this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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Gardening

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Seek wasn’t cooperating with an ID.

What’s the best way to deal with them?

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[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, get some ladybugs and let them out near the affected plants. They'll eat them pretty quickly.

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I think the larvae eat more aphids than a full grown ladybug.

Hopefully this is not indoors or your might only have the option of insecticide / oil soap which in my experience didn't work well.

The next time I get aphids in my greenhouse, I'm pulling the infected plants out entirely and either transplanting, harvesting early, or composting.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe its cause I have an open garden and not a green house. But I just buy one of those ladybug containers and let them lose. It seems to get the job done every time. Though it could be a combined effort as there are a lot of bugs in my garden that eat other bugs.

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I just buy one of those ladybug containers

I’ve never seen this before; with the hardware store garden center have them or do I need to go to an actual nursery?

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 1 points 3 weeks ago

I go to a nursery but you can order them online if you have to.

[–] Cris_Citrus@piefed.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Does diatomaceous earth not work well for aphids?

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It didn't work well for me.

[–] Cris_Citrus@piefed.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago

Interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind and do some research if I ever have aphid issues, I'm newer to plants and thats about all I have for managing pests right now

Thanks for your thoughts ☺️

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I’ve never used it so I’m not an expert, but doesn’t diatomaceous earth have to be fairly dry to be effective? Maybe I over water my garden but I think that might be an issue for me.

[–] Cris_Citrus@piefed.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah thats fair, I use it for plants in containers and I usually put it around the outside walls of the pot and sometimes on the leaves

I live in an apartment so its all potted plants for me

[–] yo_scottie_oh@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Are these indoors or outdoors?

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

They’re outdoors

[–] K9life@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Gently (as to not harm the plant)Hose them off

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Yep. Get ladybugs or make some insecticide soap.

[–] 37piecesof_flare@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Neem oil is a great natural way to get rid of them.

Put about a tablespoon or so of Neem oil into a spray bottle with slightly warm water (maybe 8-10oz) and a couple drops of dish soap. Shake it up and soak them.

Only thing I'd caution against with this is spraying your produce or herbs, because the Neem does have a scent that could throw off the flavor of things. Looks like a lily of sorts here so you'd be fine

[–] dkppunk@piefed.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

My lettuce box was infested with a bunch of aphids. I sprayed them with a mix of mildly soapy water, which killed most of them. Some survived, but the lettuce is for my rabbits, so it’s all going to get eaten soon anyway.

For my bunny greens, I use the mild soapy water method because I don’t want to make my kids sick with other stuff. For other plants that are not for my buns, I use a sprayer with neem oil, which also works on the powdery mildew that gets kind of crazy in my garden.