Fight aphids: Ichneumon wasps kill the pests effectively

Created: 06/15/2022, 02:00 p.m

By: Ines Alms

Aphids are every gardener's declared enemy.

If you want to decimate the pests, you can use parasitic wasps that lay their eggs in the lice.

Münster – When aphids attack the beautiful flowers and the vegetable patch in droves, many hobby gardeners want to despair.

But you can defend yourself against this apparent superiority by fighting the pests with beneficial insects such as the parasitic wasp, which is harmless to humans.

Fight aphids: Ichneumon wasps kill the pests effectively

Aphid parasitic wasps lay eggs in the pests.

(Iconic image) © blickwinkel/Imago

The biological cycle of the parasitic wasp sounds cruel, but it is an effective aid against the annoying aphids: With its good search ability, the parasitic wasp tracks down the aphids and lays an egg in the pest with its stinger.

After about two days, this hatches into a larva that feeds on the aphid and hatches out of the aphid as an adult.

Various species of parasitic wasps specialize in the respective aphid species.

Parasitic wasps should be used before aphid infestation becomes too severe.

According to the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture, the beneficial insects can be used against the lice as follows:

• Ichneumon wasps are ordered as adult animals or in the pupal stage, they come into the house in plastic containers or cardboard tubes.

  There are also various mixtures that are used specifically for soft fruit, vegetables, herbs or ornamental plants.

• If the aphid species is known, a species of parasitic wasp can be used against the pest and is therefore more effective.

• In the greenhouse or conservatory, the use of parasitic wasps is particularly effective: place the containers with the wasps in a place that is protected from water and direct sunlight.

  The animals then go in search of aphids on their own.

• One to two animals per square meter are released every one to two weeks.

  Less parasitic wasps are sufficient to prevent this.

  Most species of parasitic wasps need a temperature of at least 15 degrees to be effective.

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Attract parasitic wasps with a natural garden

Ichneumon wasps are also natural enemies of other pests such as whiteflies, leafminers and moths.

If you don't want to buy the wasps, you can also try to lure the little animals into the garden as beneficial insects.

Tall grass, dead wood, piles of leaves and piles of stones in particular offer the animals good opportunities to retreat and spend the winter.