Another of my plants that’s blooming beautifully right now is honeysuckle. It’s growing on an iron obelisk at the corner of our back deck.
But look a little bit closer…
APHIDS!
Fortunately these little buggers don’t seem to be bothering any of the other plants in the garden, so I’ve decided to view the honeysuckle as a sort of aphid trap, for now. Several years ago I had a similar issue with aphids attacking my nasturtiums, and when I wrote about the issue, it was suggested that many gardeners plant nasturtiums for this purpose specifically.
Indeed, upon doing a little research it seems that there is a particular kind of aphid known as the Honeysuckle Aphid, due to its food preference (in this case, my beloved honeysuckle).
As for getting rid of them? In the organic garden, using chemicals is obviously out of the question. Garden Bugs of Ontario (Lone Pine, 2008, page 63) suggests,
Heavy rainfall or high winds dislodge aphids, so try using a hard spray of water to wash them off. Soapy water acts like an insecticide.
In her book, You Grow Girl, The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening (Fireside, 2005, page 105), my fellow gardener and friend Gayla Trail suggests,
Plant chives, basil, catnip, yarrow and strong mints nearby. Aphids are attracted to the color yellow. Grow yellow nasturtiums nearby to attract aphids away from prized plants.
Hmm…I’ve been thinking about moving my chives to another location in the yard. Perhaps planting them at the base of the honeysuckle will help protect it from those hungry, sap-sucking aphids. Right after I set the hose on ‘em.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I can vouch for the sharp spray with the hose technique. Plus, squishing by hand. Very effective (and satisfying), if a little messy.
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Aphids totally creep me out. Not just because they are a garden pest, but they just plain give me the willies. I’ve had them on nasturtiums before, but only when they were in containers and got too dry. Actually, I had them on a couple of other things and it seems like it’s when things are super hot and dry. I think putting chives by your honeysuckle would be good… soap spray is good too.
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I generally leave them be, but some people wait ’till the nasturtiums or whatever lures in the aphids and then pull out & destroy them. (I personally couldn’t bear to destroy a nasturtium, however infested it was!)
I just read this blog post (http://lifeonthebalcony.com/plants-that-every-balcony-gardener-needs/) which suggests catnip since it’s most inviting to green lacewings, which are, in turn, the sworn enemies of aphids.
Beneficials vs bad insects: it’s like The Transformers, battling good vs evil, only on your own patio!!
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hi there… was wondering what ever happened with your aphid infestation in the end? did you try the chives? and the soapy water? it’s nice to hear afterwards what worked/didn’t work… i was also wondering if the aphids ended up attacking somewhere else in the end?