Bugs on my Bell Pepper Plant

[sweeps5063]

Hello, Well a bell pepper plant that I've had for about a year has tiny little white bugs on the new growth and by some of the tiny peppers. I was wondering if anyone new what they could be and how to get rid of them. Are aphids common on peppers?
Jessye

[Francis Barnswallow]

I've had issues in the past with aphids on my pepper plants. I used an organic soap spray and that mostly took care of the issue. Also fire ants helped to kill them as well.

[sweeps5063]

Thank you, I've been told you can use dish soap if so what kind and how much? If not could you recommend one. Thank you again.
Jessye

[rainbowgardener]

Dish soap is usually detergent and can be harmful to the plants. You are better off to use actual soap, not detergent, something like Dr. Bronner's, available in most drugstores.

[jal_ut]

Soap? Detergent? I don't know how many times I have seen this one debated. I have used Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Detergent for many years as a bug killer. Just because we had some. It works. I have never killed a plant with it. I put about 2 teaspoons in a kitchen spray bottle.

In order for the soap spray to work, you need to get it right on the bugs. They will die almost immediately. You can then rinse your plants off with some clear water if you wish. The soap has no residual effect on the bugs if the soap solution dries on the plants, so once it has had a minute to get the bugs, it can be rinsed off along with the dead bugs.

Soap/detergent spray will kill earwigs and daddy-long-legs spiders. I go out on the patio at night with the spray bottle and spray every earwig I see.

[rainbowgardener]

I know... I think it depends... probably on what kind of plants you spray it on, how concentrated your solution is, maybe on whether you spray in the sunshine or not, etc. But I know we have had several people write in here to say oh help I sprayed detergent solution on my plants and they all died. If it were me, I'd rather play it safe... Dr Bronners isn't expensive and one little bottle will last you forever if this is all you use it for. If you are going to use detergent, I'd spray a few leaves first as a test, see what happens. It is also probably more ok to use the detergent if you do rinse it off again right away.

[Tonio]

Soap/detergent spray will kill earwigs and daddy-long-legs spiders. I go out on the patio at night with the spray bottle and spray every earwig I see.

woo hoo, I hate earwigs too! Does it works for leaf hoppers?

T

[sweeps5063]

Thank you for the advice to everyone. I was wondering if I would have better luck getting the Dr. Bronner's at Walgreens, CvS. Also I have some Organic bug/fugus stuff called Organocide has anyone heard of or used it.

oh oh oh also a bit off subject one of my strawberry plants and some of my pepper plants have some holes in the leaves I've read some other post that suggest it be snails, is there any way to get rid of them?
Jessye

[gardenvt]

Use Sluggo for the snails. It is oraganic, perfectly harmless and will make yur soil better - its just iron and slugs love it.

[sweeps5063]

Where would be a good place to pick that up at?
Jessye

[Fourtime]

I just want to say that I too have these little white bugs on my new growth on my peppers. I tried Sevin, and soap, they're not going anywhere. Are these plants saveable? Where did the bugs come from? How do I avoid it in the future? I'm going to try to post a pic, please help me!

[imafan26]

Those look like white flies. They are usually on the underside of the peppers and the adults flit around. Peppers are favorite targets of white flies. White flies can be hosed off with a strong jet of water, make sure you get the underside of the plant. Ladybugs control them eventually if you refrain from spraying. You will have to do this everyday, until the white flies get the message and move on.

Sprays are not that effective, white flies have a lot of pesticide resistance and you will more likely just kill off the predators that would be controlling them. The adult white flies just fly off when you spray and they come back and lay more eggs (the white circles under the leaves) shortly after.

Make sure air circulation is good and make sure the plants are given enough fertilizer and water to survive the attack. Your pepper looks young. When this happens to an older pepper, I usually cut back the pepper, the white flies will look for another plant to bother, and eventually the pepper grows back.

I have peppers in pots so I usually isolate the infested pepper. White flies usually attack the weakest plant and isolating it helps. The white flies will continue to go after the weak plant, but by making sure the other plants are healthy, and hosing them off regularly, the white flies are less of a problem for the other plants.

I plant corn to attract the purple ladybugs that eat the white flies. The white flies would rather go after corn than pepper any way.