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Aphids

Submitted by Tim Roy (not verified) on Tue, 20/05/2008 - 5:42pm.

Hello All!
My name is Tim and this is my first time using this forum. I have worked with water gardens at a garden center for about 9 years and almost every year I get black aphids on my water lilies. I have kept them under control by using oils as well as spraying the plants down with water. Nothing seems to eliminate them. I am looking for any suggestions.

Thanks
Tim Roy
Troy8@student.fsc.edu

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Aphids

Submitted by Peter May on Wed, 21/05/2008 - 8:47am.

It is a problem that seems to be afflicting people more regularly and in the extreme. Apparently the aphid that is the problem is the same one that infest plum trees and it is on plum trees that the tend to over-winter. If you are an academic you may want a name for the enemy - it is Rhopalosiphum nymphaea.
The only really safe way of dealing with it is by spraying the foliage with a hard jet of water on a daily basis for several days. It has been suggested that it is wise to deal with them before they even move from the plum trees since once they are safe and secure on lilies they can be very difficult to remove. They will also infect several other species of water plants as well like plantains, sagittarrias and even sweet galingale. In the States they use some gentle pesticide but I wouldn't even bother finding out what it is because it cannot possibly be any good for the pond as a whole.

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