I've used Neem in the past, but switched back to Volck and Dormant oils. Neem is fine and organic. The other two are petroleum based and stay on longer.

I use hutroculture oil which has another name dormant oil. I mix it with fungi. Sometimes I use stracicide mixed with fungi too. I think you have to use varieties of things because insects mutate and develop immunity. For wxample I use two fungi monteary and spectracide fung. I like the oil because it is not toxic to bees.

All sorts of tobaccos are heavy duty anti-aphid material. Tree tobacco grows as a rampant weed all over SoCal. It's the tall, lanky shrub with yellow trumpet shaped flowers that the hummingbirds love.

Ive read there is a difference in Neem. There is cold pressed, and the actual insecticide/funguscide type which is mixed with an emulsifier in order to bind to the pests.

For fungus, ive read that it coats the leaves so the fungus cant grow. I have yet to try this on fruit trees and the neem thats available is cold pressed which doesnt have emulsifier. I think i can just add a small drop of soap....

Stuff I use is specifically sold as an insecticide, and mixes wonderfully with water. Only thing I don't like is it requires frequent application till the aphids lose their foothold.

Start now by using a dormant oil spray - assuming your trees are in fact still dormant where you are. If, later, you still get aphids, you can switch back to the neem.

Can I focus this thread temporarily back to the aphids on blueberries??

I seem to be fighting a losing battle on a couple of bushes (others are not affected...yet...). I spray with soap/oil, then wait a week or so and wash it off with a thorough water spraying. Then they're back or I missed some, etc. It does not help that there are ants living in the containers. I have liquid bait stations set up in the pots, but no joy.

The bushes are blooming and fruiting like mad, so I can't/don't want to use just anything, and applying Tanglefoot to each cane is not going to be an option.

Ideas? Can I use Neem? Will it work? (I hate aphids....)

I will let you know soon. I just started neem on yhe blueberries this last week. You certainly do not need to wash off the neem once applied. It takes a few days for the aphids to shrivel and die, so waiting to see

Thread detour warning:

I am intrigued, as I have never seen aphids on fruit trees or blueberries. Is this a regional problem?

Springtime brassicas excepted (maybe), if I get aphids on a plant I figure the cause is either too little water or too little sun, and adjust accordingly. I don't get them without cause, if you know what I mean. Is that because the drier western summers are not conducive to buggy life?

Oh I get the dreaded grey aphids on brassicas (just showed up about 3 weeks ago) and, in fact, I've decided that limits my season for them.

I live in a cool and fairly damp climate, dominated by marine infuence (2 short blocks from the back bay). Aphids of some sort can be found just about any time here. Alas.

I sprayed with Neem about 3 weeks ago on my late dormant apple trees for the first time so results are still pending. I used the cold-pressed one recommended on Michael Phillips' website.

It is true you need to put the bottle in warm water to melt as it was semi-solid at room temp as well as adding soap. It has instructions provided. I used a squirt bottle and kept shaking it. I am more concerned about scab here than aphids. Do you have plantings to attract benefical insects? Farmerfred dot com came up on a search in regards to that topic.

Beneficial insects do a good job. The only thing is, it allows the pests populations to get to a decent size before the beneficials do their work. The pests pop. gets high, then the beneficials get to work, gaining the upper hand, etc....

The more beneficials you can keep in your garden at one time the better. This uncludes birds as well.

Birds and blueberries do not mix--or rather, they mix too well!

My blueberries are in a "net house" so no help from the feathered friends with the aphids there. Too cold for ladybugs, etc. at this point. Meanwhile the aphids keep coming while the plants struggle to produce fruit and become stickier. Then disease takes hold. Ugh.

I really think pests should plant their own gardens instead of freeloading off of ours.....

I use Neem for Citrus Leaf Miners.

For aphid infestation, use Tanglefoot with flagging tape. (See below link). This will keep away the ants protecting the aphids. And aphids will die out by natural enemies such as ladybugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tanglefoot with Flagging Tape

Sorry, didn't read your post about blueberries. Well tanglefoot isn't going to work on that. :(

I have found neem, soap, and hort. oil to be not all that different in terms of effectiveness against aphids. I would say soap is the best, then hort oil, then neem (I have used several kinds of neem including the cold-pressed kind and the insecticide kind). A bad case of aphids needs regular and thorough spraying. make sure to hold the sprayer low and spray up to get the bottoms of the leaves. At some point the ladybugs should kick in and solve the problem but it can take awhile.

Scott

I read that oil does not affect red avid. Generally the avid damage is not limited to the tree damage but also the avid saliva causes fungus to spread. The destroyed my peach tree with fungus rotting the fruit. I got frustrated and said bye to being organic and sprayed spectracide I had the avid gone in one day and the Japanese beetle gone in two hours.

I sprayed neem oil on my peach and apple trees today thinking I had another chemical in the bottle. I already have peaches and apples on the trees. What will happen?