How to get rid of aphids in a natural and effective way?

[Esther Knapicius]

Oh yes lady bugs do a wonderful job if you have them around and you are growing outside. If i find lady bug(s) on a plant i will not bother to spray at all. I just leave the aphids to the lady bugs, they are very thorough.

you can order them in.

 

[Beverly]

Not in Mexico @Esther Knapicius but we do have a variety of species. Also the problem with ordering them is that if they don't have enough to eat they will fly away.

 

[roadrunner]

In my garden I've noticed that I don't have a problem with aphids throughout my garden, rather they seem to just colonize on a few plants and leave the rest alone, so I just let them do what they do on those few plants and they seem to stay.

I have tons of insects, including ladybugs, but still I have tons of aphids on a few plants, so I'm not sure if they are keeping the aphids off the other plants or just eating other things and the aphids colonize on just a few plants...It's a mystery. Bottom line, I just let nature take its course....



EDIT: Just yesterday I was watching a little brown/gold-colored bird eating tons of insects off the leaves of my lemon tree. I'm not sure what type of insect, but they were small, since the bird was only six feet from me. I do wonder if they eat aphids and keep them under control.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

roadrunner , your aphids are so understanding, here in my place they develop taste for the plants that I value more.

example: I have only one 10 feet old amla tree,(Phyllanthus emblica) they just suck it dry, covering the whole plant like carpet, can't even spray it, leaves are too delicate to handle even mist mode of water spray.

 

[Zroota]

Aphids have stopped my Canary creeper (Senecio tamoides) from flowering. Sucks so much cos they're supposed to flower at this time of the year - late autumn/winter. Even the leaves have curled. I used dishwashing soap with canola oil and garlic in a spray bottle (as I was told) and I'll see what happens. I am so frustrated that this happened now as I was anticipating them to flower by winter all this summer.