Things You'll Need:
- Ladybugs
- Plants that attract aphids, like nasturtiums
- Green lacewings
- Garden hose
- Source of water
- Aphid predator
- Neem oil insecticidal soap
- Spray bottle
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Vegetable oil
- Liquid dishwashing soap
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Step 1
Use ladybugs to control aphids on fennel. Ladybugs eat up to 1000 aphids per day and lay as many as 50 eggs. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat 400 aphids a day. When you control aphids on fennel with ladybugs, you have continuous protection because of their reproduction.
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Step 2
Plant aphid attractors elsewhere. If you grow plants like asters, mums or nasturtiums in a location away from the fennel, the plants lure the aphids. They move to those plants and leave the fennel alone.
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Step 3
Buy green lacewing aphids, which eat aphids. Known as aphid lions, these beneficial predators control aphids on fennel by munching away your problem.
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Step 4
Hose down the garden. Aphids are small and no match for the pressure of water from a garden hose. Spray the fennel plants twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. The water knocks the aphids from the plant and deters them from eating.
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Step 5
Find the gnat-sized bug called the aphid predator. These tiny creatures produce larvae that consume as many as 60 aphids a day, even though their prey is larger than they are. The female lays up to 250 eggs that hatch within 10 days of mating.
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Step 6
Spray the aphids with a Neem oil insecticidal soap. The soap degrades the exterior waterproofing of the exoskeleton. Spray heavily, as the soap works only on contact.
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Step 7
Cut away and dispose of affected plants. Make your own pesticide with vegetable oil and dishwashing soap. Mix 1 cup oil and 1 tablespoon soap. To use the pesticide, mix 3 tablespoons of the oil mixture into 2 cups warm water. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and combat the aphids. When you control aphids on fennel with this natural pesticide, don't forget to wash the plant well before you eat it.
