Aphids
Risk near you, next 48h
See whether your local forecast favours this disease right now.
When it strikes
Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Pick off the worst material, apply the organic option below, and look again after five to seven days. If the spread continued, escalate rather than repeating the same treatment.
Carried by insects
An insect moves it plant to plant, so controlling the carrier matters as much as treating the symptom. Check for the vector before assuming the plants infected each other directly.
Safe to compost
No pathogen carries over on this material, so it can go on an ordinary heap with the rest of the garden waste.
When and where to look
Scout the planting while temperatures hold between 16°C and 28°C.
Rule these out first
Same category, and at least one host crop in common — so they are genuinely confusable in the same part of the garden.
The signs that lead here
Full problem lists for these crops
About
Aphids are soft-bodied sap-sucking insects that multiply explosively in warm spring and summer weather on almost every crop, weakening plants and spreading viruses as they feed.
Symptoms
Clusters of tiny green, black or grey insects on new growth and leaf undersides; curled, distorted leaves; sticky honeydew and black sooty mould; ants tending the colonies.
Organic Treatment
Blast off with water, squash colonies, spray insecticidal soap or neem, and encourage ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies. Avoid excess nitrogen that fuels soft growth.
Chemical Treatment
Pyrethrin or systemic insecticides for heavy infestations, used sparingly to protect beneficial insects.
Prevention
Encourage natural predators, avoid over-fertilising, inspect new growth regularly, and use reflective mulch and row cover on vulnerable crops.
Crops at risk
Related problems
Aphids risk by location
Each location has a month-by-month profile computed from the weather archive: how many hours a year actually meet this disease’s thresholds.