Aphids are soft bodied insects which can be 1 to 10 millimeter in length. These insects are believed to have evolved around 280 million years ago. These are attacked by large number of other insects and predators and can be easily killed by unfavorable weather like cold, heat and wind. Even rain can knock them off the plant and they get killed by the impact or due to starvation but rain is not dependable protection against these pests. Some species of aphids have complex reproductive system while most have simple way of reproduction, population includes only females which lay eggs in the winter and by spring they get hatched. Affected plant show symptoms like mottled leaves, yellow leaves, curled leaves, slow growth rate of the plant, stunted growth, very low or almost no yield and death of the plant.

Aphids feed on the sap of the phloem in the plant which is vital for plant growth and its production, while sucking the sap aphids also secrete saliva which is toxic for the plant causing its death. This is the reason why they are so destructive for almost all types of plant species. Home remedies for aphids provide protection against these predators of plant species and can protect valuable plants in the garden. Use of insecticides is effective against aphids but large quantities of insecticides are required for effective control which can decrease the growth of plants and can be dangerous if there are young children or pets in the house. Use of home remedies for aphids is much cheaper compared to insecticide sprays and is also safe and does not cause any harm to the plant or to the people coming in direct contact with the plants.

Prepare a mixture by adding two teaspoon of dish wash liquid soap or laundry soap to a bottle of lukewarm water. Spray this mixture on the plants and under the leaves, this removes the protective layer of aphids and causes their death due to dehydration. It is one of the easiest home remedies for aphids.

Another one of the easiest home remedies for aphids is spraying 70% or 90% of isopropyl alcohol. Use spray bottle and wet all the surfaces of the plant well. Repeat sprays after every three days and continue for at least 4 weeks. This is safe and one of the effective home remedies for aphids.

Take three cloves of garlic and put them in the blender half-filled with water, blend the water with garlic. Strain the mixture and remove garlic pieces and add two tablespoons of black strap molasses to the mixture and blend again. Take half cup of this mixture and add it to a gallon of water and spray with spray bottle on all the parts of the plants. This is another one of the very effective home remedies for aphids.

Take bananas and peel them off, mince the pulp as fine as possible and form a platform at the base of the affected plant. Change this after every two days. The pulp of banana will attract the aphids and they will stick to it and die. This is another one of the useful home remedies for aphids.

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