[Mitsy]

Well I've lost a cuke trying to save rest including courgettes also 3 pumpkin plants gone. I picked the greenfly off, fed the plants and now tried spraying and citronella giant garden incense stick but they are still swarming 

Never have any luck with cukes, not ate a homegrown one yet 

Any other suggestions appreciated please 

[BestBreast]

I think Diane is spraying them with a bit of soapy water
I may be getting methods mixed up but I just passed some out to her.........

[kermit]

Seem to be bad this year.  Chili plants, basil and some garden shrubs covered... twice.  Rubbed off with fingers (takes a while, but essential, and satisfying  ), sprayed with organic bug killer and again with soapy water once all died off (to keep them off).  So far so good.  Plants took a battering and needed some tlc after, but 2weeks later and they're kicking on.

Nightmare though, they're little critters... 

[Mitsy]

Thanks....I'll try the soapy water tomorrow 

[jb]

I find sellotape works well particularly if they accumulate around the growing tips as a means of removal (stripped strawberrys using this method earlier). Place a strip near the colony but don't press onto the plant too much or you might cause damage to the growing part.
I'd use that to cull the majority coupled with soapy water to wash off others. However they will return so if the swarms are that bad you could try fleece as a physical barrier for your most precious plants.
Another strategy is to put some plants that are more attractive to greenfly near your courgettes to act as decoys/sacrifices. Columbine (wild aquillegia) seems to act as a real magnet in my experience but I'm sure other forum users could recommend other plants. If you keep these in pots then when covered in the little horrors just dunk the infested plant upside down in soapy water to remove the bulk of the pests that can then be poured down a nearby drain. Then give the decoy a second dunk in clean water to remove soap from the decoy before replacing to attract more aphids.
Good luck

[SG6]

Sparrows keep eating mine.
So not doing a great deal at the moment.
Other then thinking of ways of keep attracting the sparrows to the garden

[BestBreast]

Warm soapy water is working but not sure if will combat all the little beasts. I have never really had a problem before but it seems to be under control. I have planted marigolds in the greenhouse and around the plot they are suppose to help keep the green fly away.

I think I will be looking for more solutions soon.

Diane

[Faz]

I've been squishing the greenfly on some of my plants, mainly my brassicas. My strawberries only seem to be affected on the runners so they are getting removed as soon as I see them. And I regularly see very small red critters latched on to greenfly, which I assume are very young red velvet mites. On these leaves there are typically a load of dried out greenfly which have already been munched.

I agree though that this year has been quite bad so far and I have seen barely any ladybirds so far. I am hoping that all my marigolds will attract some hoverflies so their larvae can do their job for me too.

[Mitsy]

Thank you all 

I have marigolds planted too but not having much affect 

[dawnj]

french marigolds seemed to work great for me...seen no whitefty, still keeping my veg under fine netting too, that was to keep cats off but the whitefly is keeping clear too.

[pops]

not had too much of a problem as yet(hmm thats jinxed it),we let 2 hawthorns grow 1 either side at the bottom of the garden 4 years ago and introduced a couple of hollies and a butterfly bush,the hawthorns are now tiny trees as is the holy,the sparrows love them,most days there must be 20 +sparrows  rummaging aroung my veg picking of caterpillars etc with no real damage.

[Riala]

My 2 Cukes (only 2 of the 12 seeds germinated) are covered in Greenfly... Help??

Tried soapy water, but they are still on the underside of the leaves..... is there anything else I can buy/try?

[aelf]

I'm shouting at them  They don't seem too bothered by that, but it makes me feel better  :blink:

[janiejakemum]

Soapy water will kill them as they breathe through the skin, dont know about the eggs though.  I am spraying every other day still, the spray does kill them but they are just coming back sooooooooooo quickly!.

I might go and get some jollop that will hopefully do the trick a bit better, the shop bought ones imply they keep them away aswell as kill them on contact.

[Faz]

Greenfly give birth to live young so there are no eggs to worry about. They only rarely breed and normally reproduce without needing to mate. Did you know the new born greenfly are already pregnant with their offspring  :blink: . No wonder the little * spread so quickly!

None of the above information will help you get rid off them though!!