Aphids and mold?

[Chemiker]

I'm pretty sure that what I'm seeing is the result of aphids, but wanted to make sure with y'all.

Fortunately I harvested most of my hops before this happened; I just had some cones that were still not ready to be picked, so I left them on for another couple of weeks. By the time I harvested them today, all were covered in a thick sap-like substance, and most had mold. So, aphids?

I have read all of the remedies and will try the soap spray method; I have aphids and ants all over my artichokes too.

 

[B-Hoppy]

Yeah, the aphids get into the cones and squirt out 'honeydew' which is rich in sugars. Apparently the sugars provide a great place for the 'sooty' mold to get started. I've used them like that and didn't notice any off flavors in the beer. If they were commercial hops, you'd probably get knocked down a grade or two when the bales were inspected. Good luck with the bugs!

 

[gbx]

Its good to hear they are still usable. Most of my willamette cones had that problem too. I sprayed a lot throughout the summer and was surprised to see how much damage was done. I dried them but haven't used them yet. I have a Nugget and a Cascade vine on either side that aren't ripe yet and showing no signs at all of aphids in the cone. I'm hoping I can get some quality bug and mold free hops off at least one plant.

 

[Chemiker]

Thanks for the replies. Now I know to be on the lookout next year, and be armed with a soap/water mixture.

I'm assuming that the soap water recipes I have seen online leave so little soap residue that it doesn't affect the beer flavor? Even with weekly application?

 

[gbx]

I was spraying a couple times a week with anti-aphid soap I got from home depot. I tried a few home remedies but they either didn't work or discoloured the leaves so I went with a commercial product. The bottle says its non-toxic and safe to apply to food crops up to the day of harvest. I haven't brewed with them so I can't comment on how it affected the flavour. It worked really well on the leaves of the plant but it didn't seem to stop the aphids that got in the cones. Maybe if i started spraying very early in the year before the aphids got established it would have worked better. I didn't start until there already was a problem and I went easy for a while when the lady bugs moved in. I realize now that lady bugs will never get a big enough population to deal with a full-on aphid problem. This was my first year growing and I didn't know aphids were gonna be the problem, next year I'm going to start spraying from the first leaf

 

[Chemiker]

I was spraying a couple times a week with anti-aphid soap I got from home depot. I tried a few home remedies but they either didn't work or discoloured the leaves so I went with a commercial product. The bottle says its non-toxic and safe to apply to food crops up to the day of harvest. I haven't brewed with them so I can't comment on how it affected the flavour. It worked really well on the leaves of the plant but it didn't seem to stop the aphids that got in the cones. Maybe if i started spraying very early in the year before the aphids got established it would have worked better. I didn't start until there already was a problem and I went easy for a while when the lady bugs moved in. I realize now that lady bugs will never get a big enough population to deal with a full-on aphid problem. This was my first year growing and I didn't know aphids were gonna be the problem, next year I'm going to start spraying from the first leaf

Thanks for the info. I'll have to be sure to hit them early and often next year.