Pests of pepper seedlings

Pepper

Pepper seedlings can be destroyed not only by viral and bacterial diseases, but also by pests that are not averse to feasting on the plant's sap.

Aphid

Aphids are a common pest that infests peppers. These pests are very small, green insects. Aphids are phytophagous insects that infest peppers to suck the plant's sap.

Aphids are found on the underside of leaves, where adults and many new larvae can be seen. Initial signs of aphid infestation include:

the leaf blade begins to wither and curl;
The upper and lower parts of the leaf begin to shine and stick. This is due to the aphids secreting honeydew;
On the lower part, you can clearly see green insects and the larvae they have already produced.

Methods of aphid control:

Using chemicals. Let's look at which products can be used to treat plants against aphids:

"Commander" is a comprehensive product that protects against aphids, whiteflies, and the Colorado potato beetle. It kills not only adult beetles but also larvae. One bottle of liquid is enough to treat 1000 square meters of land. For aphid control, it is recommended to dilute 5 ml of the product per 10 liters of water.
Confidor is a chemical product with intestinal and contact action. It is diluted at 1 ml per 10 liters of water. It begins to work immediately and lasts up to 2-3 weeks.
Fufanon is a contact chemical for protection against various insects, including aphids. It poses no danger to humans or beneficial insects. To prepare a solution, you will need 5 ml of the product and 10 liters of water. For an area of 20 m², you need 3 liters of water and the product.

Folk remedies for aphids control:

Using wood ash. To prepare the solution, you will need: 10 liters of water, 100 ml of soap (liquid or softened), and 2 cups of ash. Apply this mixture to both sides of the leaves;
Using chamomile. You'll need: 1 liter of hot water, 100 grams of chamomile, and liquid soap. Place the chamomile in the hot water and let it steep for 12 hours. Strain the mixture, add the soap, and spray.

Wireworm

A wireworm is the larva of a species of click beetle. There are three main types of wireworms:

The larva of the dark click beetle. The chitinous shell is dark yellow. They reach approximately 2.5 cm in length;
Steppe click beetle larva. Brown with a red tint. Wireworm length is 3.5 cm.
The larva of the striped click beetle reaches 2 cm in length. The main part of the body of these insects is white, and they have brown spots along the edges.

Wireworms gnaw at the roots of peppers, causing the plant to slowly die. Methods of pest control:

Chemical methods:

For large pest infestations, use the toxic product "Bazudin." The recommended dosage is 10-15 grams per 10 m². Apply the product to the soil during planting, sprinkling it into prepared holes.
Provotox is a low-toxicity wireworm control product. It is used during planting. The granular product is sprinkled into the planting holes at a rate of 40-50 grams per 10 m².

Agrotechnical methods of wireworm control:

Add lime to the soil in the fall before plowing. Consumption per 1 m²: 100 grams of lime;
In the spring, before planting, add one glass of ash to the holes;
remove couch grass from the garden bed in a timely manner, as wireworms like to feed on the roots of this weed;
It is worth digging or plowing the soil just before the frost so that the wireworm does not have time to hide in the ground and freeze.

Agronomic control methods will help eliminate wireworms in 3-4 years, while chemicals will destroy the insect population in the first year.

Mole cricket

The mole cricket is a pest that feeds not only on plant roots but also on root vegetables. It moves underground, digging tunnels like a mole. It runs quickly on the surface, so killing it requires extreme vigilance. They have a large head, a massive jaw, a brown body, small but strong legs, and wings. Mole crickets migrate at night. A single insect can lay 200-300 larvae per season.

Folk and agrotechnical methods of control:

To protect the greenhouse with seedlings, make small furrows and fill them with kerosene-soaked sand. The smell of fuel will repel mole crickets;
When planting pepper seedlings, it is recommended to place needles of coniferous trees (pine, fir) in the holes. This smell is believed to repel mole crickets;
Destroy mole cricket nests. You can place clumps of compost in areas where the insect most often lays its eggs. Check for nests periodically and burn them if found.
If a mole cricket appears in the garden, you should not feed the plants with humus from cow manure, as it is a favorable place for their reproduction;
Pour a soapy solution into the pest's burrows. After a while of treating them with the soapy mixture, the insect will emerge from the ground, and all you have to do is kill it.

Chemical control methods:

"Medvedoks" is an organophosphorus-based pest control product for mole crickets. The application rate is 100 grams per square meter. Apply to a depth of 5-10 cm or when planting in pits.
"Fenaxin" is a non-phytotoxic product with a 20-day duration of action. It is applied to a depth of 5 cm. The application rate is 100 grams per 10 m². After ingestion, the mole cricket dies within three hours.
Rofatox is an imidacloprid-based chemical pest control product that effectively combats mole crickets and wireworms. 30 grams of the product is required per 10 m². Place the product at a depth of 3-5 cm.

Whitefly

The whitefly is an insect that resembles a common moth. Its body is 1-2 mm long, and its wings and body are white. A single adult can lay up to 280 eggs. Whiteflies are dangerous during the adult stage, when they transition from eggs to larvae and begin feeding on plant sap. Leaves affected by the whitefly begin to turn yellow, curl, and fall off.

Chemical preparations for whitefly:

"Actellic" is an insecticide with intestinal and contact action. To treat 10 m², you'll need 2 liters of water and 2 ml of the product.
Karbofos is a systemic insecticide used for garden and vegetable crops. To treat peppers against whiteflies, you'll need 60 grams of the product and 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is sufficient for 100 m².

Folk methods for killing insects:

Treating plants with garlic infusion. To prepare, you'll need 1 liter of water and 6 grams of crushed garlic. Let it sit in a dark place for 24 hours, then strain and spray the plants with a spray bottle.
Tobacco infusion. Buy a pack of cigarettes, remove the tobacco, pour a liter of hot water over it, and let it steep for 5 days. Treat the plants every three days until the pests disappear completely.

Slugs

Slugs are mollusks that, through evolutionary changes, have lost their shell. These seemingly harmless animals are considered a major pest of vegetable and garden crops. Slugs eat the leaves and fruits of peppers and can ruin the entire crop.

Basic folk remedies for slug control:

You can scatter mustard, dry coffee grounds, hot pepper, and lime under the plants;
Spray the plants with a garlic infusion. To make the infusion, take 5 liters of water and 150 grams of crushed garlic, and let it steep for 24 hours.

Among the chemical preparations that can be used to combat slugs, the following stand out: “Agrozin” (consumption 45 ml per 10 m²), “Ulicid” (5 g per 1 m²).

Spider mite

Spider mites are not insects, but rather arachnids of the spider mite family. The species found on peppers is Tetranychus urticae. They can be seen under magnification. Their chitinous covering can be yellow-green or brown. They feed on the sap of pepper leaves by piercing the leaf blade with their proboscis.

Chemical preparations for the control of spider mites:

"Akarin" contains a broad-spectrum substance with intestinal and contact action, used to control various mites, aphids, and the Colorado potato beetle. The dosage for spraying peppers is 1-2 ml per liter of water;
"Kleschevit" is a tick killer. The recommended dosage is 2 grams per liter of water.

Home remedies for treating spider mites on plants:

Soapy solution. To prepare, you will need 5 liters of water and a bar of laundry soap. Wipe the plant leaves with the resulting solution;
Onion infusion. Preparation takes 12 hours. You'll need 200-300 grams of onion peel and 8-10 liters of warm water. Strain the resulting solution and spray it on your plants.

Thrips

Thrips are pests of vegetable and garden crops, distinguished by their small size but significant damage. Thrips are characterized by an elongated body, brown coloration, a triangular head, and transparent wings. They are no more than 1.5 mm long. Their appearance on plant leaves is difficult to notice. The insect attaches its mouthparts to the leaves and begins sucking out the sap.

Insecticides for thrips:

"Green Soap" is a contact product for thrips, aphids, and bedbugs. The recommended dosage is 0.25 ml per 0.5 liters of water.
Iskra is a stomach and contact insecticide containing permethrin and cypermethrin. Two tablets are dissolved in 5 liters of water.

Using home remedies:

Marigold infusion. You'll need 50-70 grams of crushed flowers and a liter of water. Pour the flowers into the water and bring to a boil, then let it steep for 3 days.
Celandine infusion. Add 200-300 g of celandine leaves and stems to hot water (1 liter), let it steep for 2 days, and then spray the plants.

Reviews:

Valentina:

I love sweet peppers, but this year I was plagued by slugs. After heavy rains, there were so many of them that I didn't know what to do. I tried two methods: I bought a slug trap and sprinkled a chemical called "Groza" (Storm) under the plants. The chemical was ultimately more effective. Many of the peppers were damaged by slugs, but I'm glad that half of them were saved.

Maxim Anatolyevich:

I'd like to share my experience dealing with spider mites on peppers. I didn't notice the arachnid's presence on my peppers right away. It wasn't until the leaves began curling en masse that I began investigating the cause. I determined it was indeed a spider mite by the webbing on the plant. I treated the peppers with the broad-spectrum pesticide "Karbofos." Indeed, within a few days, the plants' condition improved, as the spider mites were no longer sucking sap from the leaves.