Feegle (cool name!), yes, they're aphids. Fortunately, they're also easy to kill. You simply need to thoroughly spray your violets with alcohol. Yep, plain old alcohol (not the drinking kind). Don't worry; as long as your plants aren't enclosed in a baggie or something it won't hurt them. Just make sure to get way in there. You'll have to spray every few days for a week or three, but eventually you will win.

Oh -- keep them away from drafts until they dry.

Good luck.

Korina, speaking from unfortunate experience

Korina,

Thank you so much for the help!

I have given the kids their first treatment (simultaneously destroying some paint on the window ledge - oops!) So far so good.

Why no drafts?

Thanks again,

Feegle

It's just that alcohol evaporates rapidly, and violets don't deal well with cold. Or something like that.

Korina (wake me up at noon)

AARRRRRGH!!!!

So I followed your directions, and everything seemed to be going okay. I sprayed twice, thoroughly, and all the evil aphids seemed to be gone. But it seems that some of the alcohol got into the water resevoir (I use a self-watering pot) and now *ALL* of the leaves are soft at the stem attachment!!!

Have I killed my poor little AVs? ? ?

I cut all the leaves off, repotted the root ball in uncontaminated soil, and covered them with plastic bags. Is this right? Is there anything else I need to do?

Arrrggggh... my life would be so much easier if I weren't dumb as a brick!

Thanks in advance,

Feegle

Feegle, you're smart to realize that the pests were aphids. I had to take mine to a nursery to find that out. I thought they were too small to be aphids. But they are aphids. On another forum, on systemic insecticides for some other plant, people revealed how poisonous chemical insecticides are--specifically Disyston by Schulz (wrong spelling) makes people and birds sick. You weren't thinking of using chemicals but dig this: others wrote in and recommended a dilute solution of fish emulsion to kill "bad" insects. Jerry Baker recommends garlic solution. Dr. Earth's organic pesticide has rosemary, cinammon, and garlic oil and a few other ingredients, and was recommended by the nursery owner who identified the aphids. He said it was more effective than Safer's soap. I love my African violet too, and am spraying with water till I get together my own rosemary oil. I'll just crush some rosemary leaves with oil and let it steep, then combine it with water and Oasis biocompatible laundry soap and spray the plants. So far drowning the aphids has helped but not eliminated them. Good luck. Kamala

Um, Kamala, did you happen to notice the date on that post is July of 2005? :-)

You can kill aphids easily by spraying them with rubbing alcohol. Some dilute it with water by about 50%, but I use it full strength.

Just make sure to get all the way in where they hide, and keep it out of drafts and cold air until it dries. You will have to repeat spray every 3-4 days to catch the newly hatched suckers, but you can win. The only thing to never do is spray them and enclose them wet. I tried that once, and the plant turned to grey mush in five minutes.

Good luck and have fun.

Korina

Tick: Deadly Bulb, I'm about to write you a reality check. Or would you prefer the cold, hard cash of truth?