# Aphids. Solutions?



## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

I tried drowning them. I submerged the plants for about a day... I don't believe it worked. The aphids are moving.
The plants are all torn up now but I know they could bounce back because they were doing so well before the aphids showed up. 

I searched for hours and couldn't find a single thing to tell me how long to "drown" them for. Honestly I don't think they _can _be drowned because they're hanging on to floating plants that have like a hydrophobic surface and seem to hold air all over the leaves even when submerged?

I'm begging for help... All of the posts I can find here end in "I think I will..." or at least I haven't found one that said "what worked for me was..."

I keep a betta and three types of snails in the bowl I had these in, I don't think poison is an option here.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

The only mention of aphids in @dwalstad 's book is in the allelopathy chapter. Would it make sense to now try to introduce the plants that create allelochemicals to ward off the aphids?

_potamogeton_?


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

I see from your profile that you are located in Panama. Can you just place the bowls outdoors long enough for ladybugs to eat the aphids?


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

johnwesley0 said:


> I see from your profile that you are located in Panama. Can you just place the bowls outdoors long enough for ladybugs to eat the aphids?


The LFS lady told me to leave them out in the morning sun but I think she meant that the heat will kill them... I currently live in the middle of the city on a fifth floor so I don't think any ladybugs will make it up here... but perhaps I could take them somewhere where that might happen...? But has this method actually worked for anyone?


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

It's too bad you don't have a terrace. I've seen ladybugs as high as a sixth floor window in a small-sized North American city. My experience is that insects can't be kept from their favorite food for very long.


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

You may be able to purchase live ladybugs. You could try and rig up a net or screen of some kind over your tank to keep them from flying away. If you're successful in getting rid of the aphids then you could release the ladybugs. Just a thought... 😊


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You're going to have to get your hands dirty (literally) with this one. When you see them, squish them with your fingers.
You can also try spraying with water and a little pure castile soap (no dye, no perfume) like Dr. Bronner's soap. Do this in your tub of course, not in your aquarium. The soap might eat away their exoskeleton.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> You can also try spraying with water and a little pure castile soap (no dye, no perfume) like Dr. Bronner's soap. Do this in your tub of course, not in your aquarium. The soap might eat away their exoskeleton.


I’ve read plenty of soap-related recommendations in gardening forums, which is what Google keeps yielding, my question is how do I de-soap them to get them back in my aquarium?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

gabi.loraine said:


> my question is how do I de-soap them to get them back in my aquarium?


A rinse in clean water is all that's needed.


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## jatcar95 (Oct 30, 2019)

Would it be possible to freeze the infested plants briefly to kill the aphids? I'm sure this would harm the plants too, but maybe you could experiment and see if there's an amount of time that kills the aphids without killing the plants (since floaters grow pretty prolifically I'm assuming you have enough to sacrifice some - but maybe this isn't the case).


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

jatcar95 said:


> Would it be possible to freeze the infested plants briefly to kill the aphids? I'm sure this would harm the plants too, but maybe you could experiment and see if there's an amount of time that kills the aphids without killing the plants (since floaters grow pretty prolifically I'm assuming you have enough to sacrifice some - but maybe this isn't the case).


Interesting. I wonder what the others think of this idea?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

hmmm, these are tropical plants. They might not survive the quick freeze. If you have access to CO2, might work to suffocate the bugs in a closed container.
Some of us aquatic plant people have a CO2 tank sitting around


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

@mistergreen 
oooooh I do not! but I have these!!!










disclaimer: I have not used these in my Walstad bowl, I have them from a previous attempt at aquarium keeping


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> You're going to have to get your hands dirty (literally) with this one. When you see them, squish them with your fingers.


I just took a minute to sit down with the plants bc I wanted to at least leave some in the bowl while I manage this pest and try different things, so I was trying to manually pick them off of the water lettuce, and boy... they are SO TINY... I was thinking of this comment... are you guys dealing with larger ones? These are SO SMALL I don't think I even CAN squish them with my fingers???

ETA I was picking them off and putting them on my knee as I went and then I took a magnifying glass to my knee and like... I had to REALLY look to see if they were moving (they were) ... they are very very very small


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You might need to use tweezers. There are many different species of aphids.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> If you have access to CO2, might work to suffocate the bugs in a closed container.
> Some of us aquatic plant people have a CO2 tank sitting around


Did you see my response about CO2?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

That's not CO2 but a liquid carbon chemical. You can make CO2 actually, 1/2 cup of baking soda and vinegar. The reaction will produce CO2.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

Ok I bought the dr. Bronners soap 😂😂😂 should I spray it and leave it a while or rinse them off right away?


Just for anyone reading this in the future: I’ve tried leaving the plants out in the sun for like 6hrs per the LFS lady’s recommendation (she said 3-4) but that didn’t work, they’re still kicking.
ETA: also exactly 0 bugs showed up. I don’t have a balcony but I do have a ledge where I was able to put the bucket all morning…
I could just leave them out there indefinitely I suppose, but I feel pressed to put them back in the bowl because algaeeee 😫


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

OK, try this. Put the floaters in a kitchen colander. Spray them with a dilute solution of dish detergent (or Dr. Bronner's) and let them sit for an hour. Rinse thoroughly with water and return them to the bowl. You may need to repeat.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

Ok... that seems to have worked. The Bronner's soap. For "unscented" it sure smells delicious.
I'm still finding them and squishing them, but most (like 2/3) seem to be dead. In any case I can barely see any of them anymore so if I'm able to just be vigilant and kill them whenever I spot one, I think I can keep it under control... The plants have been triple-rinsed and they're back in the bowl. They look like they've taken a beating. The betta is under them all of the time and seems to be eating something from there... yikes.
I'll be back to update this thread just so it doesn't end like all of the ones I searched through where nobody said what actually worked for them in the end...


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## 11thEarlOfMars (May 15, 2021)

Would putting the plants in a bottle or big ziploc bag of plain carbonated water (seltzer water), squeezing out all the air, and letting it sit awhile to asphyxiate the aphids be too harsh for the plants? I suppose the plants may convert the CO2 to O2 unless you kept them in the dark. Hmmm... might be worth an experiment.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

11thEarlOfMars said:


> Would putting the plants in a bottle or big ziploc bag of plain carbonated water (seltzer water), squeezing out all the air, and letting it sit awhile to asphyxiate the aphids be too harsh for the plants? I suppose the plants may convert the CO2 to O2 unless you kept them in the dark. Hmmm... might be worth an experiment.


it's interesting 🤷‍♀️ someone else might try that one and let us know haha... I'm not going to be doing more experiments for the meantime...


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Dr. Bronner's is a great soap. It's a very good degreaser. You can use dish soap if you don't have Dr. Bronner's but your plant will smell like dish soap for a very long time.


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## zoe (Jan 16, 2020)

I spray 3% peroxide on my aquarium plants to kill cladophora algae, let sit for 3-5 min and rinse. Should work for aphids, also, check your houseplants and make sure you get rid of aphids on those also so you don't get a reinfestation. The soap trick works for houseplants, don't think I would try peroxide on them.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

Just wanted to update that I have not been able to bring my plants back to life. It really does feel like the aphids are vampires because I can’t find them anywhere and still my plants are dying leaf by leaf…

I’ve completely lost the water lettuce and keep cutting off any little salvinia sprouts in hopes they will continue to regenerate, but I’m not having much luck.

Thursday Feb 4



































Tuesday Feb 8









Basically everything floating is dead or dying except for the duckweed, that somehow seems to be reproducing at the same rate it’s dying. I didn’t start out with a lot so it doesn’t feel very promising.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

What was your soap concentration? Too much can hurt it.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> What was your soap concentration? Too much can hurt it.


You mean in the sense that it might have poisoned the plants? I feel like that was so long ago… wouldn’t that have killed the plants faster?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Yeah, you would see symptoms a few days later. The soap could degrade the waxy layer off the leaves leading to drying out.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> Yeah, you would see symptoms a few days later. The soap could degrade the waxy layer off the leaves leading to drying out.


that makes sense... let's see if the one new leaf on the water lettuce grows and the duckweed keeps recouping........


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Also, floating plants usually have a hard time in a dirt tank. A lot of the nutrients are used by rooted plants.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> Also, floating plants usually have a hard time in a dirt tank. A lot of the nutrients are used by rooted plants.


I mean … I believe you but they were really thriving before the aphids showed up…


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I'm not sure it's just the aphids or the treatment. I don't think aphids will kill a healthy floater. At least, they haven't killed mine. 

You may need to add chelated iron (FeEDTA) to the water. My floating plants often die out gradually in older tanks. The problem is that iron is insoluble in water (due to oxygenation) and plants need a lot of it. Rooted plants can get it from anaerobic areas in the soil, mulm or gravel. Adding chelated iron when I see yellowing of leaves solved the problem. 

I buy the powdered form of FeEDTA and add a small amount (100 mg dissolved in water) to a 10 gal tank. Many micronutrient fertilizers also contain chelated iron. 

I wish I had followed your thread sooner.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

dwalstad said:


> I'm not sure it's just the aphids or the treatment. I don't think aphids will kill a healthy floater. At least, they haven't killed mine.
> 
> You may need to add chelated iron (FeEDTA) to the water. My floating plants often die out gradually in older tanks. The problem is that iron is insoluble in water (due to oxygenation) and plants need a lot of it. Rooted plants can get it from anaerobic areas in the soil, mulm or gravel. Adding chelated iron when I see yellowing of leaves solved the problem.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your response! It wouldn’t have occurred to me that perhaps I killed the plants 😂 but that makes so more sense than anything else…
this is the original thread:








ew what are these


There are these white flecks on my floating plants. At first I didn't think anything of them and now of course they're everywhere. I've taken these magnified photos and I swear they look like they're... dead bugs...? They don't move... that I can tell. I tried shaking them onto the water and...




www.aquaticplantcentral.com





I had become convinced the plants were being killed by the aphids. I don’t see any of them anymore so hopefully the plants can continue to propagate… Do you think despite growing so many leaves so quickly (see photos above) I might have an iron deficiency? Also is the FeEDTA safe for my fish? I have a betta and a bunch of snails. And what I believe to be zooplankton.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I thought you said your plants were dying? FeEDTA or FeDPTA won't hurt anything at the dosage I recommended. New leaves should turn green. EDTA is totally non-toxic and degraded within a week or so into miscellaneous, harmless organics.
You may have other deficiencies from too much water changing, tank cleaning, not enough fish food added, etc, but iron deficiency is the main nutrient deficiency for floating plants. Some floaters may be more adept at taking up iron.
You'll have to tinker with this.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Ah, yes. All those water changes to clear your green algae/ tannins would cause nutrient deficiencies.


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> Ah, yes. All those water changes to clear your green algae/ tannins would cause nutrient deficiencies.


I dunno. I keep trying to line this thread up with the other one on "siesta schedule - no lamp", and it seems the water didn't start to turn green until a month ago. That's not to say you're not on to something; the appearance of aphids on the floating plants clearly initiated a series of cascading events that could have coincided with gradual nutrient depletion in the glass bowl.

The important thing is that the floaters seem to be coming back - gradually.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

dwalstad said:


> I thought you said your plants were dying?


Yeah, no… and the more I look at the photos the more it becomes evident that they started to go south once I started “treating them” for aphids… I put them in direct morning sunlight for a couple of hours, then I submerged them for like a day, then I sprayed them with soap … now I’m laughing at how silly this sounds.
I thought the aphids were for sure killing my plants and I was saving them.



dwalstad said:


> FeEDTA or FeDPTA won't hurt anything at the dosage I recommended. New leaves should turn green. EDTA is totally non-toxic and degraded within a week or so into miscellaneous, harmless organics.


This is still really good to know and I will be watchful of my future floating plants and keep it in mind…



dwalstad said:


> You may have other deficiencies from too much water changing, tank cleaning, not enough fish food added, etc, but iron deficiency is the main nutrient deficiency for floating plants. Some floaters may be more adept at taking up iron.
> You'll have to tinker with this.


I have definitely kept the water changes down to a minimum per your advice of letting nutrients build up… I did also realize I couldn’t overfeed with fishfood intentionally though, because the betta got bloated… like I might have to find another way?



mistergreen said:


> Ah, yes. All those water changes to clear your green algae/ tannins would cause nutrient deficiencies.


I haven’t done as many water changes as you would think…….. I’ve been kind of living with my green water hoping the zooplankton I think I saw in there will help clear it up slowly...




johnwesley0 said:


> I dunno. I keep trying to line this thread up with the other one on "siesta schedule - no lamp", and it seems the water didn't start to turn green until a month ago. That's not to say you're not on to something; the appearance of aphids on the floating plants clearly initiated a series of cascading events that could have coincided with gradual nutrient depletion in the glass bowl.
> 
> The important thing is that the floaters seem to be coming back - gradually.


Thank youuuuuu, yes. Yes. Thank you. I read so many times (in DWalstad’s book) that the floating plants are major in keeping algae away. As soon as I started treating the plants for aphids, outside of the bowl, I knew, that I would get algae. But I was so convinced that the aphids were going to kill my plants anyway that I didn’t think I had a choice.

I’m going to keep giving what’s left of my floaters (almost nothing) a chance to recover but also get new ones so the tank isn’t essentially without floaters much longer, and see how efficient/fast they’re able to help with the algae situation…I’m optimistic.
As for the aphids... I'll be watching the plants like a hawk and try picking them out by hand to try to keep them under control 🤷‍♀️ ...I don't really see another solution.





Sorry for the super long response and thank you SO MUCH. I’m learning so much and I’m super happy.


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## jatcar95 (Oct 30, 2019)

gabi.loraine said:


> I did also realize I couldn’t overfeed with fishfood intentionally though, because the betta got bloated… like I might have to find another way?


I had this problem with my bettas too. I stopped overfeeding the betta pellets/flakes, and just fed the normal amount. Then I added some small pieces of sinking pellets (only have a 6.5 gallon) every day or so, the betta didn't touch them. As long as you have shrimp/snails to break down the sinking food, it will still contribute to the substrate.

I have a similar problem still today with my rasbora espei. They will absolutely gorge themselves on food if I let them, so I just add sinking food for the shrimp and they totally ignore it.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

jatcar95 said:


> I had this problem with my bettas too. I stopped overfeeding the betta pellets/flakes, and just fed the normal amount. Then I added some small pieces of sinking pellets (only have a 6.5 gallon) every day or so, the betta didn't touch them. As long as you have shrimp/snails to break down the sinking food, it will still contribute to the substrate.
> 
> I have a similar problem still today with my rasbora espei. They will absolutely gorge themselves on food if I let them, so I just add sinking food for the shrimp and they totally ignore it.


oooh, can you recommend a sinking food?


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## jatcar95 (Oct 30, 2019)

gabi.loraine said:


> oooh, can you recommend a sinking food?


Hmm, right now I'm using some local hippie shrimp food that I paid too much for and probably wouldn't buy again. But I know they also like API algae eater wafers...although one is MUCH too big for my tank, I usually break it into quarters or smaller. Anything by Hikari seems good quality, but I haven't actually tried their sinking foods. May do that next time.


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## FernKing (4 mo ago)

I have experience with plants and aphids can be tricky. If anyone is reading this after the fact and you have a similar problem with your emergent plants try these in a spray bottle:
1. Neem oil. I would be a little cautious with this one. Neem oil is an anti-fungal and anti-insect natural oil used in organic gardening. Neem oil, while “natural” is pretty powerful. I’m not sure what may happen to an aquarium. Maybe it would harmlessly decompose. Mix according to directions in a spray bottle and apply with a fine mist on the infested leaves.
2. Pure cedar oil. I would get pure essential cedar oil, not any kind of mixture. I had a serious moth infestation in my garage so I bought an essential oil mister and set it up next to a small fan. I “fumigated” my garage like this for a week. From my reading, cedar oil kills only insects and not other kinds of invertebrates. I like my house spiders in my garage and I didn’t want to kill them, only the moths and possibly some hiding roaches. The cedar oil was a complete success as it killed the moths completely and my spiders were left just fine. I would put several drops (20 or 30) of cedar oil in a spray bottle. Shake vigorously and continuously and spray a fine mist on the infested area.
3. The safest idea you can try is hydrogen peroxide! I’ve used peroxide to gently kill pest insects without harming leaves. I imagine a light mist at the top of the water won’t harm the rest of your aquarium and the solution would be quickly diluted by the rest of your tank. Use a spray bottle to apply the peroxide to the leaves. The peroxide should burn aphids and their eggs but not the leaves.

ADDITIONAL NOTE!
Aphids don’t usually come from nowhere. They were likely brought there by ants. Ants could be coming for the water in your aquarium and brought along the aphids to “farm”. Treat the ant problem too!


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

FernKing said:


> I have experience with plants and aphids can be tricky. If anyone is reading this after the fact and you have a similar problem with your emergent plants try these in a spray bottle:
> 1. Neem oil. I would be a little cautious with this one. Neem oil is an anti-fungal and anti-insect natural oil used in organic gardening. Neem oil, while “natural” is pretty powerful. I’m not sure what may happen to an aquarium. Maybe it would harmlessly decompose. Mix according to directions in a spray bottle and apply with a fine mist on the infested leaves.
> 2. Pure cedar oil. I would get pure essential cedar oil, not any kind of mixture. I had a serious moth infestation in my garage so I bought an essential oil mister and set it up next to a small fan. I “fumigated” my garage like this for a week. From my reading, cedar oil kills only insects and not other kinds of invertebrates. I like my house spiders in my garage and I didn’t want to kill them, only the moths and possibly some hiding roaches. The cedar oil was a complete success as it killed the moths completely and my spiders were left just fine. I would put several drops (20 or 30) of cedar oil in a spray bottle. Shake vigorously and continuously and spray a fine mist on the infested area.
> 3. The safest idea you can try is hydrogen peroxide! I’ve used peroxide to gently kill pest insects without harming leaves. I imagine a light mist at the top of the water won’t harm the rest of your aquarium and the solution would be quickly diluted by the rest of your tank. Use a spay bottle to apply the peroxide to the leaves. The peroxide should burn aphids and their eggs but not the leaves.
> ...



Welp... I solved the aphid problem by killing the plants and getting new ones... but you're probably right about the ants, as we do have an ant problem. I don't, however... have an aphid problem on any of my normal plants, I have other little pests, but not aphids... or at least, not the same _looking_ aphids... in any case... thanks for your thoughtful responses!


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## FernKing (4 mo ago)

gabi.loraine said:


> Welp... I solved the aphid problem by killing the plants and getting new ones... but you're probably right about the ants, as we do have an ant problem. I don't, however... have an aphid problem on any of my normal plants, I have other little pests, but not aphids... or at least, not the same _looking_ aphids... in any case... thanks for your thoughtful responses!


Ants can be selective about where they “farm” their aphids. Thankfully you can easily and harmlessly get rid of these particular ants with “terro“ liquid or something with the same active ingredients. These ants crave sugars and the terro has sugar syrup mixed with borax that kills the ants. They even take the poison home with them! Give that a try and treat any other pests. I just joined so sorry my advice was late, but now you have options for next time!


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

FernKing said:


> Ants can be selective about where they “farm” their aphids. Thankfully you can easily and harmlessly get rid of these particular ants with “terro“ liquid or something with the same active ingredients. These ants crave sugars and the terro has sugar syrup mixed with borax that kills the ants. They even take the poison home with them! Give that a try and treat any other pests. I just joined so sorry my advice was late, but now you have options for next time!


Oh I definitely use Terro on my ants and luckily they are under control at the moment, but they certainly like to come back full force... I sometimes wonder about the MILES OF ANT FARM they must have under my building... because they come in the thousands when they come.


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## FernKing (4 mo ago)

gabi.loraine said:


> Oh I definitely use Terro on my ants and luckily they are under control at the moment, but they certainly like to come back full force... I sometimes wonder about the MILES OF ANT FARM they must have under my building... because they come in the thousands when they come.


Water pushes ants into my house. Too much water or too little will have them coming into my house. It’s also seasonal. They invade my house in summer time. Every year in late spring I put down new bait traps to keep them out! It works. 
Ideally your whole building should be treating the ants 😭


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

FernKing said:


> Water pushes ants into my house. Too much water or too little will have them coming into my house. It’s also seasonal. They invade my house in summer time. Every year in late spring I put down new bait traps to keep them out! It works.
> Ideally your whole building should be treating the ants 😭


you're right, that makes a lot of sense about the water... we only have two seasons, rainy, and less rainy


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I find you can drown an ant‘s nest with vinegar and dish soap. It works well and Is safe. Good for drying out weeds on a sunny day too.
Another non poisonous option for aphids could be diatomaceous earth.


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## FernKing (4 mo ago)

This isn’t about aquatic plants, but I wanted to share my war with PESTS that have invaded my snake’s vivarium. A “vivarium” is a reptile (or other pet) enclosure that works much like a “Walstad” tank. It has plants and “helpful” bugs that break down pet waste and debris for the plants to use as fertilizer. It’s a natural approach to a pet tank and simulates their natural environment.
Well, fungus gnats came with a batch of isopods I bought to add to the tank. Isopods are cute arthropods that help clean the tank by eating waste. Fungus gnats are annoying, they eat plant roots (not fungus) and they escape the tank and fly into your face and your beverages. I want them DEAD DEAD DEAD!
I tried mosquito dunks. They didn’t work. Maybe it’s because they are a year old?
I tried beneficial nematodes. They didn’t work. Maybe they got too hot and died in shipment?
I am now fumigating the whole tank with 100% cedar oil! I got one of those essential oil diffusers that spray out a fine mist. The top of the tank is screen, so I put the diffuser under a large stock pot on the top and taped it up with plastic sheeting. This should not hurt my snake but she is safely in a temporary cage while I fumigate. I am fumigating for 90 minutes, then I am letting the vapor settle for an additional 30 minutes. I am hoping the cedar oil kills the fungus gnats over the next few days but doesn’t kill my isopods. We shall see.









Important note!: I am using ”100% Atlas cedar oil” which is a type of pine not cypress. Cypress related species of cedar (Western Cedar and Eastern White Cedar) contain neurotoxic chemicals that can harm animals and even pregnant women! Essential oils are “natural” but so is cyanide. Do your research and be cautious. If something can kill insects, it just might kill other things like fish and aquatic plants!!! 😱


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

@FernKing
You can try gnat traps. since they like to land on your drinks so much.








Homemade Gnat Traps That Actually Work


Gnats can prove particularly annoying once they get inside your house. Here’s how to get rid of gnats both indoors and out.




www.familyhandyman.com





Aren't the beneficial nematode expensive? I was looking at them to kill mites in my worm culture. Oh, I just looked it up, and the price is reasonable. When I researched like a year ago, it was like $400.

The insect has to eat the mosquito dunk in its larval state to work, I think.


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## FernKing (4 mo ago)

mistergreen said:


> @FernKing
> You can try gnat traps. since they like to land on your drinks so much.
> 
> 
> ...


The mosquito dunks just didn’t work in this case. I ground it up, put it in a squeeze bottle and soaked the soil with the solution. Two weeks later, still had fungus gnats. I think the nematodes were just fried from travel. I think I’ll order them again in early November when it cools down. They packed them with an ice pack and I remember the ice pack being very warm when it was delivered. I applied the nematodes according to directions as soon as I got them. A week later, no results. Something SHOULD have happened. I think they were all dead.
Even this cedar oil treatment I tried isn’t instant. I’m just trying everything but starting over. These stupid gnats came with a bad batch of isopods from a company with rampant gnat contamination. Ugh.


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