Cannabis Aphids: birth to death

Misanthrope · Apr 26, 2023

Cannabis aphids from nymph (small, white/pale green) to juvenile (full size, green) to adult (full size, brown/black, eventually with wings) and even shed castings (top right).
I'm fighting a static war against this little fuckers, I can keep the numbers down with insecticidal soap but not eradicate them. I'm hoping to enlist some ladybug troops from as the weather warms.
This happened in the fall when I thought it would be a good idea to go inside where it was warm to do the trimming from the fall harvest. Little bastards found their way to my indoor tent and looked like the pic when I discovered them a month later.
From what I understand, these are different from root aphids. Their damage seems minimal to fully grown plants (provided they're getting sprayed) Seedlings and clones are another matter and their growth will stall if they've been infested.

dreamnfox · Apr 26, 2023

They will definitely reduce the bud production. Ladybugs are not super helpful outside but they can be helpful inside. I pair them with green lacewings. You need to stagger tne release of the lady bugs and provide some initial food. Someone on here told me to cut up a few grapes and that seems to work. Make sure you mist a bunch of the leaves before releasing them. They need a drink when they wake up

TSD · Apr 26, 2023

Yeah they're a real pain in the ass to eradicate, they hide so damn well, especially when small. Looks like a decent infestation. I use Lost Coast Plant Therapy as a preventative and if they make an appearance... once they have a colony going they're real hard to evict. You need to get every last nook and cranny completely saturated, then do it again 2 days later. Hopefully you're in veg? If not, I'd suggest a bud wash once you chop, unless you don't mind the carcasses and poo.

Misanthrope · Apr 27, 2023

TSD said:
Yeah they're a real pain in the ass to eradicate, they hide so damn well, especially when small. Looks like a decent infestation. I use Lost Coast Plant Therapy as a preventative and if they make an appearance... once they have a colony going they're real hard to evict. You need to get every last nook and cranny completely saturated, then do it again 2 days later. Hopefully you're in veg? If not, I'd suggest a bud wash once you chop, unless you don't mind the carcasses and poo.

What's the SOP for a bud wash? Water and peroxide? What concentration?

Btw, I posted this thread/pic more for the purposes of helping others identify cannabis aphids (Phorodon cannabis). If you google "cannabis aphids colorado state" there's a paper on this newly classified species I found informative. I've more or less come to terms with my infestation - this is like herpes all over again lol. I don't know if I can ever be free of them until I take the tent down and start over.
They may be reducing bud quantity - I get enough to be a self supported smoker but I'm not getting the yields I would like - but the potency is still respectable, at least 20%. The aphids clearly prefer the plants that are still in veg, there aren't nearly as many on the girls once they're flowering and I've removed the fan leaves. After close inspection with a microscope, I decided the carcasses were infrequent enough to hazard smoking it and it seems fine to my uncultured redneck standards. Anything that looks sketchy goes to baking.

dreamnfox · Apr 27, 2023

Misanthrope said:
What's the SOP for a bud wash? Water and peroxide? What concentration?

Btw, I posted this thread/pic more for the purposes of helping others identify cannabis aphids (Phorodon cannabis). If you google "cannabis aphids colorado state" there's a paper on this newly classified species I found informative. I've more or less come to terms with my infestation - this is like herpes all over again lol. I don't know if I can ever be free of them until I take the tent down and start over.
They may be reducing bud quantity - I get enough to be a self supported smoker but I'm not getting the yields I would like - but the potency is still respectable, at least 20%. The aphids clearly prefer the plants that are still in veg, there aren't nearly as many on the girls once they're flowering and I've removed the fan leaves. After close inspection with a microscope, I decided the carcasses were infrequent enough to hazard smoking it and it seems fine to my uncultured redneck standards. Anything that looks sketchy goes to baking.

I do my bud wash with 3 buckets of just plain water, i tried the lemon juice baking soda once but felt like i could taste the residue. The plain water has worked great for my last 2 outdoor grows

Cannabis Aphids: birth to death

Cannabis Aphids: birth to death

Misanthrope

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