Aphids....ugh. What kind are they?

dubble Js

Member
Hey guys, Can you help me identify these little bastards? Are these root aphids?

I'm an idiot and brought a couple plants in from a guy i worked with, I sprayed em with insecticidal soap but there must have been a couple aphids in the soil. I noticed an aphid on a sticky trap the next day and yanked the plants out.Too late now though, my room is infested! Faaaack.

I ordered Aphidoletes, and they were all dead on arrival.
Now she said she'd send me some Chrysopa.

These aphids are absolutely everywhere all of a sudden, on the floor, grow trays, in the coco, on the plants and walls. Ugghh.
I shop vac'd em all up last night and today, but they reappear in minutes.

I would love to get some ladybugs but cant find any for sale this time of the year.

Any advice?

Thanks.
 

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dubble Js

Member
Anyone recognize the type of aphid? Or have suggestions on what else I can use to kill em??

Trying to get my hands on Botanigard for soil drench but they wont sell to a home grower...
 

simpleleaf

Well-Known Member
I thought you were asking about what type of insect. I wrote a post yesterday, then after rereading your post, decided you only wanted info about the insect.

They look similar to aphids, but I'm not an expert, nor have I had aphids on cannabis. They seem kind of rectangular instead of round.

On outdoor roses, aphids congregate on a growing tip and buds, which is different from your pictures. I used to have good luck reducing their numbers, but not eliminating them entirely, by avoiding synthetic fertilizers and only using cow's manure for fertilizer (not my choice for cannabis). It wouldn't reduce their numbers unless the synthetic fertilizer had all been absorbed or washed away with rain (it took one year in the ground in our semi-arid environment) to realize a reduction in numbers, during which time I could not use any synthetic fertilizers. I figured it was due to them loving the flavor of the plant's juices when fertilized with pure fertilizers, and the manure would introduce impurities or perhaps bad flavors which they didn't favor. Insecticidal soap would eliminate them for a day or two, but they'd always come back.

Wikihow (link) has some suggestions. Companion planting and the use of essential oils, like cinnamon or peppermint. Neem is mentioned, and so is wheat flour, although it might stick to buds and I don't know if it could be removed due to gluten. Another article, now lost, suggested eucalyptus oil.

You might consider hydrogen peroxide. You can do a soil drench with that as well. I've used it in soil at about 1% concentration, it foams up a little and floats some of the mix, but it didn't seem harmful to the plant. I don't know what it might do in coco.

Maybe someone else has experience with aphids on cannabis.

I was just reading this post (link), mentions an organism in relation to controlling aphids.
 
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dubble Js

Member
Thanks for the reply simpleleaf. It looks like I have put a huge dent in the little bastards, whom I beleive are root aphids.
I used Botaniguard ES, insecticide. Soil drench and foliar spray @ 10ml/gallon on wednesday and another soil drench on saturday. Didnt see a single small or adult aphid in there today!!

I also got some biologicals from BioBest. Hypoaspis miles in the soil to battle fungus gnat larvae....maybe helps with small aphids too..?
Also added Aphidoletes from Biobest. Small black flies that lay their eggs in aphid colonies, when they hatch the larvae start eating up to 5 or more aphids a day. Between all of that I am seeing a massive reduction in my aphid infestation!! 4 weeks tomorrow into flower. Here's hoping I can do one more Botaniguard application this week to the soil (and maybe one more spray) then just let the predatory bugs keep things in check 'til flower.
 
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