Question
Hi,

I am growing some gladioli which are just starting to flower, I have noticed that there are lots of ants all over the leaves and at the bottom of the stems and it looks like maybe some fly eggs attached to the leaves.

Also in another tub the gladioli looks like something has been trying to eat along the long leaves.

Do you have any good methods how to get rid of these problems.

Kind Regards

Lynsey

Answer
Aphids....first clue... ants....second clue "fly eggs". Aphids are messy little bugs, that infest your plants and do their damage. They are very small so they are hard to see at first. They come in many different colors and eat many different types of plants. The ants don't eat the aphids, they eat the sweet residue that the aphids create. It is called honeydew. If you look at your leaves you will see it.
The simple way to get rid of them is to wash the plants with a mild dish soap solution, then a forceful spray of water once every other day to knock the aphids off the plants. Three or four times should do it if the problen isn't too bad. If that is not effective, spray the plants with insecticidal soap every three to five days for two weeks. If these pests become a very serious problem, make two appllications of pyrethrum, three to five days apart.

bakerplanter