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What are these?

ThebigeasyThebigeasy Posts: 190
in Problem solving
Doing a spot of weeding and came across these on one of my fatsias, all hiding under a bit of new foliage, this plant has suffered a lot of leaf damage to something, there were ants crawling all over them too but dont seem to beeating whatever they are. How do i get rid of them ifthey are doing the plant harm? 

Posts

  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 22,278
    Aphids.

    The ants are drinking their “poo”.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • ThebigeasyThebigeasy Posts: 190
    Is this what is causing the leaf damage? And soapy water to kill them? 
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 22,278
    edited June 2020
    Probably the cause of some puckering of the leaves.

    You have a choice. You can treat them in several different ways, depending on your philosophy.

    A You can spray them with soapy water and kill them.

    B You can leave them as food for ladybird larvae who will find them delicious.
    (If you don’t know what ladybird larvae look like, do google them.  Here is one type, busy eating aphids, though they come in different shapes, sizes and colours)


    C You can leave them as food for bluetits who will also be happy to eat them.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • ThebigeasyThebigeasy Posts: 190
    pansyface said:
    Probably the cause of some puckering of the leaves.

    You have a choice. You can treat them in several different ways, depending on your philosophy.

    A You can spray them with soapy water and kill them.

    B You can leave them as food for ladybird larvae who will find them delicious.
    (If you don’t know what ladybird larvae look like, do google them.  Here is one type, busy eating aphids, though they come in different shapes, sizes and colours)


    C You can leave them as food for bluetits who will also be happy to eat them.

    The garden is fairly new so not really established with wildlifesuch as bluetits and ive yet to see any ladybirds, so it looks like soapy water for now. 
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 22,278
    Well, if you use the soapy water of course you’ll have to wait even longer before you see any ladybirds or bluetits because they won’t come unless there’s food for them....

    Catch 22.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • team.stratfordteam.stratford Posts: 17
    I had an aphid problem on my acer- only on the new growth.  Tried soapy water but the acer didn’t like it (not sure why) so then I tried ladybirds. I bought some live ones off amazon and popped them on the acer and they did the job beautifully. 
    I occasionally find aphids on other plants and normally just give them a squish with my fingers and use soapy water but if there’s lots I go back to the ladybirds. 
    Just be careful of the ants - they ‘farm’ the aphids and protect them so they need dealing with too. 
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