Aphids on Jasmine | 4 Ways to get rid of them FAST!

Aphids are a common pest that can attack the small new growth on Jasmine. Aphids can be treated with eco-oil or a home-made soap spray. Before treating, allow a day or two for ladybugs to move in and eat the aphids. If the aphids have taken over move in a treat with an ecological oil to remove them.

How aphids damage Jasmine

There are a few ways that aphid will damage Jasmine, can slow its growth make it less likely to have a full bloom of beautiful flowers in Spring.

Healthy jasmine will be more resistant to aphid attack.

Sucking sap

Aphids are a small green or brown sucking insect that sit on the new growth and stems of Jasmine. They will suck the water and sap from the Jasmine plant. This will damage the plant over time as it loses moisture and nutrients.

Attracting ants

Aphids will release a sticky sweet substance when they feed on the stems. This can attract ants which can transfer other diseases from the soil to the plant. A Jasmine plant infested with aphids can also be quickly covered in ants.

The problem of ants can be as bad as getting all over you, your kids and pets. Dealing with the aphid problem will also deal with the ant problem by taking away their food source.

Aphids will suck sap from leaves and stems, they usually look small and green.

Without the aphids producing the honeydew, there is nothing that attracts ants to Jasmine, except perhaps the leftover sticky substance.

Sooty mold

Sooty mold will form in the areas infected by the aphids as it grows on the areas of the secreted honeydew. Black sooty mold looks dark and horrible and white mold can also form in these areas.

White mold will look fluffy, like it is a creature itself but will form around the area of honeydew. It can be seen where the leaf stem meets the branch.

How to get rid of aphids on jasmine

There are 4 great ways of getting rid of aphids of jasmine. Start at number 1 and then you can work your way down the list depending on how severe the infestation is.

Allowing ladybugs to take care of small aphid infestations.

1. Allow ladybugs to come in

The first thing I always do when aphid are attacking any plant in my garden especially Star Jasmine I to wait for 1-2 day for the ladybugs to move in. They are the natural enemies of aphid and for small infestation can address the issue.

Ladybugs can fly into your garden, discover the aphids and quickly devour 10 or more aphids each is a short period of time.

This happened when I first planted my Jasmine and it was establishing.

Aphids attacked the new growth in Fall and within a day the ladybugs took care of them and they were gone.

New growth on jasmine is more likely to be attacked by aphids.

2. Squirt them off with water

The next method that can be used to get rid of small aphid infestations on Jasmine is the water method. This is simply to get your garden hose and using the jet setting squirt the aphids off the plant.

Take care not to turn the water up too high otherwise you can damage the plant. This is a great method and a natural way to remove aphids without using pesticides.

Removing most of the aphids with water can decrease their population enough to allow predatory insects such as ladybugs to move in and take care of the rest.

3. Homemade soap sprays

Using a homemade soap spray is an easy way to treat an aphid attack on Jasmine. This mix is as simple as adding a few drop of dish soap to a spray bottle with clean water. This soapy water mix can be sprayed onto the aphids and will smother and kill the bugs.

This process may need to be repeated a few times to successfully remove the pests completely but it is simple, cheap and easy to do at home.

For a large aphid infestation that is taking over your petunias it may be time to step up to a horticultural oil.

My new jasmine that is now free of aphids.

4. Eco oil

The next step to deal with a larger aphid infestation on Jasmine is eco-oil or neem oil. Neem oil is a vegetable oil which comes from pressing the fruits and seeds of the Neem tree.

Neem oil can be sprayed every 2-3 days on the affected areas covering the aphids. Aphids can hide all over the plant but tend to head to the new growth areas and ends of the stems.

Follow the instructions on the Neem oil pack and get rid of aphids on jasmine.

Check out Neem oil from Amazon by clicking the image below.

How to kill aphids with vinegar

Vinegar is another way to deal with aphids and can be sprayed on star Jasmine once it has been watered down and misted onto the Jasmine plant.

Vinegar is highly acidic so needs to be watered down to a 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. This will ensure that the acid does not burn the plant.

The diluted vinegar mix should be sprayed on in the morning when the plant is not in direct and hot sunlight to avoid burning the leaves.

Vinegar is a mild spray so can be repeated the next week if the aphids have not disappeared.

Aphids on Jasmine | Summary

Aphids can attack jasmine and are more common in the Fall and Spring seasons. It is best to start small when dealing with a small aphid attack that way you will not add unnecessary substances to your garden.

It will also allow the natural predators to move in and deal with the situation which is the easiest solution and requires no effort from you at all.

Check your jasmine regularly and step up the aphid treatment if their numbers increase.