Aphids on potato plants

[Vixen218]

I have black bugs all over the tops of my potato plants, I think they might be aphids.
Should I leave them or do something about them?

[Two_Sheds]

squish them. with your fingers


I have them on my spindle tree and foxgloves now: so badly that I'm cutting off affected branches and putting it (bugs as well) in the compost bins

[solway cropper]

Aphids often transmit disease so I'd get rid of them by whatever method you can.

[Vixen218]

Will be cutting them off then... And pulling up spuds early then

[rustylady]

Got any pictures Vixen - before you go cutting foliage off.

[Vixen218]

I can do, and will try and post later...
Why do you want photos btw?

[rustylady]

Just to make sure they are in fact aphids.

You don't seem very sure, and they could be pollen beetles or something similar.

Anyway, cutting off potato foliage is a bit drastic to get rid of aphids.

What variety are your potatoes, and how long have they been growing?

[Vixen218]

Oh they are deffinatly aphids... The ants are farming them...

Can't remember what what varieties apart from Maris peer... Think they need another 4-6 weeks as I have it down for 22 weeks and I planted at end of march...

Will the ants and aphids harm the plants if left alone or is there a good way to get rid of them that won't harm my crops... I have Tom plants in the same bed...

[sammy_roser]

Planting tomatoes and potatoes together makes potatoes more susceptible to potato blight.

[rustylady]

Blast them with a jet of water from a hose or pressure sprayer if you can't face squishing them.

[Two_Sheds]

Planting tomatoes and potatoes together makes potatoes more susceptible to potato blight.

But only if the weather is wet & warm. Hot dry weather won't give anything blight

[Vixen218]

Here are the best photos I could get. There are ants over the plants as well. These plants are in a raised bed that didn't previously have ants, but unfortunalty the ants have invaded the whole garden, all 180' in length of it
Unfortunately the pictures are posted upside down... Don't ask me why...

[rustylady]

The ants are farming the aphids. Did you use the blast from a hose that I suggested yet?

[Vixen218]

Not yet... But I had a furtle about and found that the potatoes were of a good size, so I have just taken up 3 plants and have got about 1/2 bucket of medium to large potatoes which is better than the whole of last years crop, and so I have therefore removed a few of the attacked plants... There are still about 3 which are infested and so I will blast them tonight when I do the watering...
Just wondering however, do you find that you get better potatoes if you make sure they are well watered or if you leave them only to be watered by the rain? I had a lot of foliage in comparison to the amount of potatoes.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Spuds are mainly water and they need a good supply of it as the tubers are forming. This hot spell hasn't been helpful to anyone growing spuds.

Potty