Lice on currants: getting rid of aphids naturally

the Currants are among the plant species that are most often tapped by lice in the garden. The lice like to nest in large colonies on the berry bushes and can seriously damage them. For this reason, it is important to protect the plants from the lice and to fight them as effectively as possible. Suitable home remedies and methods are required at this point, as chemical pesticides should not be used on currants.

Occurring species

The currants are specifically black currants (Ribes nigrum) and red currants (Ribes rubrum), which aphids are particularly likely to target. The reason lies in the sap-rich wood that the insects provides sufficient nutrition. Because of this, it can be assumed that a large number of aphid species infest the bushes, which makes it difficult to control them. The individual damage patterns of the most important species differ so much from one another that you know exactly which one you are dealing with:

1. Red currant aphid (Cryptomyzus ribis)

• Bubbles appear on the leaf
• are reminiscent of bulges
• red colored in red currants
• yellow colored in black currants

2. Small currant aphid (Aphis schneideri)

• rippling shoot tips
• curling leaves

3. Great currant aphid (Nasonovia ribis-nigri)

• rippling shoot tips
• Lice clearly visible
• up to 4 mm in size

4. Greenish goose thistle (Hyperomyzus lactucae)

• bright leaf veins
• Leaves deformed

A great benefit of all of these types is the ability to control them with the same home remedies. Typically, the lice already nest above the eggs in autumn. They hatch with the first shoot in spring and get to work straight away. This is very hard on the currant. For this reason, you need to act as soon as possible in the event of an infestation.

Getting rid of lice on currants

Aphids are one of the classic pests of currants. It is therefore not surprising that there are numerous home remedies and methods that you can use to get rid of the insects. With all of these it is important to apply them quickly and not to wait too long. Lice of the Aphidoidea family can multiply extremely quickly within a short period of time. In addition to the classic collection or crushing of the aphids, you will find 5 other methods and home remedies with which you can fight the lice.

Tip: An aphid infestation on currants is difficult to treat in many cases and for this reason it is advisable to prevent the insects. A good location, spraying of shoots in spring and regular pruning are important for this to maintain the health of the shrubs and the use of beneficial insects such as lacewings and Ladybirds.

Water jet

The water jet is ideal for doing something against the lice. Aphids are washed off the leaves and shoots by the water jet and die on the ground because they can no longer reach the plant on their own. To do this, aim a “sharp” stream from the water hose directly at the insects until they have all been removed. Depending on the intensity of the infestation, you may have to repeat this process more often. Do not use a pressure washer as it could damage the plant.

Remove the shoot tips

Since it is mainly the shoot tips of the various types of currants that suffer from the lice, it is advisable to remove them. Because of the aphids, these continue to die and can no longer form buds, which in turn means that fruit no longer forms on these shoots. For this very reason, you should remove the infected shoot tips together with the lice. It is best to use scissors that are sharp and clean. When cutting, be careful not to damage the berry bushes and only cut off as much as necessary. Use this method as precisely as possible.

Note: When the shoot tips are cut, the lice do not fall off and must therefore be disposed of together with the shoot tips. Since the aphids are strongly attached to the parts of the plant, they do not fall down when they are cut, which protects the rest of the plant.

Rapeseed oil

Canola oil is part of numerous means that you can use to get rid of aphidoidea. The great advantage of rapeseed oil is the fine oil film that is placed on the plant through the use of appropriate preparations. The oil prevents the insects from getting oxygen, causing them to slowly but surely perish. The effectiveness of rapeseed oil is very high and if you use it correctly you can kill a wide variety of aphids with ease. It is important that you make a spray with the oil and use it at the right time. Two dates are recommended:

• shortly before new budding
• in the event of an infestation

If you inject the rapeseed oil before sprouting, the young aphids will die within a short time after hatching. So it serves both prevention and control of the lice. The mixture works as follows:

• Mixing ratio: 70% water, 30% rapeseed oil
• fill in spray bottle
• mix well
• spray on affected areas
• repeat regularly

Soapy solution

Another spray for combating lice on currants is a mixture of water and core or soft soap. This has a similar effect to rapeseed oil, but focuses more on killing the insects directly. The soap does not contain any harmful additives and therefore does not have a negative effect on your currant. The mixing ratio of the solution is 20 to 30 grams of the soap to one liter of water. Warm water is used for mixing. After the spray agent has been filled into the bottle, it only has to cool down before it can be used. It is simply sprayed directly onto the aphids. Here it is also important to spray more often if more specimens appear.

Extracts

Last but not least, you can rely on strengthening extracts that also contain substances that can kill the lice. Compared to liquid manure, extracts are boiled down like a brew for 30 minutes or soaked over a period of 12 to 24 hours. You have various plants available from which you can make the pesticides:

• Nettle stock: Soak 100 g in 1 l
• Tansy stock: soak 30 g per 1 liter
• Garlic stock: reduce 50 g to 1 l

Then strain off the plant substances and can then use the sprays immediately. With the garlic stock you still have to wait until it has cooled down.