Aphids: Get rid of yellow lice with these natural plant-saving tricks and remedies

The most effective natural tricks and remedies to combat linden aphids, the yellow lice that mainly attack ornamental plants, such as the splendid dipladenia

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Lice are yellow aphids which feed on the sap of plants causing an inexorable deterioration. Infestations can be prevented or treated with natural remedies, insecticides extracted from plants or through biological control.

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What are yellow lice and what they cause in plants

Aphids: Get rid of yellow lice with these natural plant-saving tricks and remedies

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Lice are yellow aphids, also called small plant pests linden aphids, as they tend to attack these trees often.

These are insects from one to three millimeters large characterized by an intense yellow color that differentiates them from other aphids and by the presence of black dots on the sides of the back. Like all aphids, even the yellow ones they attack plants grown indoors or outdoors, gathering in numerous colonies under the leaves and on the stems, especially young ones.

It is not uncommon for our plants, especially the dipladenia, are affected by yellow lice especially in periods when temperatures are between 18 and 26 degrees and when the climate is dry. However, they are parasites capable of adapting to different environmental conditions and therefore can attack plants throughout the period from spring to autumn.

Thanks to their buccal apparatus, the aphids pierce the tissues of the plant and of it they suck the sap, weakening the plant and exposing it to greater risk of developing diseases. As they suck the sap, the yellow lice produce a sugary solution, honeydew, which attracts ants and creates the ideal conditions for the growth of the moth. In a short time the leaves curl and wither, the plant grows slowly and with difficulty, until it perishes.

Eradicating yellow lice can be a very difficult task, especially when there are numerous colonies. For this reason, the health of our houseplants or plants grown on the balcony, terrace or garden must be checked frequently. In this way it will be possible to intervene in a timely manner even with natural remedies and save the plant.

Natural remedies for yellow lice

By checking the plants periodically, you will immediately notice if they have been attacked by yellow lice. An indicator may be the presence of numerous ants on the stems.

When theinfestation with yellow lice is contained it is possible to remove insects manually by cleaning the leaves one by one with water. Alternatively, the affected parts of the plant can be pruned. To prevent further attacks or to eliminate the yellow lice that have escaped cleaning, we proceed by spraying the leaves with natural macerates based on nettle, tobacco, garlic and cloves.

Another natural remedy for yellow lice is theneem oil, a vegetable oil with an insecticidal action that can be vaporized in the areas of the infestation to fight parasites and prevent relapses.

Against yellow lice, solutions prepared with Marseille soap and water are also used, dissolving the soap flakes in warm water. If the infestation is now advanced, the pyrethro, a natural but effective insecticide, obtained from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium flowers, treating the plants in the evening and away from the flowering period to avoid hitting bees, bumblebees and other pollinating insects.

Biological fight against yellow lice

Infestations by yellow aphids are increasingly frequent also due to the lack of natural predators. To get rid of these parasites it may be useful to insert species capable of preying on aphids such as the well-known ladybird or Chrysoperla carnea, predator of lice in the larval stage. Through biological control it is possible to contain the infestation without running the risk of damaging the plant and avoiding the introduction of potentially harmful substances into the environment.

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