How to deal with aphids on roses, home, garden and indoor: a description of the pest and species, an overview of purchased and folk remedies, and what to do to get rid?

Rose is the main decoration of the garden. The Queen of Flowers is loved for luxurious buds and unique fragrance. However, a rose, like other flowers, is susceptible to attack by pests such as aphids.

These small midges cover blooming buds and leaves, sucking vitality from a once beautiful juicy rose. Today we’ll talk about what aphids are and how to get rid of them.

What is it?

Aphids are small insects that feed on plant sap. The pest does not parasitize alone, these insects infect plants with entire colonies and carry many viruses. If you do not take any action to get rid of the aphids, in a few weeks the insect colony will increase several dozen times, and it will be extremely difficult to destroy them.

The pest prefers to be located on the lower, softer side of the leaf, and also settles on the upper young leaves and buds.

Description

Aphids have an oval or ovoid shape. Body sizes are diverse: from 0.3 to 4 mm. The body of the pest is covered with oblong tubercles, growths, hairs of different lengths, fluff. The mustache, eyes and proboscis are located on the head of the insect. With the help of a proboscis, the aphid punctures the surface of the leaf and reaches its juices.

That is why aphids are called sucking parasite. The color of the insect usually blends with the color of the plant on which it parasitizes.

What types exist?

There are about 4000 species of aphids, they vary in color and body structure, habitat and "taste" preferences. The most common species in our latitude:

Rose aphid - a green insect that infects roses, rose hips, strawberries, pears and apple trees.
Domestic aphid parasitizes on any indoor plants. It has a green, red, white, black color.
Greenhouse aphid characterized by a greenish yellow tint. Prefers peaches, plums, cherry plums, potatoes, cabbage, radishes, dill, peppers, greenhouse plants.
Potato aphid - wingless insect of red color. This species is widespread and affects potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, indoor plants.
Leaf aphid possesses a yellow or greenish ovoid body. A pest population is capable of quickly destroying a currant bush.
Gourd aphids - a green insect having a pointed body. The parasite settles on melons, watermelons, pumpkin, cucumbers, peanuts, beets, sesame, citrus.
Cabbage aphid - a green pest that affects radishes, cabbage and radishes. For a short time, it is able to completely destroy the crop of these crops.
Mealybug or shaggy aphids - an insect with an oval torso of cream color with many bristles on the sides. The pest lives mainly on indoor plants. The leaves of the affected plant are covered with white coating.

Important! Aphids leave a sticky, sweet liquid on the surface of the leaves, which also attracts other types of insect pests.

What are the reasons for the appearance?

The main reason for the growth of colonies of aphids on roses is the lack of prevention and regular inspection roses by a gardener.

Throughout the summer, it is necessary to regularly examine leaves, trunks and buds for the presence of ants, sticky spots, larvae and adult pests. Timely measures will help provide breeding colonies of aphids.

The appearance and breeding of aphids on garden roses is also facilitated by the absence of predatory insects: ladybugs, ground beetles, weevil mites.

A home rose is also susceptible to aphids, like a garden rose. A winged aphid flies in an open window and parasitizes on a homely beauty, lays eggs.

How to detect?

You can detect the pest during a detailed examination of roses. Signs of infection:

dark brown or black spots appear on the leaves, they curl and turn yellow;
the plant is completely or foci covered with a sticky coating;
the buds do not open and fall.

Reference! A large number of ants is the first sign of the appearance of aphids on a garden rose. Ants feed on a secret that secrete aphids, protect it and help move to other, still healthy plants.

Implications for the flower

If the grower does not take measures to rid the rose of the aphids, unpleasant consequences await it:

defeat and curvature of young shoots;
reduction and complete absence of buds;
deprivation of vitality, the impossibility of further growth;
deformation, numerous wounds and holes on the surface of the leaves, which become a medium for the propagation of viruses;
death of the plant.

How to deal with aphids?

Plant isolation

At the first symptoms of a home rose defeat, it is necessary to isolate it from healthy plantsso that the pest does not spread to them. Flightless aphids can jump long distances, while winged individuals fly freely to neighboring plants. A pot with an infected rose is transferred to another room, a loggia or a balcony for taking measures to eliminate aphids.

Flushing the bush and removing buds

Aphids are a weak insect and are easily washed off the surface of the plant with a strong stream of water from a hose. This method is especially convenient when the aphid colony has not yet grown. It is necessary to treat bushes for several days in a row with a stream of clean water until the pest disappears completely. Most insects sink and die, surviving individuals become food for other insects that live on the ground.

Before flushing, it is recommended to remove all affected shoots and buds.to exclude the possibility of further spread of aphids in the bush.

The use of drugs or folk remedies

Folk remedies to combat aphids:

Garlic infusion. It is necessary to chop 2 small heads of garlic, not peeled from the husk, pour 1 liter of water, let it brew for a day. Bushes are sprayed with this infusion, paying special attention to the most affected areas, daily until the pest disappears completely.
Soap solution. Grind a piece of laundry soap and dissolve in a bucket of water. In the evening, spray with this solution the rose garden for 2 weeks.
Milk. It is necessary to mix milk with water in a ratio of 1:10 and add a few drops of iodine. It is believed that spraying bushes with such a tool is the most effective folk method for removing aphids.
Tobacco solution Suitable for processing room roses. To prepare it, it is necessary to fill the tobacco (shag) with clean water in a ratio of 1:10 and let it brew for two days. Then the infusion is boiled for 2 hours. The resulting broth in equal proportions is diluted with water and the leaves and buds of a home rose are sprayed.
It must be ensured that the product does not enter the substrate, so as not to cause wilting. The procedure is carried out 3 times with an interval of 10 days.

If folk remedies give a weak result, and the aphid population does not disappear, chemicals come to the rescue:

Fufanon - intestinal insecticide. The components of the composition, penetrating the aphids through the proboscis, cause paralysis and death of the insect. It is necessary to dilute 1 ampoule (5 ml) in 1-2 liters of water. Garden roses need to be sprayed in dry, calm weather, bringing 1.5 liters of solution to 10 liters.
Indoor roses are treated outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Aktara - systemic insecticide of intestinal action. The active substance penetrates the leaves, then, together with the juice of the plant penetrates the aphids. To process indoor plants, it is necessary to dissolve 1 g of the drug in 1.25 liters of warm water. The solution is intended for both spraying leaves and watering.
When spraying, the drug acts for 4 weeks, when introduced into the root system - up to 2 months. To spray garden roses, you need to dissolve 4 g of the drug in 10 liters of warm water.
Fitoverm - an insecticide that affects aphids, falling on the integument of the body and into the body through the proboscis. To treat garden plants, 8 ml of the drug is dissolved in 1 liter of water and buds and leaves are sprayed during the growing season and flowering.
To treat indoor plants, 2 ml of the product is diluted in 250 ml of water and sprayed at the first appearance of aphids.

Prevention: is it possible to avoid re-infection and get rid of pests?

In order to save the rose he has a new infection, the following recommendations must be observed:

Once a week, carefully inspect the buds and undersides of the leaves in order to identify parasites and their eggs.
Once a month, treat roses with a stream of water or soapy water.
Timely remove diseased and weak shoots, faded buds, dry leaves.
Encourage predatory insects and birds around the rosary by planting odorous plants next to roses: lavender, marigolds, tansy, thyme, calendula, dill, parsley, fennel, carrots. These cultures scare off aphids and attract insects that feed on aphids: ladybugs, little beetles, weevils, lacewings, ground beetles.

Aphids are a dangerous insect that can destroy such a beautiful flower as a rose in a matter of weeks. The best protection against aphids is the prevention or use of alternative methods of controlling insects. Chemicals are very effective in killing aphids, but they harm not only insects, but also the plant itself.