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  • #1

    Greenfly on apple tree

    An infestation on all the young growth - see attached picture.

    I've been trying to get them off by squashing them with my fingers, but now have stained green hands, not to mention ant bites.

    And most of the greenfly are still on there because I can't get to them all without damaging the tree.

    Do they need to be removed? If so, what's the best method?

    There is no fruit because it's a young tree.

    Thanks
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  • #2
    Have you got a hose? Spray them off with a blast of water.


    I prefer to hang fat balls from the fruit trees, to attract greenfly's natural predators (sparrows and blue tits).
    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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    • #3
      You definitely need to remove them. Particularly with young trees they stunt the growth of shoots which should go on to become the framework of the tree. If blasting them off as suggested by Two Sheds doesn't work, you can try a hand-sprayer of water mixed with a tiny (and I mean tiny) proportion of washing up liquid. The soap stops them breathing and kills them. However if sprayed on leaves it can also block the pores on the leaf.

      Ladybirds and their larvae are supposed to be very good at controlling aphids, but in my experience they only arrive long after the damage has been done. The best thing is to be vigilant, watch for the tell-tale signs of leaves curling and/or ant activity, and remove the first few aphids before they get established.

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      • #4
        Have you got a hose?

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        • #5
          Thanks guys. I recently bought a hose tap with multiple types of spray. I used a really powerful one and got rid of most of them. I'm going to keep checking and spraying every day to make sure it doesn't get infested again. Hopefully there's enough growing season left to replace any damaged shoots.

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          • #6
            That's a good point about the ants. Come to think of it there were ants up there a few weeks ago and I wondered why - so that must have been the warning.

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            • #7
              Hi, BTS.

              I wouldn't worry too much about aphid damage if that's your TLO111.

              The vigorous varieties and rootstocks will stop for a few weeks, build up energy inside like a capacitor, then realease a huge burst of growth from lots of different parts of the plant.
              In other words: if they don't have resistance, they simply outgrow the problem instead.

              Here's a re-posted pic of a M25 which was severely damaged by an aphid attack early in the season. The picture shows the explosive burst of new shoots all over the place as the plant is mounting a fightback.


              .

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              • #8
                Originally posted by FB. View Post
                Hi, BTS.

                I wouldn't worry too much about aphid damage if that's your TLO111.

                The vigorous varieties and rootstocks will stop for a few weeks, build up energy inside like a capacitor, then realease a huge burst of growth from lots of different parts of the plant.
                In other words: if they don't have resistance, they simply outgrow the problem instead.

                Here's a re-posted pic of a M25 which was severely damaged by an aphid attack early in the season. The picture shows the explosive burst of new shoots all over the place as the plant is mounting a fightback.
                Yes, that's the one - I've sprayed nearly all of them off now, so let's hope it shakes the attack off.

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                • #9
                  I let the ladybugs do the work. I even plant trees that are aphid magnets (Elderberry, Moch orange tree). This assures a constant supply of aphids, so a constant presence of ladybugs

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by sugar View Post
                    I let the ladybugs do the work. I even plant trees that are aphid magnets (Elderberry, Moch orange tree). This assures a constant supply of aphids, so a constant presence of ladybugs
                    I don't think I've seen a ladybird this year. And we do have an elderberry nearby as well. And a pond. Maybe it's the unusually cold and wet conditions.

                    Of course, even if we garden 'organically' there's no way of knowing what the neighbours are doing when we aren't looking.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by orangepippin View Post
                      The best thing is to be vigilant, watch for the tell-tale signs of leaves curling and/or ant activity, and remove the first few aphids before they get established.
                      No sign of any greenfly on there any more, but still lots of ants. Is it too much to hope for that they might be eating the greenfly eggs?

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by BeatTheSeasons View Post
                        No sign of any greenfly on there any more, but still lots of ants. Is it too much to hope for that they might be eating the greenfly eggs?
                        It is common for ants to carry aphids from one plant to another, in order to establish new aphid colonies from which the ants can harvest the excretions.

                        Ants will also vigorously defend their aphids against predators - I've seen ants mount massed attacks against predators or their larvae - biting them and trying to drag them off.
                        Eventually, a severely-ant-mobbed predator will give up and drop to the ground.

                        The best aphid predators seem to be hoverfly larvae, which manage to live among the aphid colonies without attracting the attention of the "guard" ants. Hoverfly larvae look like tiny yellow-orange maggots in among the aphids.

                        The best woolly aphid predators are parasitic wasps which look like tiny gnats. These parasitic wasps use what we'd describe as a "sting" to stab (sting?) an egg into the aphid - with the eg developing inside the woolly aphid and later bursting out like the "Alien" film.
                        .

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                        • #13
                          It all sounds a bit nasty!
                          Ali

                          My blog: feral007.com/countrylife/

                          Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!

                          One bit of old folklore wisdom says to plant tomatoes when the soil is warm enough to sit on with bare buttocks. In surburban areas, use the back of your wrist. Jackie French

                          Member of the Eastern Branch of the Darn Under Nutter's Club

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                          • #14
                            I've had a similar issue to this with my RedLove Apple tree. Would anyone be able to recommend some plants which would either:
                            Attract aphids, and in turn attract predators
                            Or
                            Attract predators of aphids, and hope they find the aphids in the tree.

                            Luckily I sprayed them off with a hose before they got too established, although, as they say, prevention is better than cure.
                            Garden Chris

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