Roses, Aphids and Ants

Roses

I was out enjoying my cup of coffee, taking in the beauty of my back yard and looking at my roses this morning. I love the spring, it is such a glorious time of year.

As I got a close look at my rose plants, I was surprised to see large numbers of ants. As I looked closer, I noticed that, along with the ants, I could see a large population of aphids.
Doing some research on the web, I have come to find out that ants protect aphids on rose bushes because of a chemical these pests produce. Aphids produce a waxy substance that the ants like to consume.

I also found a few non toxic ways to eliminate aphids on rose bushes:

• 1. By hand. The oldest and least expensive way is to pick off the little buggers by hand. This is quite time consuming and can get your hands pretty messed up by the thorns.
• 2. Banana peel. Place a banana peel at the base of the plant. As they break down, they give of potassium, a chemical that the aphids do not like.
• 3. Water spray. You can take a good hose with a nozzle and spray them off of the plants. A good concentrated stream can knock most of the pests off. This should be done early in the day so that the moisture will dry from the leaves and canes by evening.
• 4. Nicotine tea. If you take a few cigarettes and brew into a tea, you can spray this on the plants. The aphids do not like nicotine and this will get them off of the plants.
• 5. Beneficial insects. You can go to your local plant nursery and buy insects that will help you eliminate aphids. Some of these are lady bugs, lace wing wasps and the praying mantis.
• 6. Insecticidal oils and soaps. You can purchase soaps that are made with the oil of the Indian Neem tree. These products effect most small soft bodied arthropods like aphids, young scales, mealybugs and spider mites.

The good news is that, all of these methods work. The bad news (as far as your effort) is they are not persistent. By that, I mean you will need to “continue the fight”. These methods are not like the toxic chemicals that one might use to fight a pest that may stick around for years.

These suggestions are for the individual that cares about the environment. The person that would like to remove specific pests.

I will be putting items 5 and 6 in place on my rose bushes in the next couple of days. I will keep you posted as to what I use and what works.

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Tagged as: banana peel, indian neem tree, lace wing, rose plants, spider mites