Aphids!!!!

Out of all 7 varieties my Magnum is the only one that has aphids. What is a good method of KILLING those little suns of &itches? Without hurting the hops of course.

What I used on my tomatoes and citrus last year was a spray of 1 tbl of non-ultra dish soap to 1 gallon water. I have not yet used this spray on my hops but plan on as soon as they show up. Yooper's husband reports that I should add hot sauce to that mixture.

That spray kills them but doesn't do anything to prevent them (that may be what the hot sauce is for). Several applications with about a 3 day spread should do it.

Try and kill any ants in the area also, they farm the aphids.

best and easiest is ladybugs! you can buy them by the thousands for a few dollars.

http://www.ladybuglady.com/LadybugsFAQ.htm

I used a solution of tobacco juice and water that really did well. But would not use it after hops buds show up.

+1 for the lady bugs!

I am pretty sure the soap spray will kill the lady bugs too.

Chris-dog

why would you even need the soap spray after you have the ladybugs?

One ladybug can eat as many as 50 aphids a day

I have read that ladybugs are the best but most tend to fly away soon. They say if you put the ladybugs in the refrigerator overnight before releasing them on your plants they will stick around longer and eat more aphids.

Ladybugs or Lacewings are natural predators.

Garlic is a natural repellent for both Aphids and Spider Mites. It's easy to plant too. Something about off-gases from the growing plant are noxious to both critters.

Soapy water, Nicotine, Diatomaceous Earth and even a Baking Soda and water solution are said to have mixed results in controlling outbreaks.

[start rant] Me, I need a cat repellent. Have tried water, a daisy, cayenne pepper, and chicken wire. AND I STILL FIND SURPRISE PACKAGES. ARRRRGH!

Sadly, it's become a local versus stray battle of the senses. My cats try to cover what the strays have left behind. I can watch my own cats but have no idea when the strays are coming in. And they always go for the same mound. [/rant]

GilaMinumBeer said:

[start rant] Me, I need a cat repellent. Have tried water, a daisy, cayenne pepper, and chicken wire. AND I STILL FIND SURPRISE PACKAGES. ARRRRGH!

Sadly, it's become a local versus stray battle of the senses. My cats try to cover what the strays have left behind. I can watch my own cats but have no idea when the strays are coming in. And they always go for the same mound. [/rant]

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Marigolds man, I planted some around my hills to help keep the nemotodes out, they do a good job for cats too.

Speaking of Parasites...while I was moving some of the soil around the base of my Sterling to improve water flow, I noticed a little transparent worm on the base of the rhizome. It looked like a tiny, clear inch worm, but was probably only a millimeter in size. Suffice it to say, I used a toothpick to remove it and killed it. Hopefully there aren't anymore down there...

Marigolds next to the Rhizome and insecticide Soap HD or your local nursery should carry it.

The lady bugs only hang around as long as you have something for them to eat, LOL
The thankless heathen they are, LOL!!

Virtuous said:

Marigolds man, I planted some around my hills to help keep the nemotodes out, they do a good job for cats too.

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I hear ya' man but, those attract Aphids. I have looked into it but I am just not willing to resolve a less destructive infestation with a potentially more destructive one. I have considered getting a "Yipper Dog" for the boy but then I'd have to worry about it getting a hold of the hops, somehow. Plus, I mow barefoot and that would just be upsetting.

Plus, I mow barefoot and that would just be upsetting

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wow thats not very bright

GilaMinumBeer said:

...[start rant] Me, I need a cat repellent. Have tried water, a daisy, cayenne pepper, and chicken wire. AND I STILL FIND SURPRISE PACKAGES. ARRRRGH!

Sadly, it's become a local versus stray battle of the senses. My cats try to cover what the strays have left behind. I can watch my own cats but have no idea when the strays are coming in. And they always go for the same mound. [/rant]

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Best cat repellant= Gamo or Benjamin air rifle. A single pump or three keeps the velocity down, and the shot much less than lethal. As the frequency in visits warrants, a couple more pumps are used. Barring that, I let my dog at 'em. She loves to eat cats.

I've heard that cats do not like Aluminum foil. When i find a cat repellant that will keep my cats from knocking the growlers off my rafters I'll let you know what works!

EinGutesBier said:

Speaking of Parasites...while I was moving some of the soil around the base of my Sterling to improve water flow, I noticed a little transparent worm on the base of the rhizome. It looked like a tiny, clear inch worm, but was probably only a millimeter in size. Suffice it to say, I used a toothpick to remove it and killed it. Hopefully there aren't anymore down there...

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That sounds like a nematode and it might actually be a benificial one at that. Some of those are devastating to Japanese Beetle larvae.

MikeFlynn74 said:

wow thats not very bright

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Never seen or had an issue with it. Lawn is flat and mower has the safety cut off when you release the grip. And considering it's a walk behind, I don't forsee any problems with my feet getting into the works.

My cats, typically go in the house box. Been at this house going on 5 years and have yet to step in any surprises. Beyond that, I got almost no trees to have to deal with twiggy pediatric problems. And lastly, **** it, I like the way the grass feels between my toes.

GilaMinumBeer said:

That sounds like a nematode and it might actually be a benificial one at that. Some of those are devastating to Japanese Beetle larvae.

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You know, I could see that. Well, good thing I just killed one. Luckily, the hops are still indoors so they can get a headstart. If they have a lot of pest problems while indoors, I've got more to worry about than hops getting ruined. :cross:

GilaMinumBeer said:

Never seen or had an issue with it. Lawn is flat and mower has the safety cut off when you release the grip. And considering it's a walk behind, I don't forsee any problems with my feet getting into the works.

My cats, typically go in the house box. Been at this house going on 5 years and have yet to step in any surprises. Beyond that, I got almost no trees to have to deal with twiggy pediatric problems. And lastly, **** it, I like the way the grass feels between my toes.

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Kind of

What can happen even with the safety devices on the mowers these days is this....you could fall when pulling the mower backwards in turn pulling the mower over your feet and the natural instinct is to hold on to the handle. I know of this because it happened to a guy I worked with at my last job. Luckily he was wearing boots and didn't loose any toes but there was quite a bit of damage.

I watched the Aphids attack my Soybean plants last year. Then I watched as the Ladybugs moved in. A few days later, no more Aphids . Things is though, I have TONS of Ladybugs at my house. They have taken up permanent residence in our house . And yes, they do bite! I thought it was hogwash, until one day I had a biting/stinging sensation on my neck, I grabbed it and it was a Ladybug (but that was the only time...maybe he/she was curious ).

The soap spray will work fine, but you'll need to be proactive. Get a good sprayer, those crappy ones always break and you waste your money.

I copied this from one of my previous postings....

If want to go with organic fertilizer and bug repellent you can make a manure/compose-tea.

Take two 5 gallon pails. Make yourself a zaptap lauter tun as in Chuck's Good Book. Basically, two pales nested together the top pale is drilled with ton of tiny holes (false bottom). The bottom pale has a hose coming out bottom on the side with a hose flow-clamp attached (see image below). The drill hole on the pale is 1/16 smaller than the hose OD. Press fit it into the hole. Wha-la

Take two shovel-fulls of manure/composte add it to your new "Crap Lauter Tun" (CLT) and let steep for 4-5 days in the sun. Then drain into a sprayer and then spray your hop plants regularly. Do so early and before cone formation.

:fro:

I have rose bushes near my hops so I suspect I'm going to run into this aphid problem. I'm gonna check HD or Lowe's for an insecticide for veggies that can control them.

We had a big problem with potato bugs one year and I dusted everything in the garden with Orthos Bug be Gone and the next day thousands of the dead bugs laying on the ground. As long as you wash your hops before you dry them it should be fine.

I've had problems with Aphids in my ash tree, as well as on veggies and ornamentals. I tried every organic, pesticide-free, insect-based, homeopathic remedy I could find. (Do you have any clue how hard it is to do acupuncture on an aphid?)

I finally found something that works. Malathion. Bhopal be damned, this is the only stuff I've found to work on a nasty infestation of aphids. Ortho makes a consumer malathion bottle you can buy at Home Depot



Note that I'm not growing hops, so make sure it's OK on hops before you apply. I don't see a problem, since it's used on vegetable crops.

I am not spraying malathion on my veggies... it is all organic for me.

Just because it's organic, doesn't mean that it's not dangerous. Arsenic is organic too.

Arsenic is organic too

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One of the most deadly substances in the world. Only thing more dangerous is Chuck Norris's sweat.

MikeFlynn74 said:

One of the most deadly substances in the world. Only thing more dangerous is Chuck Norris's sweat.

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That is so funny.

I can't stand it when someone says, "It's all natural, so it's safe!" YOu hear it all the time on commercials. People dont' understand that there are plenty of natual poisons out there!

That said, I'd prefer a natural solution if it worked well. The soap and ladybugs seem like a good thing to try. I'd rather not have tons of those ladybugs all over the place. My in-laws have them, and they are a PITA sometimes. They get EVERYWHERE!