Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all (Bug experts)

These bugs have recently started to congregate all over my lettuce. There are no obvious holes of them munching on the lettuce, but I think they are sucking out the juices. They like to come together at the stem of the leaf.

Does anybody recognize them and what am I to do? They are multiplying fast.

PS. They are only found on the lettuce and on none of my other veggies.

See attached pics.

Thanks in advance

aphids suck out the juices. these are bigger and redder than the aphids I am used to. do they smush easy? if they are aphids soapy water will get rid of most of them.

Asch

They do smush easy and are soft. I live in Shanghai China, maybe they are a type of Chinese aphid

If I spray them of with high pressure water they just climb back up.

I will give the soapy water a try.

Try not to get soapy water in your fish tank as it won't be good for your fish.

Aphids - there are 4000+ species and the largest up to 10mm. Soapy spray should do the trick.

I mixed 2 drops of dish washing liquid with 1 liter of water, sprayed them, and observed them. They just sat there and didn't move. This morning they are still there.

The fish are okay also, I only sprayed on the affected areas on the lettuce in my nft system, Thanks for the tip Arbe.

Should I up the amount of soap per liter?

Thanks again

add some tobasco sauce to your water/soap solution

How much tobasco sauce would you recommend for a 1 liter solution?

How about steeping tomato leaves in water? Has that worked for any one?

Also try hanging yellow sticky traps up... You can make them yourself pretty easily.

Add oil,garlic cayennpepper and dish soap that makes a killer spray.

Lots of garlic smal amounts of cayennepepper. Only a few dropps of dishsoap and oil.

Try molassis spray. A small amount in a spray bottle. It might work or not but worked for me on another sort of aphid (onion)