Here in the Houston, TX area we have an invasion of "Giant Aphids" mostly on oak trees, but found mating and "nesting" on many other species....(been about 3 weeks now)....we brush/hose them off.......but there are hundreds of thousands..never saw anything like it in the 20 yrs we've been here!

Anyone know what to do about them, if anything?

-- Birdlady (A_Birdlady@hotmail.com), January 30, 2002

Answers

Ladybugs, lacewings and praying manitis ...

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), January 30, 2002.

I'll send you my ladybugs!!! :)

-- Sue (sulandherb@aol.com), January 30, 2002.

You could spray them with a light horticultural oil like Sunspray to smother them. That works better than soap sprays in my greenhouse. Just don't spray on a really hot day.

-- Cnoll (CBirder@aol.com), January 31, 2002.

They're usually not harmful to the trees if the trees are healthy - just a nuisance. I tried insecticidal soap without much success and resorted to just hosing them off the tree with plain water, since they're supposedly poor climbers. Hosing twice a day for 2 days seems to have knocked about 90% of them off and they don't seem to be getting back on. Of course, now the ground is crawling with the critters, but at least they're not dropping into my hair everytime I walk out the door. This front coming through in a couple hours may do the job for you.

-- Steve - TX (steve.beckman@compaq.com), January 31, 2002.

Aphids are carried to the plants by ants.
The ants raise the aphids for the sweet
excretion from their undersides. I successfully
stopped the ants from climbing my broccoli
stalks by painting the stalks in the Spring
with my "pesticide" solution. I kept painting
the base of the stalks when they dried out.
The ants would not cross this liquid barrier.

Spider's Aphid Cure:

• Tobacco
• Cayenne
• Garlic
• Oil

-- spider (spider@web.com), January 31, 2002.

I'd hate to meet up with the ants that could carry these aphids. "Giant" is a bit of an understatement as these are a bit over 1/4 inch long. I briefly considered ladybugs, but wondered if they would be willing to attack aphids that are bigger than they are.

-- Steve - TX (steve.beckman@compaq.com), January 31, 2002.

Hey I've got 1000's of the ladybug/taterbug variant here in Nc. They bite. I'll be glad to send you a few 1000. :o)

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), January 31, 2002.