How To Control Aphids On Fruit Trees

This video describes how I control aphids on fruit trees. There are a number of techniques for doing this, but what I show in this video is what works for me.
I have a cherry tree, a plum tree, and an apple tree, and all have been affected by aphids over the years. My technique for controlling aphids is to use a band of tree grease on the trunk to stop ants climbing the tree. For younger trees, I also wash off the aphids using a dishwashing liquid diluted in water.
For more growing tips, please see my website: www.allotmentbook.co.uk/.

[@richardteale3217]

Thanks for a great video, I planted my first ever espalier apple two years ago and it has been doing really well, however I was dismayed recently when I investigated some leaf curl and found a bad infestation of aphids. At the same time I found an ant colony at the base of the trunk, so your explanation has been eureka moment. I have subscribed to your channel and would like to thank you again for a no nonsense comprehensive explanation.

[@heywoodjablome5630]

Your outcomes reinforce the methodology. Congratulations.

[@shaunbutler89]

Great advice, thank you I had almost given up trying to stop aphids on my poor plum tree. Liked and subscribed .

[@AllotmentBook]

Glad it helped!

[@karendear3511]

Thanks for the straight forward advice. Going to try this

[@margaretharrold3767]

I'm new to orchard growing. We have 17 new trees and I noticed the leaves curling and blackening on one of the cherry trees. I have just sprayed them with the soapy water and will check again tomorrow. Thank you for this straightforward, informative advice. Fingers crossed!

[@alexfomenko4756]

Stop those ants man 😅

[@oussama40612]

This video might be amongst the most valuable ones I've seen

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you!

[@luckyram3461]

Thanks a lot , very useful & straightforward vid. All my fruits trees are under massive attck from aphids & I did not realise that the ants was the main vector for this problem. Greetings from Bristol

[@Jake-td8nm]

Thank you for this! Been struggling in my first year peach trees. I'm gunna get some tree grease now!

[@kromaggo2pl]

Man thus is hands down best easiest advice - thank you so much man

[@michelleterkelsen9454]

Thanks for the useful advice..I'll give it a go.on my.3.yr old cherry tree ..

[@chitrathayaseelan]

Thank you for the simple but effective technique.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you very much for your comment

[@albertroundtree8546]

Thanks. Great advice and easy to achieve.

[@gloriarobinson1869]

Thank you for this video, its been very helpful.

[@jillcrossantony3839]

Thanks. I've never heard of tree grease! I'll go to the nursery thank you.

[@richardcaig9836]

Very good information, thank you.

[@itsayesfromme2669]

Very good advice. Thank you for sharing.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you!

[@janebarker5808]

Hi, many thanks for a straightforward informative video enriched by the fact that you have actually experienced this problem and kindly passed on your simple basic answer to it. I have ordered some tree grease and am ready to wage war……thanks again.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you - I hope it works for you!

[@Colin623]

Thanks for this very useful video and tips.

[@AllotmentBook]

Glad it was helpful!

[@grahamrdyer6322]

I'm glad someone else has noticed that the ants are the problem, I use Borax and sugar at one to two mix in a tad of water in a milk bottle lid at the base of the tree.

[@Misty-nd4dp]

Can you explain a little more on how you use borax ?

[@grahamrdyer6322]

@@Misty-nd4dp Hi, Use 1 part Borax to 2 parts Sugar, mix with a small amount of water to form a paste mix well put it in a lid of a milk bottle that has a small hole in the side and put tape over the lid to seal it up put this at the base of the tree, the ants will find it, 2 days later you will have no ants.

[@dr.7539]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@nunyabusiness863]

Thanks for posting this. Very helpful.

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you very much for letting me know!

[@wolfa5151]

Very useful tips! Thank you!

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@TheHarryMann]

Excellent. Many thanks.

[@ivahihopeful]

Thank you! I may try this on my bush beans.

[@rgnldrse193]

very helpful and simple.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you!

[@bobennenberg9823]

Extremely helpful. Thanks!

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you!

[@raegenrichard8993]

Thanks great straight info

[@Really2950]

Thanks, ill give this a try.

[@mastertechnician3372]

Thank you for Video.

[@LiliansGardens]

I just got rid of the aphids on my cherry tree. My intention was to get rid of young shoots so I can wrap my tree to protect from birds and squirrels. What I siscovered was aonly these young leaves have aphidson them. Apparently it's easier for the aphids to pierce young shoots. I came to search how to control aphids and here you areshowing those leaves . If I had waited one more week the aphids would have sucked the life out of the leaves ...leaving them mangled. The garden indeed is ateacher . Thank you vey much for embellishing and giving me more waysto tackle aphids. I hope to harvest a larger percentage of my cherries this yesr not permitting aphids and , ants , birds and squirrel to get the better of me as they did last year. ciao. Subbed because I like your work.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you very much for your comment! i’ve found that my cherry tree is particularly susceptible to having an aphid problem - the other challenge is netting the tree to keep the birds off - this gets harder each year as the tree grows!

[@katewilson1217]

Thanks I’ll try it!

[@mbardfast6658]

Thanks. I've been using DE

[@AAHomeGardening]

Thank you, very useful

[@neatapeace4266]

Thanks. I never thought that ants could do more harm than good to trees in spreading the problem.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you very much for your comment!

[@thecookreporting]

thanks for the tip

[@trishawhitworth5970]

Great help to late this year will try next year

[@travelandrepeat6]

very helpful thank you so much

[@AllotmentBook]

You're welcome!

[@michaelfenn3677]

Very helpful, thanks

[@AllotmentBook]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dudleydogbrown1]

Very Good video, Thank You

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you!

[@mikeflynn4373]

Agree with every word...well done.

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@pennysargent9557]

Helpful thanks

[@icejunki]

Great stuff, thank you very much

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you very much for your comment. Much appreciated.

[@rachaelgarbutt3650]

Thank you learned a few new tricks cheers pal x

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you!

[@philippriestman8516]

After twelve miserable years I thought of felling two plums and two cherries because aphid damage makes them unsightly and fruitless....after seeing this I will go another season with this simple advice...thanks mate

[@hughjaanus6680]

I had the same problem with a plum tree, the underside of the leaves was covered with aphids. Someone suggested Winter Wash, applied to kill the eggs. I just cut the tree down. Never saw ants on it.

[@davestrongman9519]

I used tanglefoot on my cherry tree, worked great on the ants but the aphids are still killing the leaves and cherries. It’s a young tree 3 years old, so maybe it will be more resistant when it gets older. Need to try the soapy water spray on the aphids. Hope it helps. Also have trouble with Japanese beetles. Been using milky spore for that. 3 applications so far, hope that solves that problem. This fruit tree growing business is tough!!!

[@Pakka0007]

Thank you soooooo much for providing some insight into the problem...ants. Will try your advice.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

[@peteh7966]

Brilliant, thanks. Will pass this on to my Dad who is having a lot of trouble with aphids on his lime tree.

[@rohankapoor8719]

You are awesome sir.

[@burnsvaughan]

brilliant thank you

[@billscott9888]

Great advice on Cherry Aphids. I have a young Tree in the Ground, it's constantly becoming infested, knowing the Ants are to blame solves the problem. Out with the Washing up liquid too. Thanks again

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you very much for your comment!

[@thealphapack5937]

Spot on!!!! ☀️👋

[@lilianagriseldaszachury1843]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@laviniamartin1619]

Thanks for the information. This will really help. I think those damn ants spread mold spores throughout the tree and other types of problems. I have found out you can spray with diluted dishsoap, or very diluted bleach to control the mould. And of course the soap will help with the Aphids too. Suggestion I heard on the garden radio program, regarding ants nests, take a large dustbin, line with a very heavy duty garbage bin liner (construction bags) (20ml or thicker)(Home Depot or similar) fill with loose soil, put a big flat board on the top and then upend it in the spot where the ants are. Pull the board out a little bit so that the soil is in contact with the ground. Wait a few months. Ants love a dry home and will move into it, converting into the best Ant Hotel in Town. On garbage day, just before the truck comes, turn it back over, seal up the bag and take to the curb. They are smart little things, and will vacate quickly if you give them a chance. You might even want to double bag it just to be sure! So next Spring I will be using that tree oil for a tree band on the main trunk and also on the three main limbs from the main truck. There are many deep bark caverns on the trunk and also on the joint where the three main trucks sprout. That space is also an Ants Nest I think, so I am sure that is going to get treated with Ant Dust. This has become the year of lessons learned! Six years ago, we were delighted to move into an acreage with a big old cherry tree - three types grafted onto the tree. Then came the "Crow War" they were about and of course extremely noisy! They stripped the tree ! As I had been successful with a "Magpie War' in our previous home in Alberta (basically driving them off with a long jetted pressure hose, they were allowed to return only if they were quiet) - I treated the Crows in the same manner. Except this time they were not welcome on the property at all. It worked after a few days of water jets and me shouting..... Next year they tried again, this time I just shouted and made a very loud "Cat chatter" noise. They were trying it on...... the brave one on the top of the tree, shouting a bit, hopped over to the adjacent pine, to see if that would satisfy me - I continued with my shouting and Cat chatter - he then flew up to the buddy in the top of another tree - gave a few jeering shouts and flew off to the rest of them at the road junction, where they roost. Later that day, I walked down the gravel road to see my friends who live two doors from the Roost. They all yelled at me, so I just talked to them and said I had no problem with them, just not on my property! On my way back, no noise from them, and they keep away from our place ! Woo Hoo ! This year, I also discovered that all those ugly brown bumps on the tree, which I had thought was some kind of Canker and been removing them, is actually the base of the cherry stems! Due to lack of of time last year, I did not remove them and OMG HUGE numbers of cherries ! I had searched and searched for several years on the web and it was only on Reddit this year I discovered the truth! Good Luck to all you fellow fruit tree owners !!

[@elguapo1507]

Thanks very much! I'm giving it a go! 👍

[@AllotmentBook]

good luck!

[@elguapo1507]

@@AllotmentBook thank you!

[@chichichhim2672]

Thank you very much

[@AllotmentBook]

You are welcome!

[@Stu_Yorkie]

Thank you

[@PaulSmith-li1yp]

thank you

[@roonilwazlib3089]

Thank you ✌🏻

[@Rockercaruthonyoutube]

I put a teaspoon of vinegar in a litre of water in a spray bottle and spray the plants. Aphids don,t like it and doesn,t harm the plamts

[@andreeodonnell5999]

That will be helpful

[@bryzot7242]

Fantastic I'll be busy tomorrow 👍

[@rebeccahwilson3673]

Thank you! I'm amazed by ants 🙂

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

AMAZING! I have the same issue with my plumb tree that got planted by a bird eating a neighbour plumbs 2 doors down. I'll try tree grease as it's kinder than nippon ant powder

[@hughjaanus6680]

Are plumb trees related to plum trees?

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

@@hughjaanus6680 lol typo Actually yes they are, plumb bum i.e. lead plum trees

[@hughjaanus6680]

@@ArcturanMegadonkey Typo, twice? Yeah right.

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

@@hughjaanus6680 heh heh yeh

[@paribanuarghavani9509]

Thanks

[@TheOnlyElle.]

Thanks for this video. I have aphids in my house plant's..luckily the plant's are quite young and I've been able to run the plant's leaves and stems under the tap. I wrap cling film around the earth is to stop over watering. I've only been doing this for a week and still find a couple of aphids near the tip's of my plant's..I think I'll try the soap spray too. Someone told me Neem oil is very be helpful too?? Any tips would be appreciated!! Thankd

[@AllotmentBook]

i think i would be doing the same as you! as you say they are houseplants, if you have a balcony or patio and it’s possible to leave them outside, you may find that insects like ladybirds can help control them.

[@tarakudovidmo6941]

Your Video is 1. Simple 2. Effective 3. Cheap Thank you so much for the information. I found this video very helpfull

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you for your comment!

[@sallyr2846]

Thanks for this advice ..just discovered the little blighters on my ornamental cherry! Is it worth adding neem oil to the soap solution?

[@AllotmentBook]

I haven't tried neem oil, thank you for the idea.

[@membranekeyboard781]

Thank you so much! I will try this soon. Are there any alternatives to tree grease?

[@AllotmentBook]

Thank you for commenting. There are grease bands (paper with a coating of grease) that can be tied around - but ants can sometimes find a way underneath if the bark is ridged. I’ve read about using vaseline, but I have not tried this myself.

[@chrischen9589]

I used duck tape with sticky side outside. It stopped the ants & unintentionally controlled the birds. Birds are around my lawn & garden but don't touch cherry tree. The birds are after squirrels. Cross my fingers squirrels are hanging around my garden this year.

[@pearljoson450]

where can u buy this tree grease please, thank u

[@RLhomestead-ix8fp]

Where do you buy the black tree grease?

[@nenzianwari]

Thanks hissing Sid!

[@yesihavereadit]

Washing up liquid, the silver bullet. I have aphids on Apple tree first time in years. Luckily there are loads of ladybird larvae around (never seen so many) so letting nature do the work. Cherry tree gets horrible black aphids which ants really love and protect viciously

[@convinth]

Now I know why I have very few ladybird larvae this year (seriously); they're all at your place!

[@yesihavereadit]

@@convinth look on the lime trees hazel trees ?

[@anissakafka7473]

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 thank you for sharing

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you!

[@cathrynreallydoescare3639]

Thank you I’ve put Vaseline round it but the ants seem to walking through it although I’m going to try tree grease.🤓🇬🇧🦋Thank you😀

[@AllotmentBook]

tree grease is very very sticky - i hope it works for you!

[@truleyblessed7406]

Thx

[@mediham9869]

Thank you for the helpful video. My cherry tree looks like it is about to die! Hopefully these tips will help.

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you, i hope it works for your tree!

[@barbaradoughty1526]

Where do you get tree grease from?.

[@Sean-ed5lx]

Hello I have just started growing fruit trees and my cherry tree I have 2 I put in the ground and next thing I knew the was covered in these tiny black things. I have jetted the tree but the come back the next day. I really hope this don’t kill my tree.

[@AllotmentBook]

Unfortunately aphids are common on cherry trees, but the trees will most likely survive. Stopping ants climbing and washing off will help keep the problem under control.

[@sarahbanks9450]

We have 4 young cordoned fruit trees against our garage wall. Last year they were decimated by aphids and I can see them started to cause problems again this year… so you think the ants would just climb up the garage wall brick work to get to the leaves thus making tree grease ineffective? I don’t know what else to try! Many thanks

[@AllotmentBook]

that sounds like a difficult problem … perhaps spraying the aphids and ants off with a hose may help? otherwise, may be worth investigating options to deal with ants at ground level by bait or similar if you can identify their runs to the trees.

[@sodaratieng9507]

I used ground coffee and garlic. Try both.

[@longboredterrie]

what can i do if a fence is a problem I cant keep the tree off the fence and all my trees are on the fence

[@AllotmentBook]

Is pruning an option? I try and keep all leaves and branches away from touching the fence in my garden. When I support young trees with stakes, I also grease the stakes to stop ants climbing up.

[@chrischen9589]

I finally have cherries after taking care of it every day. The cherries are small and not sweet but turning red. Anything I could do to make it make it big & sweet?

[@AllotmentBook]

In general, the longer the cherries are left on the tree the sweeter and larger they become as they ripen, but there are different types of cherry tree. This page may help: www.allotmentbook.co.uk/pl/fv/cherry-varieties/3345

[@chrischen9589]

@@AllotmentBook Thank you. We have crazy weather in Canada. One week really hot over 25 degrees Celsius the next week 11-20 degrees daytime and some nights close to 9 degrees.

[@PineGeri]

Have you used DE?

[@markgallagher3409]

Hi these little things have covered my rose Bush, can I apply the same techniques too remove them many thanks 👍

[@AllotmentBook]

on my rose bushes I find these are less badly affected than my fruit trees, and the aphids concentrate on the flower buds. i don’t have many bushes, and therefore i find it quite quick to wash them off using a hose. the tree grease would work too, depending on the number of vertical stems to protect.

[@markgallagher3409]

Many thanks for your quick reply ,, cheers👍👍👍

[@CurtisClapperton]

What is tree grease?

[@SM-lx4ws]

Any suggestions to get rid of wooly aphids off apple tree, please?

[@AllotmentBook]

Trees are difficult because of their size. If the tree is small and if caught early, it may be possible to control by rubbing off the aphids. Or try knocking off with a jet setting on a garden hose?

[@SikandarKhan-qj3wx]

WHERE TO BUY TREE GREASE FROM ??? I CANT FIND IT IN MY LOCAL GARDEN STORE OR B&Q

[@RichWoods23]

There are plenty of online places which sell it (though B&Q isn't one of them).

[@cuthbertmilligen]

I used to use sticky bands to stop the ants, which worked. However I became concerned that so many other insects were being caught & killed. So I stopped, and, got aphids... Is this tree grease also a general insect killer?

[@AllotmentBook]

the tree grease i use is made from vegetable oil - it is very sticky though

[@Hansulf]

Yes, be careful using Grease or vaseline. I use to do this but I got trunk rot several times.

[@Tojofica]

Did u find anything else effective? Our pests just run along vasaline and the oil wraps 😡

[@Hansulf]

@@Tojofica Yes! Distemaceous earth, but is a dust/sand that you need to put again if its raining

[@Tojofica]

@@Hansulf iv been using that for the last 2 yrs around my garden it actually ended up looking like a voodoo plot at 1 point I'd scattered that much. Iv been using potassium soap and neem oil jet washes on the tree but for some reason never put d.e on the tree also. My tree is very well established (very big) and was here b4 we bought the house, it was so bad with aphids we cut it right back and tried to maintain it when it grew back but it was just too evasive to stop so we cut it right back again but made it shorter. Think I need to go even shorter cos the aphids are starting to come back and I can't reach the top again🙆 just shattered lots of de Il leave it a few days now but then the jet wash and then the whole shabang is coming back out, see if this year we can at least be aphid N ant free. We seem to have ant infestations all around the garden so digging up all the grass and putting something solid down and sticking to pots fingers crossed it gets easier🤷‍♀️

[@Hansulf]

@@Tojofica If you have problems with aphids, chances are you have a problem with ants... What type of tree do you have? You can always use a sticky tape

[@Tojofica]

@@Hansulf yep, a huge problem with ants.... They r after the honeydew from the aphids on my lemon tree

[@keithwright4921]

What was that black stuff,called ? Cheers, keith,France,🤠

[@hughmacintyre2828]

Got this advice from an Indian chap on KZbin; mix two teaspoons bicarbonate of soda ( can use baking powder - but a bit harsh), couple of teaspoons oil - I used olive, couple of squirts of hand wash - fairy liquid is too harsh - kills bees and other helpful insects, top up with litre of water, shake and spray. Cleared my dahlias no problem, also helped on plum tree - but have to spray underneath leaves.

[@ciaranbyrne62]

It's happening on my vibernum opulus " snowball tree " plant. I used soapy water. But the plant didn't like that. They're back the ants have been busy😅

[@ItsJustMe-tc5ii]

Please try whole milk to water in 1:10 ratio. You have to spray once in the beginning of the infestation and once more after four days to wash off remaining/escaped bugs. I have been using this for four years now, successfully on my roses and also fruit trees.

[@yonatanmelul4623]

I use cinnamon to deter ants out of my kitchen ... Pretty water soluble though. Do you think a mixture of vaseline and cinnamon will make a good diy?

[@AllotmentBook]

I have not tried vaseline, but I may give it a go to see whether it forms a sticky enough barrier to prevent ants climbing over. Cinnamon as an ant repellent is new to me. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

[@maryoboyle1156]

I have a old cherry tree about 10 foot high, I can't get to the branches as it so high, what can I do please help

[@AllotmentBook]

Hello! I'm not sure if your question is about controlling aphids or picking fruit? To control aphids, the tree grease is applied around 50 cm above the ground. For picking fruit, aside from a ladder, perhaps a telescopic pole type fruit picker may help?

[@maryoboyle1156]

@@AllotmentBook Thank you for your quick reply, some mostly all the leaves look damage, some black curled leafs and feel sticky there is fruit on it, I can't see anything crawling, but I have alot of bees at night!!!

[@AllotmentBook]

thank you, i understand now! My experience is that ants make the problem (much) worse, stopping the ants climbing will not prevent a tree having black fly, but hopefully will stop the tree having a very bad attack. Bees are attracted to the sweet liquid produced by the aphids. I hope you still get a harvest off your tree!

[@maryoboyle1156]

@@AllotmentBook thanks very much for your reply and now that all makes sense! 🤔

[@saxenart]

Can i also just cut the tree where they all are?

[@AllotmentBook]

I tend not to cut branches off my trees unless they are diseased. Cutting runs a risk of bringing disease into a tree. If a tree is really badly affected, sometimes I just leave the tree alone. My trees often recover well year to year (one year they can be badly attacked, and the next almost bug free). I do try to catch attacks as early as possible. I find this the best way of preventing problems getting out of control.

[@joyceTurner-nc1em]

I have jus sprayed mine with diluted fairy liquid si

[@mazariqbal9514]

Using normal fly spray killer on aphids work's as well, try it yourself and you will see the results...work's wonders...

[@falloutfarms]

Excessive nitrogen can also bring in aphids.

[@louisebarber2955]

My young cherry tree is potted and is so infected that the aphids are now covering the pot 😩 I don’t even know where to start

[@AllotmentBook]

If the tree is small you could try using a hose on a jet setting to wash off the aphids with water. A powerful jet of water may do the trick. Or even try and rub them off by hand. I’ve found it much easier to control aphids at first sign of attack, it’s harder once they are established and the leaves start to curl.

[@learnwithfun4544]

Aphids storming here in kashmir, growing concern for apple growers .

[@AllotmentBook]

Thanks for sharing, I’ve done a quick search online and it looks a big problem. I was not aware of this before your comment.