What's happening here?

[sunglassesonthetable]

I'm new to Dahlias. Could someone advise.

These late planted Dahlias are coming along nicely. There is one absolutely heaving with little flies 🤔

What should I do?

Thank you

Either hope for ladybirds to arrive, to eat them, or put on gardening gloves and squish them with your fingers.

Spray with washing up liquid, water combination.

Gordon Bennett.

Spraying with a DROP of washing up liquid in a spray can of water will stop the aphids from being able to breathe as it acts as a wetting agent. If you are going to advise this at least be more specific about the combination and why you are recommending it.

However this just stops insects who eat aphids from being attracted to your garden and creates more problems in the future. Which is why it isn't usually the first knee jerk reaction unless you want to always be battling with aphids.

If I see aphids I usually leave them be, and let the natural predators come and sort them out. I've not had to squish aphids in years.

They are aphids. You can squash them with your fingers or use a jet of water to squirt them off, or you can wait for ladybirds to arrive and eat them. Or you can buy some insecticide.

If it's only affecting a small bit and you're squeamish about squashing them (it gets easier with practice) you can just cut off the buggy bit.

Cut that stem off. And blasted the rest with water🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your replies

It helps if you remind yourself that they’re basically water.

Hmm still haven't got my head around squashing them because they're so many of them!

TMI but do you literally press them against the stem ?

Yup, they can be a bit sticky.

@AlisonDonut

If you just leave the aphids what sort of 'damage ' if any will they cause?

They’re very soft. Just put your fingers round the stem, then run your fingers gently up the stem. They just turn into green water.

If you leave them, they’ll suck sap from the plant (more accurately, the pressure inside the plant will push sap into them). If it’s a young seedling, it may kill the plant, an established bush will barely notice it.

thank you

I scrape them off and feed them to my goldfish :D

Very little, they suck the plants a bit but it doesn't kill them if they are found by ladybirds, lacewings or parasitic wasps. I rarely have enough of a problem and if I do, I would rather order new ladybird larvae and put them on the plant and leave them to it than panic.