Aphid Control Help Needed

[MuddyBuckets]

Wow, all of my healthy starts of peppers, tomatoes, okra and squash have aphids. I have rinsed the leaves and sprayed with insecticidal soap and rinsed the next day but they seem to be multiplying. Plants look healthy but it is a continual battle since they have another 3 weeks under the lights.

Any of my fellow gardeners have suggestions to get rid of the aphids or at least control them? Is a Neem oil spray a good control or a pure soap solution better?

HELP!

[biscuitridge]

Need oil works great,I spray every other day ,for a total of 3 sprays,seems to do an excellent job.

[MuddyBuckets]

What brand or mix do you use? There is a lot of product on the market, some just neem oil, some pre-mixed and some ready to spray.

[biscuitridge]

Originally Posted by MuddyBuckets

What brand or mix do you use? There is a lot of product on the market, some just neem oil, some pre-mixed and some ready to spray.

It's usually less expensive to get the pure stuff and mix it yourself, I buy it by the gallon,it will last me forever. Aphids or any insect pest for that matter is a sure sign that you have an unhealthy plant,sick plants put out a certain frequency that's different from healthy plants, in that way they call the insects to come and attack it in order to eliminate that plant,so in effect those pests are garbage collectors that are helping in getting rid of diseased or sick plants,nature has wonderful ways of dealing with issues.

I keep Seabright Labs sticky traps hung around the garden and supplement with neem spray if necessary. So far this spring I have not had to use neem, knock on wood. I’ve also been quite happy to see lady bugs and green lacewings around...
- Joyce

[bower]

Let me know if you succeed with neem. I found I still have some, when I tidied up the plant ferts area. The one I have is plain neem oil, and you had to soak the bottle in warm water so it would 'melt' and be runny enough to mix it up - of course the label is long gone.


I had a huge aphid infestation on my late season carrots-in-greenhouse experiment... I got busy and did not even try to deal with it until season was over, what a mess! I sprinkled baking soda in the end, to kill those that were still moving around when the plants were removed. Definitely worked, but I suspect there are still some lurking in the greenhouse 'overwintering' style...


I don't consider aphids a sign of ill health on indoor plants. If plant health was the problem, there would still be aphids after putting them outdoors, but instead the beneficials and improved air circulation clean them right up in a jiffy. The big problem with indoor environments is when pests get in but predators don't. Ants bring the aphids, so as long as ants can get into your home or greenhouse, there will be recurring problems. We tried to re-seal all the windows last year but only succeeded in one window where I usually start my plants. So I have three pepper plants that came through the year without aphids, and have kept them going. They aren't looking the healthiest and need to be re-potted, but no aphids on em yet.

[zipcode]

Not sure how people use the neem, but it's best to use an emulsifier to mix it with water (like soap). If it's actually better than a common oil however, is debatable to me. What you need to do is have a decent concentration, otherwise it's kinda for nothing. You need at least 3%, preferably 4-5, and about 90% will die in one application.
Having to do it inside sure doesn't sound like fun though. How did they get there? Are you overwintering peppers?

[MuddyBuckets]

You called it zipcode. I brought in 4 nice pepper plants to overwinter in the sunroom and that is where I first saw the aphids a month or so ago. I sprayed and rinsed them several times but I think the aphids had already spread to my starts. Such a challenge!

[SQWIBB]

I have used neem oil, dish soap, cayenne pepper mix with limited results.
I will be trying Hydrogen peroxide next, I gave up on the spray mix and have been washing the plants under warm water massaging the leaves and stems.
The mix was sticking to the leaves too much and should be rinsed, however I found that just rinsing the plants in the first place was better for the plants.
I eventually gave up on two of my pepper plants and terminated them.
I get them on my cilantro and parsley too but can cut them back and rinse.


I totally agree bower that "I don't consider aphids a sign of ill health on indoor plants"









These bastages remind me of the replicators on Stargate SG1.

[clkeiper]

Lady bugs if you can find any. I have oodles that wintered over in my lean-to greenhouse and I saw a few aphids but they have been kept under control by the ladybugs. Check if there is a host plant somewhere close by that is harboring a colony. Soapy water, sticky traps and an insectide of choice. Neem is not a quick knock down FYI. If you use it it won't be evident for a week or two. It interferes with the reproduction.

[oakley]

The arsenal list is rather small if you keep up with it. Like Bower I have a few things
on a small shelf in my winter grow/seed starting room.

All plants coming indoors in the fall get a bath.

Yellow sticky traps let you know right away if a problem has begun.

Neem, soap, hot pepper, DE, gnattrol, mosquito dunks.

Potting up, do not use last years soil if it has ever been outside and wet.
(big box stores often have last years stock outside)

My aphid infestation was 2017. Happened so fast. First thing was a bath in the sink. Just water.
Then all the rest of the recommended methods.
AC vinegar +soap in tin cans.

In late August I start a dozen dwarf sunflowers every few weeks. Aphids love sunflowers,
even the small seedlings. Mice will go after sunflowers above anything else. Now I keep a
couple traps set at all times on a lower shelf. (only trapped 4-5 all winter but one is too
many)

Only thing purchased this year...yellow sticky traps and mouse traps.

I'm getting just a couple trapped gnats a day now so well under control.

[SQWIBB]

Originally Posted by oakley

Neem, soap, hot pepper, DE, gnattrol, mosquito dunks.

Mice will go after sunflowers above anything else. Now I keep a
couple traps set at all times on a lower shelf. (only trapped 4-5 all winter but one is too
many)
.

I had to move my seeds outside.

[AKmark]

The main error that people make when treating plants for insect control is using the same product on consecutive generations of any given insect. (That is a major NO NO). The surviving insects in the first generation adapt, and their offspring will be resilient to the treatment. Remember, Aphids give birth to pregnant Aphids.
This is very important for us commercial operators to understand, it is pounded in our heads over and over. This applies for RUP's as well as over the counter products. Most over the counter products do not work so well anymore, bugs drink it like soda.

[Worth1]

Kerosene and mineral oil on my ornamentals.

[Cole_Robbie]

I feel like I tried everything on my mums in the fall, and nothing worked. Pyrethrins were as good as anything. You kill what you can hit, but of course they hide under leaves. Neem did not work at all for me, maybe that was user error. I even tried a neonic systemic that is not approved for food, and it didn't work. That stuff is so toxic, I read the label, and felt like it said, "You had better make out your will if you are going to expose yourself to this stuff."