Aphids on pepper plants that are store-bought...

[NwMtGardener]

So I recently noticed that two hot pepper plants I got at a nursery are INFESTED with aphids. I've sprayed them good with insecticidal soap a couple times now, hopefully I'll get them under control. I'm just wondering, since there didn't seem to be any (yet) on the other peppers I raised from seed, or anything else in my greenhouse, if any of you guys have had this experience? I just bought them to have a few different varieties of peppers, but if I'm going to be getting aphids as well, maybe I should just stick to my own plants raised from seeds!!

 

[Dave2000]

Aphids are funny or I should write "random", one will come along and lay eggs and one plant will be swarming with them while one a few inches away won't have many if any on it yet - if you kill them soon enough.

I don't think you can really draw a conclusion about sprouting your own versus buying from a nursery, aphids are pretty common in the wild, except of course that you have to inspect what you're buying, but I wouldn't avoid buying something with a few aphids on it except for them getting loose in the car on the trip home since a little soapy water will take care of them later. I'd just quarantine the plant till they were under control. Point is, they might have gotten on the plant at the nursery but they can easily find your plants later.

Personally I find they like certain types of peppers more than others. My younger red habaneros with tender leaves seem to be frequently occupied by aphids while other types of peppers right next to them have few to none, though things are equalizing now that the ladybugs have found them.

If you have the space, time and basic *equipment* to do so, I feel you are better off raising your own from seed for other reasons. For example you can start them whenever you like, transplant them into larger containers before the root ball becomes a jumbled mess in the tiny plastic nursery containers they usually come in, and sprout a few more than you need so you can discard the runts or late sprouts in favor of the early healthiest ones.

Toss a few ladybugs in the greenhouse.

 

[digitS']

I have seen very few aphids this year. It must be the very cool spring that is limiting their numbers here.

I did find 2 dead lady bugs in the backyard this afternoon. That seemed strange but, then again, maybe not. Those were both adults but the larvae are showing up in fairly good numbers. It would be weird to be hoping for more aphids to feed the ladybugs . .

Usually the roses show the 1st sign of aphids but I was really surprised when rinsing orache today, not to find them on those plants. About the worse aphid attractant seems to be the lupin! They will mob those plants!

Yes! Reach for the insecticidal soap! I like to spray late & rinse the plants the next day but in the greenhouse, it probably doesn't much matter. The sun isn't as hard on the plants in a greenhouse.

Aphids in the greenhouse? They were the bugs of the wet spring weather. We would fight other things at other times. The greenhouse is a near perfect environment for aphids but the workers will take very serious measures to rid the place of them. I'm confident that it won't be insecticidal soap.

I think Dave has it right. No, the greenhouse outfits don't want their retailers to find aphids on the plants. That's reason enuf to put the plants right back on the truck and send them back!

Steve

 

[NwMtGardener]

I agree, only the Thai hot pepper plant got aphids, and they seem to be under control now. And his leaves do look extra tender and tasty! I think that bodes well for how the peppers will taste

 

[vfem]

I had an infestation from HADES on one mum plant this spring. Just the one. I was getting ready to spray, happy they didn't spread and then saw a swarm of ladybug larvae going to town on them just that day I was going to spray. 2 days later... lady bug larvae gone, aphids gone... and peace among the plants since.


They are a strange come and go bug, and I don't think here where we are they have been much of a problem ever?! Its those stink bugs that really 'fry my beans'! (Figure of speech, not literally! LOL)

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

my cucumbers are infested with the little bass turds.

fire ants working over the plants, and seem to have some lady bug larvae, too... i just hope they get a handle on the aphids, or they're going to do the cucumbers totally in.

it's disgusting...

 

[Dave2000]

my cucumbers are infested with the little bass turds.

fire ants working over the plants, and seem to have some lady bug larvae, too... i just hope they get a handle on the aphids, or they're going to do the cucumbers totally in.

it's disgusting...

There are certain types of ants that will even "farm" aphids, herding them, or taking eggs to plants, so they can harvest the honeydew produced... or they might have been drawn to an existing population of aphids instead.

Oddly I have a couple of plants that some type of large ant really likes, but there's nothing in particular different about these two plants (I've several of the same thing) and I've never seen any aphids or other insects on them, except that they are in pots with drainage holes on the sides instead of the bottom and are colored black. They don't seem to be colonizing in the soil, just roaming around all over the leaves in random directions.