{"id":26443,"date":"2025-06-06T15:24:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T19:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=26443"},"modified":"2025-06-06T15:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T19:24:25","slug":"how-do-you-get-rid-of-aphids-covering-a-dappled-willow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2025\/06\/06\/how-do-you-get-rid-of-aphids-covering-a-dappled-willow\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you get rid of aphids covering a Dappled Willow?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/span><\/h3>\n

We have a beautiful Dappled Willow Tree in our yard that is in full flower mode. It is about eight-feet tall with a width of about the same. It is full of aphids. How do we get rid of such pests on a bush so large?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Answer:<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
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Lovely tree, I’m sorry to hear you are struggling with aphids, but they’re a very common garden pest, so don’t despair. Aphids in and of themselves won’t hurt the tree in the long-term, as long as we get them dealt with. They can weaken the plant over time if left alone, and they can be vectors for other diseases, so action is still good, but if you get it down to just a few here and there, the plant will be fine.<\/p>\n

First, I would recommend a vigorous and thorough spraying with the water hose, close up and ideally with a nozzle that allows you to focus the stream. Aphids are pretty easy to dislodge under normal circumstances, but you’ll be surprised how many of them you can physically knock off the tree. Once they’re on the ground, they won’t come back. Obviously, this won’t get every single aphid, but it will get a lot for very little effort that is pretty environmentally friendly (other than increased water usage). A happy side effect is it will wash off the honeydew they leave on the surface, which can attract wasps and other pests later in the season.<\/p>\n

If that doesn’t dramatically help things,\u00a0you can consider chemical intervention<\/a>. Neem oil and horticultural oil drenches are more serious, but still relatively non-toxic, approaches that are effective on aphids (it coats and suffocates them). Both–as with the water–will only affect aphids they physically come into contact with, so monitoring and repeating the procedure might be necessary. If you choose to go this route, please read carefully and follow conscientiously all instructions on the package. They’re for your safety (and they’re the law).\u00a0 But I highly recommend the water treatment first.<\/p>\n

Happy gardening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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