Aphids

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Status : Enemy

 

Aphids having a walk on a leaf of Pinguicula. The strengh of its legs 

prevent the aphid from being caught.

Photo : Stéphane Joly

A small colony of aphids can invade the entire collection if not controled.

Photo : link

 

Description : 

Adult : length 2 - 3 mm, greenish, slightly spotted on the sides with or without wings, can be found too in almost every color. They can be green, yellow, pink, brown, black or any shade in between. 

Biology and life cycle :

Aphids are widespread in Europe and North America. The infestion begins first in your garden plants by the birth of a female aphid from her winter egg. Then, this fundatrix produces foundation colonies by parthenogenesis and viviparity. From this colony, still in your garden, in May and June, appear the winged aphids which migrate everywhere. This is then the possible colonisation of your greenhouse. 

They will then establish colonies with individuals from several successive generations, wingless or winged forms that if left uncontroled, will colonize neighbouring plants. In autumn, each female lays a winter egg for the next generation...

Aphids are very often protected againts natural predators by ants that really farmed their colonies. 

Damage

Pinguicula fiorii : flower with spidery form in habitat. This kind of deformed flower is typicaly the results of massive aphids  bites that where very abundant. 

Photo : Eric Partrat

The aphids are sap suckers. In general the direct damage is limited on large leaves but can be important on youngest leaves directly in the heart of the rosette. The emerged leaves will then be more of less deformed, even curled and paler than normal leaves. Aphids can also be the vector of viruses but it seems to be never published in the Pinguicula litterature so the danger is reduced to zero.

Solutions :

If your plants are only slighted attacked by few individuals, you can easily remove the aphids with a teethpick. 

Biological fight :  

The biological fight can be easily done with ahids predators listed below. But you should keep in mind that you grow carnivorous plants and your predators would also be considered by prey by your plants. If you do biological fight in your garden, use also few predators in your greenhouse, but keep an eye open... 

- Ladybug Beetles and its larvae

- Green Lacewings larvae

- Aphidoletes aphidimyza

- Aphidius colemani

- Harmonia axyridis

- Chrysopa carnea

Suppliers :

USA : 

Home Harvest® Garden Supply, Inc. 

BIOBEST.BE   

 

EUROPE :

BIOBEST.BE

 

MEXICO : BIOBEST.BE 

 

JAPAN : BIOBEST.BE

 

Other country, see distributors of : BIOBEST.BE

Chemical fight 

Two famillies of insecticids can be use : one is systemic, travelling in the plant, the other is shock action, with immediate action on the pest. 

Go to your garden center and see the products sold.

I prefer using the second family. I spray my plants infected at the end of the afternoon when the sun is over, and few minutes after, I wash my plant with rain water to wash the product. All aphids are killed.

Suppliers :

FRANCE :

I use safely for my Pinguicula this one (shock action):

- KB POLYSECT® 3 PLUS
Hom. n° 9900094
2 g/l Bifenthrin

(pyrethroids)

 

This one is also active (Systematic action) and safe for the Pinguicula.

- Bayer Confidor® 200 SL

Hom. n° 8686/B

200g/l imidacloprid 

but I have discovered that the active substance, the imidacloprid could be dangerous for the bees as for Gaucho® so I don't use it now.

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