulations! You are now a fully-fledged aphid-killing recruit and can now join the war against these despicable mini-beasts.
Onward Brave Soldier!
