over-wintering floaters and little bugs

[J. LaQuiere]

Hi guys,

I've posted on here before, but it's been quite a while.
Does anyone know how to over-winter floating plants, (water hyacinth,
frog-bite)? I tried last year by putting them in a plastic dishpan, under
grow lights and after a month or so they got tiny little bugs all over them.
So I just threw them out.
This year, I took mostly the frog bite inside, I put a handful in the fish
tank on my desk and some in the big plastic tubs I use for my water canna's
and other potted plants. They seemed to do pretty good for about the first 2
months and then they start getting some brown spots on them and in another
month or so I started seeing the little bugs again. Can anyone help me here?
Oh the ones I put in my fish tank have been doing pretty well, still green
and they didn't have any bugs (I thought the green was because the fish tank
light is more powerful.) till the last few days, I just looked over there
and noticed little black specks on one of them.
What type of bug is it? aphides?
and where do they come from? why does it take so long for them to show up?
why don't I see them in the pond, but 5 months after they have been in the
house????

Thanks,
Joy

[Bob H]

I can't answer all your "why's" but I can say if they are little black hard
spots that move when you touch them they are in fact aphids....they will
kill your plants left untreated, there a couple of treatments that will kill
them and not your fish one has mint the other crushed eggshells....I don't
recall the name at this moment but I suspect a google search for aquatic
aphids will find something.

"J. LaQuiere" > wrote in message
...
> Hi guys,
>
> I've posted on here before, but it's been quite a while.
> Does anyone know how to over-winter floating plants, (water hyacinth,
> frog-bite)? I tried last year by putting them in a plastic dishpan, under
> grow lights and after a month or so they got tiny little bugs all over
them.
> So I just threw them out.
> This year, I took mostly the frog bite inside, I put a handful in the fish
> tank on my desk and some in the big plastic tubs I use for my water
canna's
> and other potted plants. They seemed to do pretty good for about the first
2
> months and then they start getting some brown spots on them and in another
> month or so I started seeing the little bugs again. Can anyone help me
here?
> Oh the ones I put in my fish tank have been doing pretty well, still green
> and they didn't have any bugs (I thought the green was because the fish
tank
> light is more powerful.) till the last few days, I just looked over there
> and noticed little black specks on one of them.
> What type of bug is it? aphides?
> and where do they come from? why does it take so long for them to show up?
> why don't I see them in the pond, but 5 months after they have been in the
> house????
>
> Thanks,
> Joy
>
>

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

>What type of bug is it? aphides?

Yup.

>and where do they come from?

Eggs.

> why does it take so long for them to show up?

Aphids lay eggs late in fall to winter over, therein is why

>why don't I see them in the pond, but 5 months after they have been in the
>house????

it takes this long for them to hatch, regardless of it being warm inside. I
assume they have a built in dormancy time so they don't wake up too soon.

Submerge the plants for several days, as should get rid of them, and run
your finger around the edges of the tank to smash any that swim over to the
edge during treatment.

I treat all my plants with an insect killer containing Pyrethrins before
bringing them inside, but these plants are not in contact with fish till
the following spring, by which time any chemical exposure (that didn't get
rinsed off) has broken down. My biggest problem has been spider mites over
aphids. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

[BenignVanilla]

"Bob H" > wrote in message
...
> I can't answer all your "why's" but I can say if they are little black
hard
> spots that move when you touch them they are in fact aphids....they will
> kill your plants left untreated, there a couple of treatments that will
kill
> them and not your fish one has mint the other crushed eggshells....I don't
> recall the name at this moment but I suspect a google search for aquatic
> aphids will find something.
<snip>

I accidently brought in some damsle fly nyphms with my frogbit and duckweed.
The aphids dissapeared in a few days. The Damsel flies seemed to stay right
around the tank. I never saw them anywhere in the house.

BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

[J. LaQuiere]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your help!! I found something that you can buy made out of mint
and something, I never saw anything about crushed eggshells. But I found a
recipe for something made out of dish soap, Hydrogen Peroxide, rubbing
alcohol and water. It seemed to work pretty well.

I have another question about over-wintering them. They seem to stay alive,
but the aren't GROWING, just living there. I think they need fertilizer but
I don't know what to give them, or put in the water.

Any ideas?

Thanks again,
Joy

"Bob H" > wrote in message
...
> I can't answer all your "why's" but I can say if they are little black
hard
> spots that move when you touch them they are in fact aphids....they will
> kill your plants left untreated, there a couple of treatments that will
kill
> them and not your fish one has mint the other crushed eggshells....I don't
> recall the name at this moment but I suspect a google search for aquatic
> aphids will find something.
>
> "J. LaQuiere" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi guys,
> >
> > I've posted on here before, but it's been quite a while.
> > Does anyone know how to over-winter floating plants, (water hyacinth,
> > frog-bite)? I tried last year by putting them in a plastic dishpan,
under
> > grow lights and after a month or so they got tiny little bugs all over
> them.
> > So I just threw them out.
> > This year, I took mostly the frog bite inside, I put a handful in the
fish
> > tank on my desk and some in the big plastic tubs I use for my water
> canna's
> > and other potted plants. They seemed to do pretty good for about the
first
> 2
> > months and then they start getting some brown spots on them and in
another
> > month or so I started seeing the little bugs again. Can anyone help me
> here?
> > Oh the ones I put in my fish tank have been doing pretty well, still
green
> > and they didn't have any bugs (I thought the green was because the fish
> tank
> > light is more powerful.) till the last few days, I just looked over
there
> > and noticed little black specks on one of them.
> > What type of bug is it? aphides?
> > and where do they come from? why does it take so long for them to show
up?
> > why don't I see them in the pond, but 5 months after they have been in
the
> > house????
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Joy
> >
> >
>
>

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

Miracle Grow, if they're not in with fish. If with fish I wouldn't worry
too much about feeding them, just keeping them alive is a great
achievement. Once outside in the sun they'll take off again. ~ jan

>On Sun, 8 Feb 2004 17:27:22 -0500, "J. LaQuiere" > wrote:

>Hi guys,
>Thanks for your help!! I found something that you can buy made out of mint
>and something, I never saw anything about crushed eggshells. But I found a
>recipe for something made out of dish soap, Hydrogen Peroxide, rubbing
>alcohol and water. It seemed to work pretty well.
>
>I have another question about over-wintering them. They seem to stay alive,
>but the aren't GROWING, just living there. I think they need fertilizer but
>I don't know what to give them, or put in the water.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>Thanks again,
>Joy