Identifying & Controlling Aphids on Fruit Trees, Roses & Ornamentals.
- Tammy Johnson
- Oct 27, 2025
- 6 min read
Written and edited by Tammy 26th October 2025
Ok, hands up who's having issues with Aphids right now??
If I had a dollar for every gardener I've seen within the last few weeks pleading for help with aphids, I could almost take the rest of the year off unpaid! So, what does this tell us? Quite clearly aphids are having a ball breeding up a storm!
The mild start we’ve had to spring, not a lot of heat and regular rain is just what they love. It sees these tiny sap-suckers busy setting up camp on fruit trees, roses and ornamentals right throughout our gardens.
What Are Aphids
Aphids are tiny little sap-sucking critters from the insect family Aphididae, and once spring kicks into gear, they seem to appear out of nowhere. Unlike other insects that lay eggs, aphids give birth to live young so a few can turn into a whole army almost overnight. They’re soft-bodied, usually green, black or brown, and only a few millimetres long. You’ll often find them clustered on new shoots, under leaves, and along young stems where they pierce the plant and drink its sap. This constant feeding can cause leaves to curl, buds to twist, and fresh growth to look distorted or stunted.
If their feeding habits weren't bad enough, aphids love to leave their calling card. That shiny, sticky residue you see all over the leaves? That's their secretion, a sugary waste product called honeydew. Over time the honeydew goes mouldy (black sooty mould) and that becomes an open invite for ants to join the party.
Most commonly seen species
Let’s take a look at the most common aphid species you’re likely seeing in your backyard, what signs to look out for, and how to tackle infestations using gentle, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods that keep your garden, and its' helpful critters, in balance.
Rose Aphids, Green Peach Aphids, Black Bean Aphids and Leaf Curl Plum Aphids are the 4 most problematic species in our gardens right now in spring.
Tip**
There is also a little fuzzy grey/ green one (Cabbage Aphid) we see commonly throughout winter making itself at home amongst the Brassicas, so keep that in mind, the means of dealing with them when you come across them will be the same.
Check through the table here below for the characteristics of these 4 aphids.
Feature | Rose Aphid (Macrosiphum rosae) | Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae) | Black Bean Aphid (Aphis fabae) | Leaf-Curl Plum Aphid (Brachycaudus helichrysi) |
Main Hosts | Roses and ornamental shrubs | Stone fruits (peach, nectarine, plum), brassicas, ornamentals | Broad beans, beetroot, many ornamentals and weeds | Plums, and stone fruit |
Colour | Light green to pinkish or reddish-brown | Pale to bright green, sometimes with reddish tinge | Deep brown to black, often shiny | Early season brownish, later yellow-green |
Body Shape | Long and slender | Shorter, rounder, pear-shaped | Rounded and chunky | Small and oval; slightly flattened |
Size | 2–3 mm | 1.5–2 mm | 2 mm | 1.5–2 mm |
Damage Symptoms | Twisted or distorted rose buds and new shoots | Curling and puckering of young leaves; sticky honeydew | Dense colonies on stems and underside of leaves; yellowing or stunting | Strong leaf curling and twisting; premature fruit drop on plums |
Texture / Look | Slightly translucent | Smooth, more opaque | Matte to shiny black | Glossy, sometimes with slight waxy coating |
Other Clues | Found on rose buds and new growth; visible clusters | Found under leaves and new shoots of stone fruit | Often attended by ants; large, obvious colonies | Found early in spring; often causes leaf curl similar to peach leaf curl fungus |
Signs & evidence of an infestation
When you’re surveying your garden here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Clusters of tiny insects (often 1–3 mm) on new shoots, tender growth, underside of leaves, tips of branches.
Leaves that are curling, twisted, puckered or distorted (especially on fruit trees).
Buds failing to open or appearing deformed in roses or fruit trees.
Sticky residue (honeydew) on the leaves or branches or on surfaces beneath the plant. This may lead to black sooty mould.
Discoloured leaves (yellowing, pale patches) where sap has been removed.
Presence of ants on the plant (ants often “farm” aphids for honeydew, protecting them from predators).
Winged aphids appearing, a sign the colony is at high density and dispersal is occurring.
Particularly on fruit trees: check new growth and behind leaves, inspect the tips of branches.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Fancy terminology for 'there's more than one way to deal with it '
Using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is all about working with nature, not against it. Instead of reaching straight for spray, it’s about building a balanced plan that keeps pests in check, encourages the good bugs (like ladybugs🐞) to stick around and help out, and keeps your whole garden ecosystem healthy.
There're 4 simple practices in IPM
Cultural & preventive
Biological control & beneficials
Mechanical/physical control
Chemical or organic treatments (when necessary)
Cultural & preventive practices
The best way to keep aphids under control is to stop them from getting too comfortable in the first place. Keep your plants healthy with good soil, steady feeding, and not too much nitrogen, all that lush, sappy growth is like an open buffet for them! Give your plants a bit of breathing space so air can circulate and you can keep a better watchful eye on what's going on and who your guests are. It also helps to do a quick once-over during spring, especially on new growth and rose tips, where aphids love to gather. And don’t forget the power of companion planting, nasturtiums make great decoys, while flowering herbs and annuals will draw in the helpful predators who'll happily snack on the aphids for you.
Biological control & beneficials
One of the best allies you can have in the garden are the good bugs, those tiny helpers that naturally keep aphid numbers down. Ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps all love a good aphid feast, so do what you can to make them feel at home. Grow a mix of flowering herbs and annuals so they’ve got nectar and pollen to feed on, and go easy on the sprays, broad-spectrum insecticides might knock out a few aphids, but they also wipe out your beneficials, which often makes the problem bounce back worse than before. If you notice ants hanging around, it’s usually because they’re farming the aphids for their sticky honeydew. Try using barriers or baits to keep the ants at bay so your natural predators can get on with their work.
Mechanical/physical control
Sometimes the simplest fixes work best. A strong jet of water from the hose is often all it takes to blast aphids off stems and leaves, especially on roses and shrubs where they like to cluster. If a few spots are really crowded, just pinch or prune out the worst of it and pop the cuttings in the bin (not the compost). For smaller outbreaks, sticky traps or reflective mulch can help confuse flying aphids before they land, and if you’ve got a potted plant that’s heavily infested, move it aside for a bit so the problem doesn’t spread to its neighbours. Little steps like these make a big difference without reaching for the spray bottle.
insect mesh
Chemical or organic treatments (when necessary)
If you’ve tried all the gentle options and the aphids are still hanging on, it might be time to step things up a notch, carefully. Go for softer choices like insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, which are safe for roses and fruit trees and work by coating the aphids rather than leaving harsh residues. Make sure to cover the undersides of leaves and new shoots where they like to hide and always follow the label directions to the letter. Try to spray early in the morning or later in the evening when beneficial insects are less active and check back after a few days to see how things are going, a second light spray might be needed for stubborn colonies. Think of sprays as a last resort, not the first tool you grab. The goal is balance, not a bug-free garden.
Once you’ve treated the problem, keep a casual eye on things over the next few weeks. Pay attention to whether the aphids are easing off, the new growth is bouncing back, and the helpful bugs, like ladybirds and hoverflies, are around. Jot down what worked (and what didn’t) so you’re ready for this time next season.
Fruit trees are most at risk when fresh shoots appear or blossoms are forming, roses are irresistible as soon as new buds open, and ornamentals can quietly harbour colonies that spread to everything else.
They might be tiny, but given the right conditions, aphids can cause a big headache fast. By learning to spot them early, knowing which ones you’re dealing with, and leaning on gentle methods that encourage balance in the garden, you’ll keep your plants, and the good bugs happy and thriving.
So, keep your eyes open, your garden humming, and your sprays to a minimum.
Happy gardening🌸🪴
I've created a handy little fact sheet here for you to download and keep close handy😁👍
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