Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Kill Aphids on Tomato Plants

...
tomato plants image by JLycke from Fotolia.com

Tomato plants are susceptible to several different types of pests and diseases. One of those pests is called an aphid. Aphids are tiny sap suckers that drain the leaves of a tomato plant of its necessary fluids. You can identify aphids by their pear-shaped bodies. These pests are 1/8 inch long and often black, brown, or green. You can get rid of the aphids on your tomato plants with soapy water.

Hose down your tomato plants once each morning. Make sure the water isn't coming out too forcefully, or it could damage the plants. Spraying the tomato plants will wash the aphids off. This will work if you only have a few aphids to deal with.

  • Tomato plants are susceptible to several different types of pests and diseases.
  • You can identify aphids by their pear-shaped bodies.

Pour water into a small bucket.

Add dish soap to the bucket of water. The dish soap must be plain. That means it needs to be free of a degreaser or antibacterial agent.

Mix the two ingredients together. Pour some of the soapy water into an empty spray bottle.

Spray your tomato plants with the soapy water. This will kill any aphids on the tomato plant and keep new aphids away. Repeat once every other week, or after a heavy rainfall.

  • Pour water into a small bucket.
  • Pour some of the soapy water into an empty spray bottle.

Ants Eat Aphids On Tomato Plants?

Aphids produce, as a byproduct of feeding, a sticky, sweet substance known as honeydew. The shiny honeydew can host the growth of black sooty mold and attracts ants. A small population of aphids generally has little impact on tomato plant health and these pests are usually easily controlled by natural enemies or environmental factors. If the aphid infestation is heavy, you may need to use other controls. Non-persistent narrow-range oil, neem oil and insecticidal soaps can only kill aphids that they directly come into contact with, so thoroughly spraying the tomato plant, including the undersides of leaves, is important.

Tip

You can save your soapy dish water and use that on your tomato plants.

Warning

Insecticides are dangerous for humans and pets. If you insist on using them to kill the aphids on your tomato plant, go with one that contains the active ingredient malathion.

Related Articles

Natural Pesticides for Tomato Plants
Natural Pesticides for Tomato Plants
How to Kill Bugs on Tomato Plants
How to Kill Bugs on Tomato Plants
How to Get Rid of Beetles on Tomato Plants
How to Get Rid of Beetles on Tomato Plants
Red Bugs on the Tomato Plants
Red Bugs on the Tomato Plants
How to Keep Chipmunks Away From My Tomato Plants
How to Keep Chipmunks Away From My Tomato Plants
How to Keep Bugs Off My Tomato Plants
How to Keep Bugs Off My Tomato Plants
Remedies for Leaf Curl in Tomato Plants
Remedies for Leaf Curl in Tomato Plants
How to Kill Aphids on African Violets
How to Kill Aphids on African Violets
How to Keep Bugs Away From Tomato Plants
How to Keep Bugs Away From Tomato Plants
How to Kill Hornworms on Your Tomato Plants
How to Kill Hornworms on Your Tomato Plants
How to Get Rid of Scale & Mealy Worms on Jade Plants
How to Get Rid of Scale & Mealy Worms on Jade Plants
Plant Lice
Plant Lice
How to Plant Tomatoes With Mothballs
How to Plant Tomatoes With Mothballs
How to Remove Aphids on Mint
How to Remove Aphids on Mint
Garden Guides
×