Should you spray your crops with pesticide to kill aphids?

Answer 1

Even organic pesticides are potentially harmful to beneficial pollinators such as honeybees.

Some aphid infestations can be controlled by simply aiming a jet of water at the infested plant, and this should be tried first.

If the damage caused by aphids is severe enough to warrant the risk of insecticide use, these recommendations should help minimize the harm to pollinators:

1. Apply during early morning or late evening hours, when bees are least active
2. Avoid application while flowers are in full bloom
3. Always follow the instructions and precautions on the insecticide label
4. If you're spraying a large area, notify any beekeepers in the vicinity so they can temporarily confine or move their bees

Answer 2

Every farmer has to answer this for him/herself. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) should always be considered when the crop is being planned. Contact-kill pesticides should never be applied until the number of pests has risen to a level where economic damage is occurring. Once the number of pests has risen to an unacceptable level, only approved pesticides should be applied by a trained, licensed operator.

Answer 3

some thought on it is that treating for them also will kill beneficial insect that feed on them and the aphids will come back before the beneficial thus creating an imbalance that allow the aphid population to explode making the problem worse

Lar

Answer 4

Immunity build-ups, insecticide drift and residue, and non-target die-offs are problems when spraying the garden for aphids. Target-specific insecticides may be so effective in their control that healthy populations of such beneficial insects as ladybugs may fall so low as to jeopardize food chain and food web balances in the garden or so ineffective that stronger aphids develop tolerances. Non-target insecticides may impact such beneficial insects as pollinators while there is always the concern over atmospheric drift and soil residue affecting animals of no concern to edibles and ornamentals.

Answer 5

I see no reason why you shouldn't they are not a beneficial insect and are extremely destructive to plants