insects on pepper seedlings and broccoli

[kevinrs]

I first noticed the broccoli outside, one has the leaves just about gone, not much left but veins, captured some of the only bugs I saw around them, it's possible there's something else at night, the yard seems to have lots and lots of earwigs.
IMG_0503.JPGIMG_0504.JPGIMG_0505.JPGIMG_0506.JPG they move pretty quickly when uncovered, and I see them jump now that they are trapped in a vial

Then tonight I saw that there were white specks on habanero pepper seedlings, still inside under lights, closer inspection and they look to be insects or insect exoskeletons, and there are aphids in there as well. My sister said these 2 were what she was seeing on the roses outside, where she's recently planted strawberries.
IMG_0501.JPGIMG_0502.JPG

Anyone have an idea what could be eating the broccoli leaves, and how to take care of it?

and anyone know what the white things are, and how to take care of them and the aphids without killing the plants or any predators(ladybugs seen around, but not enough to keep the aphids down).

[habitat_gardener]

Around here, the main culprit when broccoli leaves are eaten to the stems this time of year are birds. I cover my seedlings with gallon water bottles with the bottoms cut out. The other culprit is snails/slugs, but you'd see slime trails. Can you post a picture of the broccoli leaves?

The white things are aphid skins -- they molt as they grow.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html

If you took a magnifying glass and saw aphids with holes in their sides, that'd mean your aphids were parasitized by tiny beneficial wasps, and you'd want to leave those undisturbed so that more of the aphid predators could emerge.

[tjg911]

broccoli plants can have their leaves eaten to the point where just the veins remain. cabbage looper caterpillar is the culprit. not sure what goes on in ca.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&s...&oq=cabbage+lo

[kevinrs]

I'll have to take a picture of the broccoli plant, it was dark out by the time I saw the aphids and got to posting.

[RayR]

I keep a bottle of Pyola around that I bought from Gardens Alive!. That kills aphids really well. It's basically Canola Oil and Pyrethrum, mix some with water and put it in a spray bottle.

[tjg911]

aphids can be easily blasted off plants with a spray of water from your garden hose. pyola will kill beneficial insects this is why i would not use it. water is basically free and won't hurt your good bugs. just a suggestion.

[kevinrs]

Update, broccoli pictures, with the only insects I've seen on them. The peppers I've been spraying the aphids off a couple of times a day.

[RayR]

That looks like classic caterpillar damage to me. Aphids didn't eat those leaves down to the veins like that. Those little wasps are likely beneficials looking for a meal or maybe parasitic wasps looking to lay eggs inside a victim.

[habitat_gardener]

If it's the little green caterpillars, you have to look hard to find them. They blend in and usually are stretched out along a vein or midrib. I've seen them on my perennial kale, but they don't do much damage.

That's definitely not bird damage!

[tjg911]

agreed it's cats on the broccoli. bt is perfect for killing them. when tiny you'll be hard pressed to find them and even when large they blend in so well you'll miss some.

[kevinrs]

I'll look close today, but the plants are still so small, I'd think I'd have seen them already.

[kevinrs]

1 thing, could it be earwigs? everywhere I look I find earwigs at the location.

[Heritage]

Kevin,

My first guess would have been worms but, if you don't see worms, my second guess would be snails/slugs. They love the same wet, organic debris conditions as earwigs. Here, if I have earwigs I will also have snails/slugs. When I see earwig damage it is usually with more jagged edges as apposed to the smoother rounded damage caused by worms and snails.
Go out with a flashlight tonight and check out the plants, I'm betting you will see snails on them.

Steve

[Heritage]

Actually, the first photo looks a lot like typical earwig damage. It's more of a "shredded" look. You might have a couple of things going on. Earwigs and snails both work at night so you should be able to find the culprits if you check tonight.

[kevinrs]

brought in the tomatoes and spotted a bunch of insects that looked like what I first spotted on the broccoli, maybe more pictures can help identify. If they are predators, nor sure why they'd be in these numbers