Aphids on lily pads

[haver79]

I seem to have a ton of aphids on my lily pads this year. I try to wiggle the pads under water to knock them off. The goldies don't seem to eat them up when I do.
Anyone els have this problem? Any suggestions?

 

[sissy]

I had them on my water lettuce last year and just took them out and put them in a concrete mixing tub with a little dish detergent and fertilizer a week later they were gone but I kept them in there for 3 weeks .They got a nice cleaning and fertilizer .You could get a tote or a child's swimming pool .With lily's I would repot them also .

 

[JohnHuff]

Hose them off, then net them up, or...
I had aphid problems a couple of years. I stopped feeding my fish regular food, hosed the floating aphids towards the place I usually feed them, then once the first fish started gobbling them up, the others did too. I had to do this for a while before aphids stopped coming.

 

[haver79]

Ok I like both ideas.
JH I will try holding back on the food and maybe they will take to liking them.

Sissy taking out the lilies and dipping in soapy water sounds like a great idea also. Would kill them off I think. I assume that you suggest repotting the lilies only if I soaked the pot and all. But if I took out the lilies and only dipped the leaves in a bucket of soapy water. As long as I rinsed them off well couldn't I just put them right back in the pond?

 

[sissy]

You could as long as you rinse them good .I did that when I had some on a couple of water lettuce .FFip them and rinsed them and put them back in the pond

 

[haver79]

Sounds good. Funny this is the first year I have had this problem. But Ive noticed we do not have many lady bugs or Asian beatles either.
Very wet spring and now very very dry here.

 

[Waterbug]

PAM type spray oil worked instantly for me for lily pads. I was surprised they didn't come back, but that may have just been luck. My fish didn't eat them either.

 

[addy1]

My fish must be carnivores..............they eat them up as fast as I wipe the aphids off.

 

[slakker]

I hate aphids! Their also on my tomatoes! I'm going to see about building lady bug housing to see if I can attract them for next year.

 

[sissy]

The spray oil works but if it is hot out and sun is shining on the plant it can burn the leaves ,I found that out the hard way .Killed the whole plant . :sad:

 

[Waterbug]

I didn't have any burning.

 

[sissy]

It was not a plant in my pond it was an hibicus .I sprayed the plant and it was in the shade but 8 hours later I got back from the hospital and it was all burned and was in the hot sun last year .I totally forgot about it .It was over a hundred that day and it was sitting in the concrete tub of water so it was not dry .The leaves were all shriveled and plant never bounced back .Just died

 

[haver79]

Hmm Pam cooking spray? Wouldn't that leave an oily film on the water or do you take them out and spray?

 

[HTH]

A thyme and mint tea kills them and does not harm the fish.

 

[addy1]

A thyme and mint tea kills them and does not harm the fish.

what sort of mix? a handful of each plants leaves? boiled? I have both plants around