Aphids can be a major nuisance for any gardener. These small sap-sucking insects attack a wide variety of plants including beautiful tulip trees. When aphids infest tulip trees, they can stunt growth, cause leaf curling and galling, and drip sticky honeydew onto surfaces below. Getting rid of these persistent pests takes diligence and repeated efforts. But with the right techniques, you can eliminate aphids from your tulip trees for good.
What are Tulip Tree Aphids?
It is a pale green to yellow bug that is less than 1/8 inch long and lives on tulip trees. Its antennae and legs are black, and its abdomen has two long, black tubes called cornicles. Nymphs are born alive and go through several molts before becoming adults with or without wings. These specialists only eat tulip trees.
Tulip tree aphids pierce leaves and stems to suck out sap. They prefer the undersides of leaves, where their feeding causes curling, stunting, and distortions. Heavy infestations can even make leaves drop prematurely. As the aphids feed, they excrete sticky honeydew onto leaves and surfaces below. Sooty black mold often grows over this sugary substance.
How to Identify Aphid Damage on Tulip Trees
Watch for these signs of a tulip tree aphid infestation:
- Misshapen, curled, or yellowing leaves
- Clusters of small greenish insects on leaf undersides
- Honeydew dripping from leaves
- Sooty black mold on leaves and ground
- Reduced growth and sparse canopy
- Premature leaf drop
Catch infestations early by routinely inspecting branch undersides. A hand lens helps spot the tiny pests. Peel back curled leaves to look for colonies. Also check for ants, which feed on honeydew and may protect aphids.
Effective Ways to Get Rid of Tulip Tree Aphids
-
Blast with water: Use a strong stream of water to knock aphids off of leaves, focusing on the bottoms and cracks. Do this once a week or as needed.
-
Use horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps: Coat leaves, smothering aphids on contact. Apply weekly until pests are gone.
-
Release beneficial insects: Ladybugs, lacewings, and other predators feed on aphids. Order them online and release near infestations.
-
Apply neem oil: Disrupts aphid lifecycles and repels them from plants. Spray leaves thoroughly.
-
Use systemic insecticides, which are put on the tree’s roots and then taken up by its tissues, killing pests. Preventive applications are ideal.
-
Prune infested branches: Remove badly infested leaves and stems. Destroy them immediately.
-
Reflective mulches: Early season application deters winged aphids from landing and laying eggs on trees.
-
Sticky barriers: Bands of glue or petroleum jelly around trunks stop winged aphids from climbing into canopy.
-
Maintain tree health: Aphids target stressed trees. Proper water, fertilizer, pruning, and mulching keeps trees vigorous.
-
Plant companion plants: Herbs like chives and sage or flowers like marigolds repel aphids. Interplant them around tulip trees.
When to Call a Professional Arborist
For severe infestations in mature tulip trees, professional treatment is best. Arborists have special equipment to spray tall trees and know the optimal application timing and treatment regimens. They can monitor pest numbers and ensure the infestation is fully eliminated. This prevents aphids from recurring and protects your trees.
Stop Aphids Before They Become a Problem
While not usually fatal, unchecked aphid populations can seriously stress tulip trees. Combined with preventive mulching and tree care, repeated applications of organic pesticides or biological controls keep these sap-sucking pests at bay. Be vigilant in checking for symptoms and take quick action at the first sign of infestation. With persistence, you can enjoy beautiful, aphid-free tulip trees.
CONTROL APHIDS WITH NATURAL AND ORGANIC SPRAYS
Make a homemade aphid spray by mixing a few tablespoons of a pure liquid soap (such as castile) in a small bucket of water. (Avoid using detergents or products with degreasers or moisturizers.) Apply with a spray bottle directly on aphids and the affected parts of the plant, making sure to soak the undersides of leaves where eggs and larvae like to hide. The soap dissolves the protective outer layer of aphids and other soft-bodied insects, eventually killing them. It doesn’t harm birds or hard-bodied beneficial insects like lacewings, ladybugs or pollinating bees. You can also purchase ready-to-use insecticidal soaps online or at a local nursery.
Aphids and other insects, like mealybugs, cabbage worms, beetles, leafminers, ants, and different kinds of caterpillars, are scared off by the organic compounds in neem oil. However, it may repel beneficial insects, so use caution when and where they are present. Follow package instructions for diluting the oil in water or use a ready-to-use neem oil spray, and spray the affected areas. Neem oil is also good for controlling different types of fungus. Read more on how to use neem oil.
Create your own spray mixture with essential oils. Use 4 to 5 drops of each: peppermint, clove, rosemary and thyme, and mix with water in a small spray bottle. Spray on affected plants to target adult aphids, as well as aphid larvae and eggs.
Pictured Left: Green lacewing larva. Photo by: Tomasz Klejdysz / Shutterstock. Pictured Right: Lady beetle larva. Photo by: Geoffrey Budesa / Shutterstock.
Ladybugs don’t eat nearly as many aphids as they do as larvae. This is why many people are disappointed that buying live ladybugs and putting them in their garden doesn’t help control the problem.
There needs to be a large enough aphid population to keep the ladybugs fed long enough to mate and lay eggs — because it’s the larvae that eat the most aphids. Ladybug larvae don’t look at all like the adults were so familiar with, so identification is important (see photo). Live ladybugs can be purchased online or at your local nursery.
Tips for better results:
- Before letting plants go, lightly mist them to get them to stop and drink because they are probably thirsty.
- Let them go when it’s cooler, like early in the morning or late at night.
- You have to apply more than once because most of them will fly away in a few days.
As with ladybugs, green lacewing larvae do the work of controlling aphids. Green lacewing eggs can also be purchased online and sometimes at a local nursery.
Provide houses for bug-eating birds, like wrens and chickadees, to live in and they’ll repay you by helping keep the insect population under control. Grow small trees and shrubs where they can take cover and build their own nests.
Learn more about beneficial garden insects.
GET RID OF APHIDS BY HAND
Spray aphids off of plants with a strong stream of water from a garden hose. This method is most effective early on in the season before an infestation has fully taken hold. If the plants are young or easily hurt, this might not be the best choice. But it works well on plants that can handle more water pressure.
Put on some garden gloves and knock them off of stems, leaves, flower buds, or wherever you see them, and into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. You can also cut or prune off the affected areas and drop them into the bucket.
Foolproof Aphid Control and Prevention
FAQ
How do you control aphids on tulip trees?
Aphids can be controlled with insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils. However, there are also a number of other pesticides that are labeled for aphids that should also work well. Soaps and oils are less damaging to parasites and predators than are most other types of insecticides.
How do I permanently get rid of aphids on my trees?
Insecticidal soap is a safe and effective way to get rid of aphids. In order to make sure it’s done safely, make sure to follow the directions on the label or have a professional do it. Neem oil is a natural, botanical product that can be used to control aphids. It works by disrupting the life cycle of the pest.
Does soapy water actually kill aphids?
The most organic method of control, and often a quite effective one, is the spray of water. Soapy water can help kill the aphids, as it sounds like you know, but a particularly strong jet of water will dislodge/kill most of them physically, as well.
What product kills aphids on trees?
Insecticide Concentrates for AphidsSpray Concentrates. D-Fense SC 1 pt. $49. 95. Out of stock. $85. 95. Spray Concentrates. Merit 2F Insecticide from ENVU (Bayer) 1 Gal. $129. 99. Fendona CS 1 Pt. $8. 95 – $87. 95. Bifen I/T Insecticide 1 Pt. $29. 95. $39. 95. $34. 95 – $239. 95.
Do tulip tree aphids eat leaves?
Tulip tree aphids live and feed on the undersides of leaves. Heavy infestations cause leaves to drop, and repeated infestations can reduce tree growth and canopy density. Tulip tree aphids produce copious honeydew, so leaves and surrounding surfaces are often blackened with sooty mold. Native lady beetle stalking a tulip tree aphid. Photo: SD Frank.
Where do tulip tree aphids live?
Tulip tree aphids occur wherever tulip trees, their only host, grow and particularly on trees planted in landscapes and along streets. Tulip tree aphids live and feed on the undersides of leaves. Heavy infestations cause leaves to drop, and repeated infestations can reduce tree growth and canopy density.
Are tulip tree aphids harmful?
This can cause lasting damage that manifests as a thinned-out canopy and reduced tree growth overall. These tulip tree aphids also produce huge amounts of honeydew, which makes the surrounding area of the tree, and other nearby surfaces, black with mold.
Do tulip tree aphids overwinter?
Tulip tree aphids overwinter as eggs that hatch in spring. There are several generations during summer and populations can increase rapidly in late spring. Natural enemies typically catch up with them and reduce the populations by early summer. Thus management is often not required.
Do tulip trees eat honeydew?
Tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) have two primary pests both of which produce honeydew and both of which are actively feeding now. Tulip tree scales are brown bumps that live and feed on branches. They were covered in a recent blog post and detailed article. Adult tulip tree aphids (Illinoia liriodendri) are similar to other aphids.
What does a tulip tree aphid look like?
Tulip tree scales are brown bumps that live and feed on branches. They were covered in a recent blog post and detailed article. Adult tulip tree aphids (Illinoia liriodendri) are similar to other aphids. They are yellow with dark antennae and dark cornicles. Winged adults may become darker. Nymphs are smaller and yellow.