Photo courtesy of Off beat Mum at Flickr.com.
If aphids keep coming back to your fruit trees despite your attempts to spray them off or drive them away with strong-smelling citrus, it’s time to get more creative — and a little more aggressive. Insecticidal soap will kill them, of course; but if you’re looking for a less poisonous option, try this effective two-step treatment. First, plant pollen and nectar producers like sweet alyssum and yarrow near the affected trees in order to draw in their predators. Then wrap double-sided sticky tape around the trunks of your fruit trees to control the ants that herd and guard the aphids; they’ll stick tight and won’t be able to get there in time when a parasitic wasp or ladybug comes calling.
Photo courtesy of tonyolm at Flickr.com.
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