Aphid Alert!

You may at some point notice the growing tips of your plants start to curl and contort.  On closer inspection some of the leaves may have a sticky substance on them and there may even be ants crawling around.  Chances are your plant has aphids.  These tiny insects come by the thousand covering the tips of the newest growth of plants.  Aphids treat their host plant like a juice bar sucking the sap out of the shoots until leaves start to become mottled and die off.  They excrete a honey dew substance that ants love therefore often both insects are found on the same plant.  Population control is the key to defeating aphids as these little devils are born pregnant!  

As far as pests go, aphids are one of the easiest to kill, but you have to keep on top of your monitoring because of their speedy reproduction.  In heavy populations, prune off and destroy the most affected areas of the plant then spray thoroughly with insecticidal soap or neem oil.  There are many different species of aphids attacking a huge range of plant types so pay attention to your plants and monitor them regularly…  the perfect reason to stroll through the garden!