How to Identify Aphids on Cannabis Plants (also called greenflies and blackflies)
Aphids are soft-bodied insects. They can be white, green, yellow, black, brown, or red. This depends on their life stage and where you live.
They can be found almost anywhere in the world. This makes them a common pest for cannabis plants.
Aphids change a lot as they grow. In the picture, the big, round bugs are adult aphids. The small, white, thin bugs are young aphids, or nymphs.
Note: If you see white bugs that look like tiny fat worms, you might have thrips.
Sometimes the aphids that attack marijuana are dark colored or black. This bud is aphid city!
Sometimes when growers see tiny black flies or green flies on their cannabis, they’re actually seeing aphids with wings. Winged aphids can be dark or pale, and colors include green, red or yellow. However, the general body shape of the bug is usually pretty similarwhether the aphids have wings or not.
Because many aphids that attack cannabis are green, sometimes people don’t recognize aphids when they’re a different color (like these young aphids which appear red)
These aphids from Europe are pale green with dark legs and red eyes
Aphids are a common cannabis pest. Adults areusually small and oval-shapedand may have visible wings or antennae. Nymph aphids are thin/longand usually white or pale. Because nymphs are so small, they may look like little white specks oreggs.
Aphids pierce cannabis leaves with theirsucking mouth-parts and feed on the juices inside. They usually occur in colonies located mainly on theundersides of stems andleaves. If a cannabis plant becomes heavily-infested, its leaves can turn yellowand/or wilt due to the excessive stress and leaf damage.
Honeydew and Black Sooty Mold
Another problem with aphids is theyproduce large amounts of a sweet substance known as honeydew, which is a sugary liquid waste.Honeydew drops from these insects attract a type offungus called sooty mold. Sooty mold can grow on honeydew deposits, accumulatingon the leaves and branches of your plant and turning them black. Not only does this mold discolor the plants and somewhat hinder normal plant processes, sooty mold on buds can make them unsafe to smoke. And just to be an extra pain in the butt, the drops of sweet honeydew can also attract other insects such as ants.
What Causes an Aphid Infestation?
Your plant can become infested when winged colonizer aphids landon the plant and lay eggs. Although you may not see the winged version of an aphid actually eating your plant, they are still dangerous because they can lay eggs and start a new aphid colony! Winged aphids are sometimes called blackfly or greenfly bugs depending on the color (because they are oftenblack or green/yellow, and they looklike tiny flies).
Aphids are sometimes called Green Flies or Black Flies when they have wings, but the general body shape is the same.The winged versions appear when the aphid colony gets too numerous and these bugs use their wings to fly away and lay eggs on other plants. This black fly is actually a winged aphid.
This green fly is another color variation of a winged aphid
It’s difficult to prevent aphids from getting to your cannabis plantsoutdoors as just a handful of winged aphids is all it takes to start an infestation.Theeggssoonhatch into a juvenile form of aphids called nymphs, which happily start munching on your plant.
This grower started seeing white specks on their buds and thought it might be mold or bud rot. The specks were actually white aphid nymphs. Click the picture for a closeup!
Immature aphids (nymphs) usually appear white and feed on plant sap while they gradually increase in size.
The aphidnymphsmature in 7 to 10 days andshed their skin, leaving silvery exoskeletons behind on your plants.Note:If you see tiny white bugs but theylook round,fat and more worm-likethan these ones, youmay actually have
thrips.
The bottom center aphid is actually in the middle of shedding its exoskeleton in this pic.
After reachingtheir wingless adult form (aphidsdon’t grow wings when actively colonizing your plant) theyare soon ready to give birth tolive young and start the process over again.Most aphids in this form arefemale,and
each one is capable of producing dozens of offspring.
Because of their quick reproduction, a fewwinged aphid colonizers can lead to hundreds or eventhousands of aphids on a plant in just a few generations.A full-blownaphid infestation can get out of control in just a few weeks!
Aphids often keep reproducingon the plant until the plant becomes so stressed(or theconditions becomeso crowded)that the plantcan no longer support their ravenous appetites. At that point, some of the aphids start being born with wings, and these winged aphids fly off in search of a new host, starting the process over again on a new plant victim.
Solution to Aphids on Cannabis Plants: How to Get Rid of Them Quickly!
Don’t use insecticides like malathion or Dursban on cannabis. They are okay for some plants but not safe for cannabis. If it’s not safe for food, it’s not safe for your plants.
1.) Check regularly for signs of aphids
Find aphids early to stop them. It’s hard to guess when they’ll show up outside. So, check your plants every week.
Look at the buds and leaves for aphids. Seeing them means they’re spreading fast.
2.) Remove or Spray Off As Many Bugs As Possible
Try to get rid of as many bugs as you can. Move plants outside and spray them. Also, remove sick leaves and buds.
Try to spray off as many bugs as you can!
3.) Insecticidal soaps
Insecticidal soaps are good against aphids. They are safe for your plants and don’t leave a bad smell.
Make sure to cover all plants well. You might need to spray again. But be careful not to get it on your buds!
4.) Neem Oil
Neem Oil tastes bad and smells bad on buds. So, don’t use it near your buds! It might also be bad for people. But it’s natural and kills bugs and mold well. You need a mister to spray it evenly.
5.) Spinosad (not for commercial growers)
Spinosad is safe and organic. It kills aphids on contact. Spray it where you see aphids, especially under leaves. It’s safe for plants, pets, and people!
Try Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad.
Spinosad is made from a soil bacteria. It kills aphids by affecting their nervous system. It’s good for organic growers because it’s safe for many insects and spiders.
Note:Spinosad products only last about 24 hours. Mix only what you need to avoid waste.
WARNING:Commercial growers click here!
You need a mister to spray spinosad products evenly.
6.) Essentria IC3
Essentria IC3 Insecticide is a mix of safe oils. It’s organic and good for humans. It’s used to kill bed bugs but also works on aphids.
But, it only lasts about 8 hours. So, you need to use it every day or mix it with other methods. You’ll need a mister to spray all leaves well.
7.) Beneficial Insects
Beetles and lacewings eat many aphids. They are good for your garden. But, ladybugs might fly away soon.
Also, aphids can quickly grow back. This might make it hard for natural enemies to control them.
Ladybugs are great for your garden. They eat aphids and other pests!
Many other lady bird type beetles also eat aphids
This scary looking black bug isactually a young ladybirdlarvae, so don’t kill it! They devouraphids as youngsters too, so it’s good to let them do their thing.
8.) Get rid of ants if you see them!
In some cases, ants naturally farm (tend to) aphids in the wild in order to collect their honeydew.How crazy is that? Ants can actually be helping keep your aphid numbers up!So for some cannabis growers, controlling an ant problem can actually help control an aphid problem.