By MaryAnne Musilo

Kiambu farmer Lilian Ahiro has ended aphid attacks that were destroying up to 90 per cent of her apples, sukuma wiki and flowers with a homemade spray she found on the internet.

The aphids were draining sap from her leaves and shoots, leaving her apples with curled leaves, weak growth and smaller fruit, and cutting harvests by 10 to 30 per cent. They were alsowrinkling and yellowing her sukuma wiki leaves, and leaving them covered in sticky mould, causing losses of up to 80 per cent, while the flowers were dropping buds wiping out up to 90 per cent of the flower stems.

“Lately I have not made any sales. There is no rain and water. The little we get from the municipality, we use for home chores and very little to irrigate. The apples need at least 20 litres of water per week and it is tough. Lately I’m just getting small apples for my family to consume,” she said.

But, with climate change making the pests worse on her apples, she has used borax to reduce the flower and fruit abortion and her new homemade aphid solution.

.“In my research online, I discovered that mixing dishwasher, cooking oil, pepper and garlic can be effective in getting rid of aphids,” she said, now using “3 tablespoons of liquid soap, 10 crushed peppers, 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and one garlic, then add it in 5 litres of water, stir and spray on my trees, compound flowers and vegetables, especially under the leaves.”

The mix has cleared the pests and ended the coughing and shortness of breath she had suffered for two years using a chemical pesticide.

“Initially, I preferred the Ranger pesticide, since it was effective and at a low cost. A 100ml went for Sh250 and could serve me the whole year. But I started having health conditions like coughing and short breath. I went for treatments and bought lots of drugs that were not really effective,” she said.

Read also:

Farmer halves maize losses to mould and pests by dehusking before drying

Farmer escapes coffee’s worst pests thanks to height and isolation

Nakuru Farmers Reduce Pests 40% With Neem Leaves

“The doctor said it was allergies, I tried extra cleaning my home but no change. One day, I paid someone to come spray my apple trees and as we were in the shamba, I realized that the pesticide smell was strong and I couldn’t breathe properly.”

“I never used to put on gumboots, gloves, face masks and farming overalls. I googled the side effects of the pesticide and I discovered that that was the cause of my condition,” she said.

But the new mixture has ended her problem, working by suffocating the aphids and dissolving their protective coating, and offering her a non-toxic alternative that protects both her crops and her health.