Melon aphids rule?

Melon aphids (Aphis gossypii) are major pests of lots of different plants throughout the world. I first had them on my cucumber plants a couple of months ago, and now they have moved onto my zucchini plants.

What did I do? Spray the aphids with insecticide? Pull the plants out?

Check the video to find out!

What would you have done? Please let me know in the comments.

6 Replies to “Melon aphids rule?”

  1. Thanks again Denis. Always so interesting and we can see the pests in a different light – the food source for other creatures.!

  2. One day last autumn, I decided to cut back some chives that were growing a little overenthusiastically. I composted all the bits I’d cut off and admired the result.
    The following morning, I was in the garden again, only to find my remaining chives had ‘turned black’ overnight. They were covered by what appeared to be a moist, black substance that looked awful. I tried to wash it off with a blast of the hose, with limited success.
    I had no idea what had caused it, but didn’t want it to spread further, so I cut the remaining plants down to the ground, hoping they would regrow. Fortunately, there are now some new, healthy shoots appearing.
    However, I feel pretty silly, as I suspect that the black ‘powder’ was indeed, these aphids, and my horror was unwarranted. Ooops.

    • Hi Meron.
      Almost certainly aphids but not the ones in the video – melon aphids (Aphis gossypii). They are most likely onion aphids (Neotoxoptera formosana). Onion aphids are specific to allium crops and will not infest other plants.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Cheers
      Denis