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pests Whiteflies on small pepper plant

Hi, Im new to peppers, I've been having problems with whiteflies infesting my small pepper plants lately, I had used alcohol and water (1:1 ratio) as a pesticide, until it killed my pepper. Theyre still quite small (a month and a half old ish), I really dont want to repeat my old mistake.
What can I do? Should i just leave the plant alone and wait until theyre a bit bigger?

Oh, and I live in a tropical region.
 
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You would do best to ask this question locally where you live. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of whitefly species. And they are not all treated the same. Some whitefly are among the toughest pests you could ever have. Some won't even tolerate a spray down with water. It's a really tough question to answer.
 
Hi.
Generally, whiteflies are attracted to the yellow color. Putting chromatic yellow traps will help you catch them and reduce the population.
You can also spray with a mixture of potassium soap (3gr / liter) and neem oil (3gr / liter). This will help you kill nearby adults (many fly away), juveniles, and larvae. You can repeat the spray every 7 days until you reduce the infestation.
Whiteflies tend to be most active in the early morning hours, so you can spray at this time.

It is important to locate if there are other infested crops near you. Years ago I spent months fighting a whitefly infestation that came from the trees in the street. It was a real hell until the rainy season came and it helped me.

Gooood Luck.
 
Hi, Im new to peppers, I've been having problems with whiteflies infesting my small pepper plants lately, I had used alcohol and water (1:1 ratio) as a pesticide, until it killed my pepper. Theyre still quite small (a month and a half old ish), I really dont want to repeat my old mistake.
What can I do? Should i just leave the plant alone and wait until theyre a bit bigger?

Oh, and I live in a tropical region.
I stumbled over this treatise on Spiraling Whitefly from your neck of the woods: Injury Due to the Spiraling Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on Pepper in Indonesia

It has info about pesticide application.. Can I ask where you learned of using alcohol as a pesticide?
 
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I still say that the OP needs to identify which species of whitefly they have in their area. We shouldn't take for granted that our domestic varieties are the same as those from other places. Not all whitefly are created equally (I'm saying that while dealing with about 3 different species, regularly - and none of them go for the yellow sticky trap approach). Also, that advice about spraying with Neem early in the morning is not the best advice. Neem is typically sprayed in the evening hours, after sundown, due to its tendency to become phytotoxic under sunlight.

That being said, I'm curious to know, because I'd love to know how they are treated in other countries.
 
Sigo diciendo que el PO necesita identificar qué especies de mosca blanca tienen en su área. No debemos dar por sentado que nuestras variedades domésticas son las mismas que las de otros lugares. No todas las moscas blancas se crean por igual (lo digo mientras trato con aproximadamente 3 especies diferentes, regularmente, y ninguna de ellas opta por el enfoque de la trampa pegajosa amarilla). Además, ese consejo sobre rociar con Neem temprano en la mañana no es el mejor consejo. El neem generalmente se rocía en las horas de la noche, después de la puesta del sol, debido a su tendencia a volverse fitotóxico bajo la luz solar.

Dicho esto, tengo curiosidad por saberlo, porque me encantaría saber cómo se les trata en otros países.

I find it very interesting what you say about the phytotoxicity of neem under exposure to sunlight. Do you have a link to read more about this?

I understood that sunlight only degrades its active ingredients.


I have been using neem oil for years to treat any type of pest and have always been a ruthless warrior. I usually spray at night, but sometimes I have little free time and often I spray all my plants (peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, cabbages, lettuces, zucchini, raspberries ...) just before sunrise and never see negative effects afterwards. of these applications.


I'm worried that I may keep doing this and one day run out of plants. For this reason, I would appreciate any information you can provide us in this thread.


As for your recommendation, I understand and respect you, don't get me wrong, friend. It is better to identify the species and act on it. When we go to the doctor, we wait for him to identify what is happening to us and to recommend the appropriate medicine to cure us. I understand what you mean, believe me. Also, I'm sure you know a lot more about this than I do and that the logical thing to do is pay attention to what you say.

But the truth is that many of us look for simple and quick solutions to end problems, that's why I also understand those people who prefer to spend a few coins on some neem, sticky traps and try their luck.

Cheers!
 
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I find it very interesting what you say about the phytotoxicity of neem under exposure to sunlight. Do you have a link to read more about this?

I understood that sunlight only degrades its active ingredients.


I have been using neem oil for years to treat any type of pest and have always been a ruthless warrior. I usually spray at night, but sometimes I have little free time and often I spray all my plants (peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, cabbages, lettuces, zucchini, raspberries ...) just before sunrise and never see negative effects afterwards. of these applications.


I'm worried that I may keep doing this and one day run out of plants. For this reason, I would appreciate any information you can provide us in this thread.


As for your recommendation, I understand and respect you, don't get me wrong, friend. It is better to identify the species and act on it. When we go to the doctor, we wait for him to identify what is happening to us and to recommend the appropriate medicine to cure us. I understand what you mean, believe me. Also, I'm sure you know a lot more about this than I do and that the logical thing to do is pay attention to what you say.

But the truth is that many of us look for simple and quick solutions to end problems, that's why I also understand those people who prefer to spend a few coins on some neem, sticky traps and try their luck.

Cheers!

Article after article explicitly warns against using neem in direct sunlight. And I can confirm the severity of this warning.
 

Article after article explicitly warns against using neem in direct sunlight. And I can confirm the severity of this warning.


Hey, thank you very much for linking me to Google search. Yesterday, in my search I used other combinations such as ["neem iol" + phytotoxicity] or ["neem oil" "sunlight" + phytoxicity]. I searched in Spanish and English and didn’t have much luck on this.

I’ve reviewed more than a dozen of the links that Google offers for the search that you propose. I don't know if the results that Google shows me are the same that it shows you. I get articles from blogs or websites that want to sell Neem (bloomsprouts, plantcaretoday, plantsparkjoy, askinglot, leafyplace, everdayorchids ..)

With all my respect for you and your point of view (which I have already said is surely more valid than mine)
, in my opinion I think that it is necessary to differentiate between a phytotoxic reaction and a sunburn due to the magnifying glass effect of the water. That is, a phytotoxic reaction is a toxic effect that causes physiological disorders in plants. On the other hand, a water burn on the leaves is produced by the magnifying glass effect that the drops of water make when they are crossed by sunlight; this happens when the sun is very strong or the exposure is very long.

In my opinion and experience (and from a deep respect towards you), I still think that it isn’t bad to spray at dawn, since the inclination of the sun will prevent the rays from hitting the water directly on the leaves. However, if anyone wants to do things more safely, they can spray at night and the problem is over.



Cheers!!:cheers:
 
I don't want to have a long protracted discussion over semantics - so I'll go straight to my point. The "sunburn" effect - whereby water droplets, standing on leaves, causes the leaf to burn locally - is a myth, pure and simple. That does not happen. Even good sense should tell us this, as if it were true, no plants would grow in the tropics. Nevertheless, some enjoyable reading:


Now if neem isn't causing sunburn to the leaves, what is going on? "Phyotoxicity" isn't my definition.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/phytotoxicity


Phytotoxicity is defined as a delay of seed germination, inhibition of plant growth or any adverse effect on plants caused by specific substances (phytotoxins) or growing conditions (REAL CCS, 2014).

From: Soilless Culture (Second Edition), 2019

With the basic definition of phytotoxicity out of the way, does it matter, than, what the exact interaction of Neem oil is, with the surface of a leaf? There are multitudes of stories of neem users experiencing plant burn. Do we ignore that, for the sake of a good argument? Or do we defer to those who have good luck with using neem the long prescribed way - which is applying after sundown?

Nevertheless, even those who sell neem products tell us to be careful. Shift for a second, from "phytotoxicity", to "phototoxicity" (which is arguably what we're really after here:


Use all neem oil products by following the instructions since, as an oil, there is greater risk of phototoxicity (burning).

Even if you don't think it's true, or lament the fact that nobody has spent millions of dollars on a case study to clarify the point for hobby gardeners - isn't putting 12 hours of daytime between your neem and your plants, a pretty cheap insurance policy?

Neem usage is a deep subject, that's not always black and white, and I don't really feel like entertaining it any longer. My final word on neem, is that it can be the best or worst thing in the world for plants, but know before you go. Specifically, one must exercise the MOST caution with small plants, as the OP has stated is their case. So before using neem, ask a LOT of questions, and listen to people who use it regularly...
 
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Oh My God Wow GIF
 
Thanks everyone for your help!, Started treatment with neem oil and the aphids seems to have scurried off, cant find a single aphid on the leaves! Bad news is that, it didnt happen fast enough, now my pepper plant has faint yellow blotches on its leaves (Bacterial leaf spots)? And now i have a whole new problem on my hands 🤦‍♂️. Here's a picture of the yellow spots, could be hard to see but if you look at the bottom half of the leaf, youll see faint yellow spots
 

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Thanks everyone for your help!, Started treatment with neem oil and the aphids seems to have scurried off, cant find a single aphid on the leaves! Bad news is that, it didnt happen fast enough, now my pepper plant has faint yellow blotches on its leaves (Bacterial leaf spots)? And now i have a whole new problem on my hands 🤦‍♂️. Here's a picture of the yellow spots, could be hard to see but if you look at the bottom half of the leaf, youll see faint yellow spots
Was the problem whitefly or aphids?
Anyway the photo looks like it could just be damage from the pests, check that the new leaves look better after the pests have gone.
I use "eco-neem" if I have to for such pests, has always worked well for me.
 
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