pests Tired of bugs...

borolo · Mar 17, 2012

I've been growing bhut jolokias since august and man, it has been tough. i'm a first grower of anything and to be honest, i take my hat off for all growers out there. First I fought the rain, then the wind, iguanas, broad mites (lime sulphur got them)and now finally 8 months later, i have like 14 green medium pods but... now I have a huge collection of critters living on my leaves, making them curl, burn, etc. Have been fighting them back with insectidal soap but they keep coming back. I'm in the process of building a semi bunker white fly free environment. PVC cage with fence against the iguanas (they love the chile leaves) and I'm planning in buying an antivirus fabric https://www.greenhou...n/insect-screen. Have any of you tried something like this?

Also is it safe to apply lime sulphur to the pods? and how long must i wait to get them ripe?

pictures:

critters

pods

thanks

megahot · Mar 17, 2012

Those are aphids! Try reading this link! Good luck to you!!! http://www.chilefoundry.co.uk/2012/03/16/joy-michauds-guide-to-control-of-aphids-in-pepper-plants/

borolo · Mar 17, 2012

megahot said:
Those are aphids! Try reading this link! Good luck to you!!! http://www.chilefoun...-pepper-plants/

Great read. thanks, will use the water technique and report back. Does lime sulphur work on these and can i use it with pods already on the plant?

Spice 8 · Mar 19, 2012

Water blast em, then use Neem oil, you can use it up to the day of harvest and its harmless to humans and aphid eating bugs.

patrick · Mar 19, 2012

I wouldn't use the lime-sulpher unless that was a last resort. It can cause blindness if splashed in the eyes and it can react with acids (including stomach acid) to produce highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. Has a rotten egg smell.

Pepperhead · Mar 20, 2012

Get a bright yellow bowl and fill it with water and leave it near the plant, after you have water blasted them off. Supposedly they are attracted to the yellow and will get stuck in the water. I've also heard of lining the bottom of the plant with aluminum foil, shiny side up. They don't like direct sun and the reflection might keep them away.

Or at least that's what the internet tells me...

BTW I visited Colombia during my military years. Cartagena was a very nice city, with the best coffee gelato I've ever eaten. :halo:

POTAWIE · Mar 20, 2012

Ladybugs and other predators are the only thing that really works for me and I've tried everything organic

zappa883 · Mar 20, 2012

Considering Lady bugs as well later this season. Can they be utilized outdoors too, how long will / do they hang around before they move on ?

POTAWIE · Mar 21, 2012

You can spray them with cola so they can't fly away. Once my plants are outside, I rarely have aphid problems

Prehensile · Apr 6, 2012

I use a neem oil, mild detergent and hot sause mix, it seems to work pretty good. I had a couple Iguana's I let go several years back strip my sweet potato patch, either the cold or a gator got em.