I have a small above-ground water lily garden. I am having a problem with tiny flying bugs which sit on the lily pads by the hundreds. They fly when disturbed and immediately come back. I cannot catch one to take a picture of because they are so fast.
I've tried washing them off with the water hose. I've tried holding the lily pads under the water until I hope they have drowned. They always come right back. The very slight cold that we had this past winter did not slow them down at all. (I do not remember having had them before last summer.)
I can't spray poison because I have fish in the pond (who show absolutely no interest in eating the bugs).
If you have any suggestions on how to get rid of them little varmints, please let me know.
Thanks!
Kay
Little grey flying bugs on my water lilies
You may have aphids or water gnats. You may wish to introduce ladybugs and/or green lacewings to your garden for a natural contol. Good luck.
They do have a mild soap solution that is for water garden plants....I'll try to find the name of it, I know I sometimes see in on ebay. Otherwise, it sounds like aphids, so sometimes hand wiping them with a damp sponge, combined with lady bugs, will help. I moved mine about a foot lower in the water last year, and chopped off all the above water foliage, and the new growth seemed to not have nearly as many. The fish did nibble on little bits of them that were underwater for the first day, then got bored.