# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DXPFF0FlaFY
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/64150225-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/eb4c9e13fa.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-04-17T14:10:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

*GARDEN TIP OF THE WEEK*⁠
Aphid Patrol⁠
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Longer and warmer days in spring bring on quick plant growth—and the arrival of aphids. ⁠
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Tender new leaves and stems are full of sap, which they suck up with their strawlike mouthparts. While dining on your plants, aphids can spread viruses and leave behind a sticky excretion called honeydew that attracts other undesirable organisms, such as sooty mold. ⁠
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Here are some tips for managing aphids in your garden:⁠
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⁠>>Give Nature a Helping Hand⁠
Keep in mind that the mere presence of aphids is not necessarily a cause for concern. These pests are the primary food source for a variety of insects, so making your garden hospitable to them will help in naturally checking aphid populations. These predator insects include: ⁠
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• Ladybugs ⁠
• Syrphid flies⁠
• Aphidiid wasps ⁠
• Lacewings⁠
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Including a diversity of plants that support all life stages of these insects and avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides will help keep aphids from becoming a problem in the first place.⁠
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>>Other Measures⁠
• Knock them off with a strong spray of water from a hose. Because they have delicate bodies, this may be all you need to keep them from returning to your plants.⁠
• If you must spray, only use an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.⁠
• Limit watering and fertilizing if possible to prevent soft, succulent growth that attracts aphids.⁠
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Did You Know…⁠
Some aphid species can cycle through a generation in as little as 8 days. A few aphids can become thousands over a growing season.⁠
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For more information, read “Controlling Aphids” in the May/June 2013 issue of The American Gardener, available in the magazine archive at ahsgardening.org.⁠
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Photo⁠
Rose aphid colony being preyed on by convergent lady beetle adult by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org⁠
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#gardens

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