This article has to be one of the best ever on aphids. It’s incredibly comprehensive. I have a ton of ants and although I see aphids sometimes on the apple trees or garden, they usually aren’t in the numbers that would make an impact. This maybe because of the colder temperatures in NH.

I’ve taken a little different approach to controling aphids and other insect pests. Instead of removing weeds, I encourage weeds to grow in strips near the garden and apple trees. I sometimes see massive amounts of aphids on milkweed, for example. These outbreaks are sometimes followed by large numbers of preditors, but it’s not in time to save the weed.

Tee — Do you think this approach is helping or hurting my garden? It would seem that a more balanced approach would be best, but this may be naive.

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your comment! Aphids are some tricky critters to deal with. It’s amazing how the ants work to protect the aphids!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tee

Wow..great post. Very comprehensive. I’ve had best luck using ‘sticky’ stuff at the bottom of the shrub to keep the ants off. the aphids don’t do as well once the ants are gone. thanks for the info.