Native Plants
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Wednesday - July 11, 2012
From: Alloway, NJ
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Pests, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Dealing with aphids on milkweed plants in Alloway, NJ.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I planted milk weed for the Monarch butterfly. Every year it gets orange aphids that seem to suck out the juices and eventually kill the plant sooner than I like.ANSWER:
The pest that you are dealing with is known as the Oleander Aphid (and also the Milkweed Aphid), Aphis nerii .
I will provide you with three links that can help make you an expert on on this little nuisance
University of Florida IFAS Extension; a thorough description of the insect including control measures and photos.
gardenweb.com/forums: a forum discussion by people who are trying to grow milkweed in order to raise Monarch butterflies.
mymonarchguide.com : an interesting website with great photos for people who are interested in raising Monarch butterlies.
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