Woolly aphids can be dangerous for plants – in fact, they can be lethal. Gardeners are always looking for ways to get rid of aphids. Some people stick to using toxic chemicals to kill aphids. But there are some DIY, home remedies that work just fine. So does vinegar kill woolly aphids or not?
Yes, vinegar can be used to both deter and kill woolly aphids on your plants with decent success rates.
While you can use vinegar to deter insects like ants, you can use it to kill aphids – especially woolly aphids. You can create a spray made of vinegar and water and spray the aphids, which will cause them to burn and die.
Can You Kill All Aphids with Vinegar?
Vinegar does not only work on woolly aphids but all types of them. If you have been noticing your plants withering, there is a chance that they are infested with aphids. There is more than one type of aphids, and using vinegar to kill them is not only limited to woolly aphids.
Hence, if you have an aphid infestation, you can use vinegar to get rid of them.
How To Use Vinegar to Kill Aphids
The first thing you should do is identify woolly aphids. Woolly aphids are slow-moving insects and will be white because of a waxy material that covers them.
Woolly aphids feed in groups so you will find many of them, and it will be easy to spot them. It’s rare that just one woolly aphid would be running around on your planets.
To kill the aphids in your garden with vinegar, you need to take three parts of water and one part vinegar. You can spray this mixture on any infected plants and repeat the process every week to fully kill the woolly aphids.
For this mixture, it is vital that you dilute it using the ratio above. If you use a concentrated mixture on your plants, some of them will not be able to take it and you’ll end up killing your plants yourself.
What Else Kills Woolly Aphids?
Your garden will have many types of plants. While some plants will be fine if you spray them with vinegar, others can be sensitive to their acidity.
Therefore, you may have to resort to other methods for killing woolly aphids. Here are some other ways to kill them:
Vinegar and Castile Soap
Another magical concoction that will kill woolly aphids is a vinegar and castile soap solution. Vinegar on its own is strong, but mixing it with castile soap will be more effective.
You can mix castile soap in water and add a bit of vinegar to it. Using this mix will ensure that you do not use too much vinegar that could harm your plants. The best way to obtain the full benefit of this solution is to spray it on the underside of the plants.
Aphids usually reside on the underside of leaves, and if you spray there, you will be able to get the majority of them.
Diatomaceous Earth
Another great way to kill aphids is to use diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is great for killing not only aphids but also other garden pests you may have.
In addition, diatomaceous earth is a natural pesticide that will not harm your plants.
To kill those pesky woolly aphids, you can sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the plants that have them. Afterwards, you will notice aphids dying and falling off the plant in around ten hours.
How to be Careful When Using Vinegar
While vinegar is a natural way to kill aphids in your garden, it can still harm some of your plants. Therefore, it is important to be careful when using vinegar and keeping a few things in mind.
Before you use vinegar, ensure that you dilute it. Vinegar has a high acidity content; therefore, many plants do not react kindly to it.
It’s also important for you to do a test patch before you spray the entire plant with vinegar. Simply spray a small portion of the plant and wait a few hours. If the plant reacts well to the vinegar, then you can go ahead and spray the rest of it.
Unlike other pesticides that have chemicals in them, vinegar is safe to use as a human. It is rare for humans to be allergic to vinegar or to become irritated by it which is great because you will have one less thing to worry about.
Not only is vinegar is safe for you, but it is safe for the environment too. In addition, the smell of vinegar is bearable and less strong than chemicals.
Summary
Woolly aphids are found in gardens and can destroy your plants. Unfortunately, woolly aphids can also bother you if you have indoor plants.
These aphids are white and have a waxy exterior. If you are unsure about whether you have an aphid infestation, look at your plants. Aphids cause plants to curl, and they also have a black, sticky residue on them.
Moreover, some plants also suffer from stunted growth because of aphid infestations.
You can get rid of woolly aphids by using vinegar. Vinegar is acidic and acts as a natural pesticide that burns aphids. You can create a mixture by mixing vinegar and water and spraying it on the infested plants.
However, some plants may not react well to vinegar. Therefore, it is best to dilute it and do a test patch first. Apart from vinegar, you can also use alternate methods.
For example, you can mix castile soap and vinegar. Or, you can also dust some diatomaceous earth on the infested plants to kill the aphids.
