UKC

Hi UKC green fingered ones.

I have just returned from two weeks away to find that my indoor plants x 6 have become infested.

They are lovely little plants with quite a good foliage and crops but the little blighers are stunting the growth and preventing new fruits from developing.

Any known remedies out there?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

You can buy various chemical sprays for them, but I have also heard that soapy water (washing up liquid diluted) sprayed on them is also meant to work. I have no Idea what concentration though

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Spiders! Try and increase the amount of spiders on your plants. I always used to take them off when they were making webs on my chillis until I realised how effective they were.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Thumb and fingers are cheap and environmentally friendly tools for pest eradication on indoor plants.

In reply to girlymonkey:


Works for a lot of insects, but works really well for aphids.
Roughly the weakest mix that you could blow bubbles with using one of those kid's little plastic bubble blowing kits.

What you are looking for is a mix that will just about hold a soapy film. This blocks the spiracles (breathing holes) of the aphids and they suffocate.
Use a fine spray and really soak the plant.

First spray will remove 90%+ of a serious infestation, but you need to go back either each day or alternate days until everything is dead, otherwise a few surviving young will rapidly turn back into a major infestation.

Doesn't really harm any other insect that wasn't on the plant when you sprayed, so your local pollinators should be safe.
Never seen it harm any of the plants. In fact once the aphids are dead the plants really bounce back quickly.

In reply to interdit:

Thanks everyone. The thumb and finger would be tough as there are so many and they hide in the underside too.

Ill try the spray. The plants are indoors so I will struggle with predators but I therefore dont have an issue with impacting other species.