BUG ID help needed STAT!

JRinPA · June 17, 2017

I had planned to do my first weave today at a community garden plot I have this year. The plants look great and are lush except for some bad looking bugs. I have been fortunate over the years so these may be something a first year gardener would see, but I a bit stumped. Some look like Aphids but what are the white things? Aphid nymphs?

What is the solution? Organic garden, so I'm figuring soap/alchohol spray and pull badly infested plants?

JRinPA · June 17, 2017

Are the white first instar aphids? That is what I noticed first and saw the most of.

JRinPA · June 17, 2017

I put one on imgur for high res.
http://imgur.com/a/jUxl6

AlittleSalt · June 17, 2017

They look like White Aphids to me http://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids

Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Aphids

Try spraying cold water on the leaves; sometimes all aphids need is a cool blast to dislodge them.
If you have an aphid invasion, dust plants with flour. It constipates the pests.
Use commercially available biological aphid controls or by spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
You can often get rid of aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent.
Stir together 1 quart of water, 1 tsp of liquid dish soap, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Do not dilute before spraying on plants.
Organic controls include soapy emulsion, horticultural oil (read the directions), and pyrethrum spray. Soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.
Use homemade garlic or tomato-leaf sprays.

b54red · June 17, 2017

They look like whiteflies to me. They have been fairly bad this year after a couple of years with hardly any. Could be the rainy weather or the mild winter last year. They are sucking insects and hard to kill and they can multiply like crazy. They will also spread diseases. I use a mix of a strong soapy water with Permethrin and food grade diatomaceous earth and make sure to spray everything that has them on it including the mulch under the plants. They hang out under the leaves so it is very important to spray the undersides of the leaves and when you do they will try to escape by flying and landing somewhere else. If you only have them on a few plants you can get them under control with a hand sprayer fairly easily by spraying the plants thoroughly with just Permethrin and soapy water and then repeating it in two or three days to get the newly hatched ones.

Bill

RayR · June 17, 2017

Those are green aphids, you can clearly see them in the third photo.
The white stuff is the Moulted exoskeleton they shed as they mature.

ginger2778 · June 18, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

Those are green aphids, you can clearly see them in the third photo.
The white stuff is the Moulted exoskeleton they shed as they mature.

That was exactly what I was going to say. Yes, aphid mummies.

RayR · June 17, 2017

It doesn't look like there are too many.
If there is no serious infestation I do nothing. The air force (parasitoid wasps) usually arrives on time and wipes them out.

JRinPA · June 18, 2017

I sprayed them down yesterday. I used a 1-1/2 gal sprayer with soap, baby oil, and alcohol, then sprayed it off with water less than an hour later. It seemed like it did a good job. When I get over there again I will take more care in figuring if the white things are alive or just husks.

The pictures I posted were degraded a bit and I just don't like posting a ton of stuff on imgur, though the resolution is better.

I have been fortunate over the years, I suppose, because at my home garden I don't get bugs on the tomato plants. I recall a single hornworm a few years back. Another garden I planted had substantial hornworm numbers. My brother said he had lots of aphids last year, but he is a half hour away. We get some aphids on the roses but not the tomatoes. I never noticed the white things before. If they are just the leftover husks from the aphid molting, then I will be very happy. That is what I saw first, and my first thought was "these must be those whiteflies people post about on the forums".

They don't seem to have wings though, and they seemed slow to unresponsive. Some would disappear like they hopped off, but maybe that was just the wind? I also could have sworn I saw one fly in, but then I couldn't find it. Mostly I would see a few of the white things on top of a leaf or stem, then turn the leaf over and see a few aphids and a more white things.

On another note, I need to get some of that DE stuff soon. Slugs are bad this year. The spinach and lettuce were transplanted so it was passably okay, but I put I planted bush beans in there place a few days back and they are getting eaten as soon as they sprout. We have tried some yeast traps, but they don't catch enough.

RayR · June 18, 2017

Look at my post from 2012 here

You'll see the aphids, the white moulted exoskeletons and aphid mummies. That's all you need to know about recognizing what's what.

Some adult aphids have wings, they land on the plant and give live birth to nymphs. You may sometimes see them on your plants.
Actually there is a winged aphid in my first picture, it's the black one at the upper part of the photo.

bower · June 18, 2017

JR, have you tried the bait for slugs?
http://www.organicinputs.ca/en/produ...ug-snail-bait/

Watermelon rinds will catch more slugs than yeast or beer IMO. Place upside down in the evening, collect the monsters in the morning.

gorbelly · June 18, 2017

The white, flimsy looking "bugs" are the skins shed by aphids as they grow.

I've only heard aphids called "mummies" when they're the big. bloated, parasitized aphids.

Like these:

Note that you can also see some shed skins here and there in this photo.

ginger2778 · June 18, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorbelly

The white, flimsy looking "bugs" are the skins shed by aphids as they grow.

I've only heard aphids called "mummies" when they're the big. bloated, parasitized aphids.

Like these:

Note that you can also see some shed skins here and there in this photo.

You are absolutely correct, gorbelly, I just looked up aphid mummies and it us the leftover swollen shell of an aphid after the wasp larva has left it. What I was calling a mummy here was just a shed exoskeleton. Someone on another forum told me the wrong thing, but thanks to you, I have learned the correct use for mummy. Thank you.

AlittleSalt · June 18, 2017

An interesting search on Aphid Mummies https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...=1497838395215

The first site pulled up:
http://www.naturescontrol.com/aphidparasites.html

Edit, I just looked them up too Marsha. You're faster at posting than me.

This is a 44 second video of an aphid shedding its exoskeleton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrjfuErFbss
The following video is even better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd5aHIwX39I

GrowingCoastal · June 19, 2017

Aha. That tells me what those things I found on a pepper plant along with a few aphids yesterday are/were. I guess leave them alone next time. Nice to see that the wee wasps are present in the garden.

June 17, 2017	#1
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	BUG ID help needed STAT! I had planned to do my first weave today at a community garden plot I have this year. The plants look great and are lush except for some bad looking bugs. I have been fortunate over the years so these may be something a first year gardener would see, but I a bit stumped. Some look like Aphids but what are the white things? Aphid nymphs? What is the solution? Organic garden, so I'm figuring soap/alchohol spray and pull badly infested plants?

June 17, 2017	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	They look like White Aphids to me http://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids Control and Prevention How to Get Rid of Aphids Try spraying cold water on the leaves; sometimes all aphids need is a cool blast to dislodge them. If you have an aphid invasion, dust plants with flour. It constipates the pests. Use commercially available biological aphid controls or by spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. You can often get rid of aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent. Stir together 1 quart of water, 1 tsp of liquid dish soap, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Do not dilute before spraying on plants. Organic controls include soapy emulsion, horticultural oil (read the directions), and pyrethrum spray. Soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. Use homemade garlic or tomato-leaf sprays.

June 18, 2017	#9
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	I sprayed them down yesterday. I used a 1-1/2 gal sprayer with soap, baby oil, and alcohol, then sprayed it off with water less than an hour later. It seemed like it did a good job. When I get over there again I will take more care in figuring if the white things are alive or just husks. The pictures I posted were degraded a bit and I just don't like posting a ton of stuff on imgur, though the resolution is better. I have been fortunate over the years, I suppose, because at my home garden I don't get bugs on the tomato plants. I recall a single hornworm a few years back. Another garden I planted had substantial hornworm numbers. My brother said he had lots of aphids last year, but he is a half hour away. We get some aphids on the roses but not the tomatoes. I never noticed the white things before. If they are just the leftover husks from the aphid molting, then I will be very happy. That is what I saw first, and my first thought was "these must be those whiteflies people post about on the forums". They don't seem to have wings though, and they seemed slow to unresponsive. Some would disappear like they hopped off, but maybe that was just the wind? I also could have sworn I saw one fly in, but then I couldn't find it. Mostly I would see a few of the white things on top of a leaf or stem, then turn the leaf over and see a few aphids and a more white things. On another note, I need to get some of that DE stuff soon. Slugs are bad this year. The spinach and lettuce were transplanted so it was passably okay, but I put I planted bush beans in there place a few days back and they are getting eaten as soon as they sprout. We have tried some yeast traps, but they don't catch enough. Last edited by JRinPA; June 18, 2017 at 12:55 PM.

June 18, 2017	#10
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Look at my post from 2012 here You'll see the aphids, the white moulted exoskeletons and aphid mummies. That's all you need to know about recognizing what's what. Some adult aphids have wings, they land on the plant and give live birth to nymphs. You may sometimes see them on your plants. Actually there is a winged aphid in my first picture, it's the black one at the upper part of the photo. Last edited by RayR; June 18, 2017 at 02:07 PM.

June 18, 2017	#12
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	The white, flimsy looking "bugs" are the skins shed by aphids as they grow. I've only heard aphids called "mummies" when they're the big. bloated, parasitized aphids. Like these: Note that you can also see some shed skins here and there in this photo. Last edited by gorbelly; June 18, 2017 at 10:25 PM.

June 17, 2017	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	They look like whiteflies to me. They have been fairly bad this year after a couple of years with hardly any. Could be the rainy weather or the mild winter last year. They are sucking insects and hard to kill and they can multiply like crazy. They will also spread diseases. I use a mix of a strong soapy water with Permethrin and food grade diatomaceous earth and make sure to spray everything that has them on it including the mulch under the plants. They hang out under the leaves so it is very important to spray the undersides of the leaves and when you do they will try to escape by flying and landing somewhere else. If you only have them on a few plants you can get them under control with a hand sprayer fairly easily by spraying the plants thoroughly with just Permethrin and soapy water and then repeating it in two or three days to get the newly hatched ones. Bill

June 18, 2017	#11
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	JR, have you tried the bait for slugs? http://www.organicinputs.ca/en/produ...ug-snail-bait/ Watermelon rinds will catch more slugs than yeast or beer IMO. Place upside down in the evening, collect the monsters in the morning.

June 19, 2017	#15
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Aha. That tells me what those things I found on a pepper plant along with a few aphids yesterday are/were. I guess leave them alone next time. Nice to see that the wee wasps are present in the garden.