Aphids on Tomato Plants: Symptoms & Prevention

Aphids are the most annoying tomato pests, which are tiny in size, have soft bodies, and are pear-shaped. They are very commonly spotted in organic gardens, and mostly green color aphids are spotted. They can infect almost all sorts of plants and cannot be easily removed from the garden.

Stunted growth, curly or yellow leaves, and a large number of ants in your plant are the common symptoms of aphids in your garden. They can be organically controlled by hand-picking methods, natural repellent spray, and soapy water spray and can be prevented by companion planting, attracting natural predators and birds.

I briefly elaborated all the points in this article to better understand aphids and their controlling and preventing measures.

What are Aphids?

Aphids are from the Aphididae family have soft bodies and tiny in size and are even less than ¼ inch. These pests are generally green, yellow, brown, orange, and black. But the green aphids are more commonly spotted. 

Aphids have around 4000 species worldwide and are more prone in moderate and warm climates. A single female aphid can reproduce 80 offspring per week. 

They generally come in a group and hence can be easily spotted.

They reside underneath the tomato leaves and new stems. But their presence is not very harmful, and it is very easy to get rid of them.

Due to their rapid reproduction production process, the aphid population and infection both spread quickly. The reproduced aphids are called nymphs, which are very tiny and mature within three weeks of birth but remain smaller in size.

They form their territory in new areas like tomato gardens when they are big in number. 

What Do Aphids Look Like?

Aphids are very small in size, have very soft bodies, and almost have a peer shape. Their size varies from 1-10 millimeters depending on their species. They are green, orange, brown, black, or gray in color.

Generally, there are only two common species of aphids on tomatoes, the potato and green peach aphids.

However, Green Aphids are very commonly spotted. They might have a waxy or powdery coating on their bodies. They love to stay on foliage and stem and suck the sap of the plants.

Potato aphids are pink or pale yellow-green in color and attracted by tomatoes.

Symptoms of Aphids on Tomato Plants

If your tomato plant show the below-listed symptoms, then there might be a possibility of aphids in your garden plants.

• Stunted Growths: The presence of aphids in your tomato garden can lead to short plant growth. It sucks the nutrients out from leaves and stems, which is one of the vital reasons for the stunted growth of tomato plants.
• Curled or yellow leaves: The aphids suck sap from the plants, resulting in the curling and yellowing of leaves. If such symptoms are spotted, inspect the top and under the surface of the leaves along with the stems. Though you can easily spot them with the naked eye, sometimes it can become difficult.
• Sticky honeydews: Sticky honeydews are produced due to aphids. It is clear, sweet, and sticky and covers the areas where honeydews are present. As it is sweet, it simply attracts lots of ants. Thus, the presence of many ants is a sign of aphids in your tomato plants. Thus it is advised to closely inspect for aphids if ants are there in your tomato plants. The Honeydew results in the growth of sooty mold, which causes the plants to turn black. 

Why are aphids harmful to your tomatoes? How Destructive is It?

Aphids grow rapidly and multiply faster. So it is not that easy to remove them from the garden.

They spread many plant diseases, like tomato mosaic viruses and cucumber mosaic viruses. Then it is spread by host aphids, which suck juices from the leaves and spread to many other plants rapidly.

They harm plants badly as they suck sap from the leaves. So nutrients of the plants are taken out by them due to which plants are left wilted and leaves turn their color to yellow. It also causes stunted growth of the plant and badly impacts the tomato quality and its production. 

When Honeydew, i.e., aphid wastes, are spotted, it clearly signifies the presence of aphids in your plants. As it is sweet, it attracts many ants. It also results in the discoloration of plants and turns them black. 

7 Organic Methods To Get Rid Of Aphids On Tomato Plants

Yes, you heard it correctly. You can remove aphids organically without harming your plants—just use the methods below for aphid control in an organic and easy way.

Manual Removal

If only a few aphids are spotted, they should be removed by handpicking. Wear globs in your hand, pick them off, and put them in soapy water to destroy them completely. 

Inspect the leaves’ undersurface regularly, as they mostly love to stay there. 

If you spot many aphids, you can follow other methods to remove them from your garden.

Water Spray

If the hand-picking option is unsuitable because you have many plants or for another reason, you can remove aphids from a sharp blast of water from hoses. The aphids are swiped out from the leaves and stem. 

Keep a regular check and repeat the process to remove them. This method has a drawback; along with aphids, it also removes the beneficial insects from the plants. 

Plant Bug Repellent

You can also prepare organic repellent using garlic, rosemary, peppermint, water, and dish soap. This repellent won’t kill aphids, but its smell confuses and repel aphids and force them to change their shelter.

You can spray tomato plants with this repellant on the undersurface of the leaves and stem. Keep applying it every few days until they are completely gone. 

Water and Dish Soap

You can also make an easy spray only with two ingredients, i.e., water and dish soap. Spraying this spray on the aphids can suffocate them and kill them. 

Take one-quarter of water and put a few drops of liquid soap. Either spray it or wipe it on the leaves and stems. If the aphid infestation is vigorous, swiping would be the best option. 

Please ensure to apply the solution on all parts of the plants to remove them completely. 

Introduce Predatory Insects

Most gardeners attract some predatory insects in their garden, which can feed these aphids. Some of the predatory insects are ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps. 

But I would say to go for companion planting as predatory insects might go away from your garden before controlling aphids. 

Companion planting with herbs, flowers, and vegetables naturally attracts predatory insects. This method also works to reduce other harmful insects along with aphids.

You should make your garden bird-friendly at the same time. Birds love to feed aphids which can help you to get rid of them.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous Earth is composed of silica-rich powder. It does not impact humans but is damn harsh to tiny aphids. The aphids are trapped in DE and cut, which results in their death. 

Use food grade DE as it is human-friendly, and avoid using filter grade DE (not human-friendly). DE does not perform while it’s wet. 

So it is best to sprinkle them early in the morning or evening after drying of dew on the soil and the plants.

But avoid using them when your plant is in the blooming stage, as they can also kill pollinating agents like bees. You can apply them in the evening when they are inactive and sleeping. 

Neem Oil – A Natural Disinfectant

Neem works the same as soap. The application of neem oil can suffocate the aphids and destroy them. It disrupts their feeding and reproductive behavior.

But it should be your last choice as it can also impact the beneficial insects in your garden. Thus it is better to go for other methods to control aphids.

How To Prevent Aphids on Tomato Plants?

Healthy Soil and Healthy Tomato Plants: 

Using nutrients and healthy soil to plant your tomato plants is best. Obviously, plants are grown healthy in such soil. 

Even if aphids feed on healthy plants, they are not impacted at all. So using good soil should be the primary choice for pest prevention.

Aphids are also attracted due to their yellow color, and weak plants are also yellow. So aphids attack weak/yellow plants more often.

Companion planting:

Companion planting is always considered as the best option to control various pests, diseases, and fungal infections. You can plant herbs and flowers like basil and marigolds.

You can also check the best companion plants for your tomato.

Trap Croppings:

Planting trap crops like Nasturtiums can easily trap aphids. They attract aphids more than tomato plants. When colonies of aphids are spotted on the plant, pull the flowering plant and completely dispose of it to destroy the aphids.

Sticky Traps: 

Yellow color attracts aphids. Sticky boards are a proactive way of preventing aphids from settling on your tomato plants – they attract and catch aphids before it’s too late.

So bring yellow sticky boards to trap aphids. They would definitely get attracted to this board and leave your plant eventually. 

Attract aphids predators:

Grow maximum companion plants that can attract more predators, like lady beetles, syrphid flies, and lacewings. You can also develop some birdhouses and Feeders in or around your garden to eliminate the annoying aphids.

What is homemade aphid spray for tomatoes?

Aphids are small insects that feed on plant sap and can cause damage to tomato plants if left unchecked. Fortunately, there are some natural ways to get rid of them without resorting to harsh chemicals.

One such way is by making an effective homemade aphid spray. This homemade solution is made of ingredients such as garlic, pepper, and soap. The garlic acts as a natural repellent while the pepper works to kill the aphids upon contact.

Finally, the soap helps to spread the mixture evenly over your tomato plants so that all of the leaves are covered.

With a little bit of time and effort, you can keep your tomato plants aphid-free and produce a healthy bounty of delicious tomatoes!

Will vinegar kill aphids on tomatoes?

Yes, vinegar can be an effective solution for killing aphids on tomatoes. Vinegar is a natural and non-toxic substance that works by disrupting the insect’s nerve cells, causing them to die.

To use this method, mix one part white distilled vinegar with four parts water in a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well and spray the affected plants until they are thoroughly saturated.

The solution should be reapplied every few days for at least a week to ensure all aphids have been eliminated. It is important to note that vinegar can also harm beneficial insects, so it should only be used as an absolute last resort.

Additionally, this method may not work on especially large aphid infestations. In these cases, contact a professional pest control service for assistance.

Summary

Yes, aphids are one of the most irritating insects, which can impact your plant and ultimately affect the growth and yield of your tomato plants.

You can quickly and definitely get rid of them by using the tricks discussed in the article above. But prevention is always better than cure. So you should take all the preventive measures to avoid the risk of aphids.

Like always, prefer using the best nutrient soil for planting; create all possible means to attract predators and birds in your garden.

Plant companion plants around your tomatoes and you will probably never come across aphids and can save your lovely tomato plants.