Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm now having aphids outbreak in one of my greenhouse. My nitrate reading is 50ppm and I dont think my system is high in nitrogen that cause aphids attack. As long as theres vegetables that aphids love they will come eventually. I am now using neem oil and organic dish washing soap to kill the aphids but it's already out of control.

Now I'm wondering how u guys control aphid? I have someone that suggest me using beauveria bassiana to control aphids.. anyone here have been using this?

I haven't tried the Beauveria so I can't help with that but in case you don't know aphids are often farmed by ants so you need to control ants as well as kill off the aphids.

I have controlled the ants. There is no ants at the present. Just the aphids are spreading out of control. Some develops wings already. I think I have to sanitize the whole greenhouse once veggies are harvested.

I have used predators which I get from Biological services in Adelaide .I don't know if you could import them into Malaysia but they solve the problem for a whole season or more.

What kind of predators are u using? Dont know if its adapt to the climate here. I have ordered the beauveria bassiana fungus and want to test it out once it reaches here.

I am not sure what the ones are for aphids but for white fly I use encarsia Formosa and for spider mites I use persilla mite.If you tell them what pest you have they will send you something that will do the job for you. They have been doing it for many years and know pests and predators very well.They have sent me several different ones for the spider mites and they all worked well .The spider mite one is the most dramatic, you can have millions today and tomorrow they are all gone.

Hello!
Some of the predator mites take care of other insects too, like whiteflies and thrips.

I was having a spider mite outbreak on my tomato plants, and just released a mix of three species of predator mites about two weeks ago, and they seem to b e doing the job. The plants have actually started growing quite a bit, and are flowering again.....So I think I can vouch for the mites too.

I know you are looking for aphid control, and here in the U.S., a lot of people use ladybugs. They usually show up on their own when i have an infestation, as my systems are outdoors. But, they can also leave whenever they want. They usually stick around though, and eat the aphids. if you are growing in a greenhouse, they are more contained, and will likely stick around longer. Perhaps you can locate a vendor, or find some locally. I'm not sure if you have ladybugs there.

When the ladybugs aren't around, I usually squish aphids with my fingers. I smear them around abit. I once read that the scent of dead insects keeps insects away. I don't know if it's true or not....but, it's totally fish safe pest control!

If there are any growers of certified organic crops there, maybe for export, they might be a contact that could point you in the right direction.