Root Aphids killed with hot water alone

[Garhart]

125 degrees for five minutes. Worked great for me. Title and Authors :
Phylloxera in Oregon Grape Vines: Biology and Treatment of
Planting Stock With Hot Water Dips
Bernadine Strik and Paula Stonerod
Associate Professor and Research Aide, Dept. of Horticulture
Oregon State University



Here is the relevant portion:
all life stages of phylloxera were subjected to hot water dips in 125*F water for 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 minutes to determine potential for eradication.The results
showed that all life stages were killed with a 5 minute dip in 125F water.

There is an impressive 4 page report on their study.

 

[MF Grimm]

sweet... hard for me to keep a water bath at a constant 125 though...

any recommendations on how to do this?

 

[Garhart]

More of similar :
from the book "The Gardener's Monthly And Horticulturist V25", by Thomas Meehan.

Hot Water To Kill Insects

In the first volume of the Gardeners' Monthly, probably one of the most valuable papers published was one on the use of hot water in destroying plant lice. Many have thanked us since for giving them such a simple and effectual plan. The following details have recently appeared in the London Gardeners' Magazine, and as there are some suggestions in it, not noted in our original paper where 130 was given as the degree of limit, it will be useful to reproduce it here :

"Water is a cheap insecticide insufficiently appreciated, but capable of more extended use than the majority of those who already believe in it are aware. It is quite certain that the best cultivation will not prevent the occurrence amongst plants of such pests as aphis, red spider, mealy bug, and a few of their near relatives. Therefore it will not do to dismiss the subject of plant vermin by saying that good cultivation is a sufficient preventive, though it is unquestionably true that the most natural conditions for vigorous growth are also just those which keep vermin at a distance. We do not intend here to enter upon a general consideration of the subject, but to relate a few particulars of experiments that have been made at Stoke Newington, with a view to determine the extent to which hot water may be employed for the destruction of the insects that most commonly infest plants. The few experiments made have been attended with such promising results that we shall hope to find opportunity soon for repeating them in a more extended and systematic manner. For the present we shall speak of aphis only, and as that is the most prevalent of plant pests, we trust that these remarks will be useful to many readers.

It appears, then, that aphides quickly perish if immersed in water heated to 120° Fah. We obtained from various sources plants infested with green fly, and cleansed them by the simple process of dipping. As the experiments were made in the month of February, we thought it probable that aphis might endure in June a temperature many degrees higher than that which proved fatal to them in the earlier and colder season. Hence it became desirable to ascertain the degree of heat the plants could endure in the dipping process. A number of herbaceous and soft-wooded plants were therefore subjected to the process of immersion in water heated to various degrees above 120. We found that fuchsias were unharmed at 140, but at 1500 the young leaves were slightly injured. Calceolarias suffered at 1400, but the plants were not killed, though their soft tops perished. Pelargoniums were unhurt up to 150, but the slightest rise beyond that figure killed the soft wood and the young leaves completely. Chinese primulas were injured by any rise beyond 140, and this at last proved to be the most general maximum, and may be cited as a rule for observance.

Centaureas, sedums, saxifragas, thyrsacan-thus, justicias, ferns, heliotropes, petunias, begonias, mignonette, and many other plants of soft texture, were unhurt by being dipped in water at 140, but the slightest rise beyond that point was followed by blackening of the leaves, and consequent disfigurement of the plant, and at 150 the process of killing commenced. About ten years ago we reported in the Floral World that Fairy or Lawrence roses, which are grown in quantities in pots for market, could be best kept clean by dipping in hot water, as at 120° the plant is not injured, and every aphis upon it is destroyed. This simple method of removing vermin from plants is, we are quite satisfied, capable of very general adoption, in place of more troublesome and more expensive plans. We shall be glad of any aid our readers can afford towards the reduction to system of the facts of the case. To what extent can we carry on an offensive warfare against scale, red spider, and all the rest of the little foes that plague us in the garden? The question can be better answered by many than a few.

It is eminently a question for those who have opportunity and a liking for experiments, and who can afford to kill a few plants, if need be, to make a sure test of the respective powers of endurance of high temperatures by various orders and genera.

Notwithstanding it is nearly twenty years ago since the Gardeners' Monthly published the fact that water heated to 120 or 130, was the easiest and best remedy against all sorts of insects which infest greenhouse plants, people are very much afraid of it. To encourage these timid people, we give the following bit of experience contributed by a correspondent of the Journal of Horticulture:

"Last spring I read in the Journal that the best way to get rid of insects destructive to Orchids was to plunge the pots in hot water at a temperature of I20°. I was rather in doubt whether it was safe to do this, consequently tried two or three pots that I knew were pretty well full of woodlice, or, perhaps I should say, appeared so from the condition of the roots. The contents of these pots all changed, the insects were killed, and the Orchids improved. Seeing that no injury was caused to the plants, I last August plunged every Orchid I had in water heated to 120. I have found that it has not injured one plant. Dendrobium densi-florum that I subjected to this treatment has now no less than forty-two spikes of bloom, and these in a few days will be fully expanded."

 

[Garhart]

One only has to keep it hot five minutes. I just put the raw coco in a five gallon bucket and pour hot water on it and let it sit 10 minutes or so. Pour it off, when it is cool it is ready to go .

 

[Granger2]

How do you heat the water and maintain the temp? Goes without saying I mean without getting electrocuted lol. You are treating Root Aphids, right? What size pots are you treating? All details will be helpful. Thanks. -granger

 

[SeaMaiden]

I wonder if a water bed heating mat would do the job of keeping water sufficiently warm. Another person related to me that his technique is not keeping things hot via submersion, but via flushed, running water. Just hook up a hose to your water heater...?

 

[vStagger Leev]

Very interesting! Good find bro. SL

 

[Chillb]

Awesome, technique noted ... thanks for sharing

 

[the gnome]

the larger the container of hot water the more stable it will be if you put something in it that is lower in temps.
i use to pasturize large amounts of dung and straw for my mycology hobby
using a metal trash can in cinder blocks with a propane burner under it to bring it and
keep temps stable.
if you have large pots, lots of pots or soil to soak this is the way to go

 

[Storm Shadow]

Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight .... results are not always promising

 

[Garhart]

Knowledge is preferred to a gun, the results will vary according to the user. I had bought the bayer product before I found the study. Had the hot water not worked for me, I would have used the chemical. That blue bottle has sat there unused for a couple of years now. I am still using the same batch of coco that was infested. I just put it in a bucket, and take it over to the kitchen sink and run the hot water til it is good and hot and then fill it and let it sit for five minutes. It is simple, it is easy, it is safe. I feel way better about it than using a chemical I do not need. Some times the simple stuff really does work in life. This site has been very good for me as a source of information, and just thought I would try to pay it forward some.

 

[Adriank]

Sounds great. Any suggestions on how this method can be used on a large grow of a 1,000 5 gal pots or more?

 

[SeaMaiden]

Hot water heater and a loooooooooooonnnnngggg hose.

 

[sdd420]

You can get adapter for faucet to accept hose any faucet that has removable bottom aeretor I think

 

[spaceboy]

So if I clean my grow very well and dip all potted plants in 125 degrees for 5 minutes this should kill them? I am just starting to see flyers and they are not really even flying, mostly just crawling on the rims of the pots, what should be done about these? Since they are not flying around much and mostly just crawling does this mean my chances are good?
Thanks

 

[EllieGrows]

This seems a bit too good to be true. Has anyone other than the OP (no offense intended) achieved complete eradication with using hot water dunks and cleaning their rooms?

 

[Capulator]

It is only a bandaid and will fuck up your roots more than it will do any good. I have done it.

 

[Phillthy]

So if I clean my grow very well and dip all potted plants in 125 degrees for 5 minutes this should kill them? I am just starting to see flyers and they are not really even flying, mostly just crawling on the rims of the pots, what should be done about these? Since they are not flying around much and mostly just crawling does this mean my chances are good?
Thanks

yellow sticky traps at soil and tangle foot on stem.

 

[RetroGrow]

More of similar :
from the book "The Gardener's Monthly And Horticulturist V25", by Thomas Meehan.

Hot Water To Kill Insects

In the first volume of the Gardeners' Monthly, probably one of the most valuable papers published was one on the use of hot water in destroying plant lice. Many have thanked us since for giving them such a simple and effectual plan. The following details have recently appeared in the London Gardeners' Magazine, and as there are some suggestions in it, not noted in our original paper where 130 was given as the degree of limit, it will be useful to reproduce it here :

"Water is a cheap insecticide insufficiently appreciated, but capable of more extended use than the majority of those who already believe in it are aware. It is quite certain that the best cultivation will not prevent the occurrence amongst plants of such pests as aphis, red spider, mealy bug, and a few of their near relatives. Therefore it will not do to dismiss the subject of plant vermin by saying that good cultivation is a sufficient preventive, though it is unquestionably true that the most natural conditions for vigorous growth are also just those which keep vermin at a distance. We do not intend here to enter upon a general consideration of the subject, but to relate a few particulars of experiments that have been made at Stoke Newington, with a view to determine the extent to which hot water may be employed for the destruction of the insects that most commonly infest plants. The few experiments made have been attended with such promising results that we shall hope to find opportunity soon for repeating them in a more extended and systematic manner. For the present we shall speak of aphis only, and as that is the most prevalent of plant pests, we trust that these remarks will be useful to many readers.

It appears, then, that aphides quickly perish if immersed in water heated to 120° Fah. We obtained from various sources plants infested with green fly, and cleansed them by the simple process of dipping. As the experiments were made in the month of February, we thought it probable that aphis might endure in June a temperature many degrees higher than that which proved fatal to them in the earlier and colder season. Hence it became desirable to ascertain the degree of heat the plants could endure in the dipping process. A number of herbaceous and soft-wooded plants were therefore subjected to the process of immersion in water heated to various degrees above 120. We found that fuchsias were unharmed at 140, but at 1500 the young leaves were slightly injured. Calceolarias suffered at 1400, but the plants were not killed, though their soft tops perished. Pelargoniums were unhurt up to 150, but the slightest rise beyond that figure killed the soft wood and the young leaves completely. Chinese primulas were injured by any rise beyond 140, and this at last proved to be the most general maximum, and may be cited as a rule for observance.

Centaureas, sedums, saxifragas, thyrsacan-thus, justicias, ferns, heliotropes, petunias, begonias, mignonette, and many other plants of soft texture, were unhurt by being dipped in water at 140, but the slightest rise beyond that point was followed by blackening of the leaves, and consequent disfigurement of the plant, and at 150 the process of killing commenced. About ten years ago we reported in the Floral World that Fairy or Lawrence roses, which are grown in quantities in pots for market, could be best kept clean by dipping in hot water, as at 120° the plant is not injured, and every aphis upon it is destroyed. This simple method of removing vermin from plants is, we are quite satisfied, capable of very general adoption, in place of more troublesome and more expensive plans. We shall be glad of any aid our readers can afford towards the reduction to system of the facts of the case. To what extent can we carry on an offensive warfare against scale, red spider, and all the rest of the little foes that plague us in the garden? The question can be better answered by many than a few.

It is eminently a question for those who have opportunity and a liking for experiments, and who can afford to kill a few plants, if need be, to make a sure test of the respective powers of endurance of high temperatures by various orders and genera.

Notwithstanding it is nearly twenty years ago since the Gardeners' Monthly published the fact that water heated to 120 or 130, was the easiest and best remedy against all sorts of insects which infest greenhouse plants, people are very much afraid of it. To encourage these timid people, we give the following bit of experience contributed by a correspondent of the Journal of Horticulture:

"Last spring I read in the Journal that the best way to get rid of insects destructive to Orchids was to plunge the pots in hot water at a temperature of I20°. I was rather in doubt whether it was safe to do this, consequently tried two or three pots that I knew were pretty well full of woodlice, or, perhaps I should say, appeared so from the condition of the roots. The contents of these pots all changed, the insects were killed, and the Orchids improved. Seeing that no injury was caused to the plants, I last August plunged every Orchid I had in water heated to 120. I have found that it has not injured one plant. Dendrobium densi-florum that I subjected to this treatment has now no less than forty-two spikes of bloom, and these in a few days will be fully expanded."

It's well known that hot water dips kill broad/cyclamen mites. This is the traditional method used by commercial greenhouses to treat their crops. I have used a heated room to kill them. High heat kills bugs. All bugs have a temperature at which they die. Professional exterminators use this technique now to kill bed bugs and scabies mites. No chems. The variable is: what temperatures will plant varieties survive? Cannabis will take 120F with no problem, but mites will not survive. This has been demonstrated repeatedly. Never tried it on RAs though. They will definitely die at some temperature. The question is how do the roots take it? Time and more participants will tell. Any alternative to toxins is always appreciated.

 

[spaceboy]

I did this to about 10 plants and all but 1 died after a few days