Protect your garden from pests and diseases with what's at hand

The small, voracious pest becomes the main enemy of crops and annoys gardeners and gardeners already at the very beginning of the season. These insects are spreading actively, infecting more and more plants, so you need to start fighting them right away, and hot red pepper against aphids helps tremendously.

The main advantage of such a product is its environmental friendliness, because it is necessary to process plantings that will then be consumed as food, so there is no place for poisons here.

There are quite a few folk recipes for environmentally friendly pest control products. Everything is used, from mustard and soda to tobacco dust and ash.

Quite often, pastures are used to destroy aphids and thrips: tomato tops, burdock leaves, garlic and onion peels. But red hot pepper has proven itself to be one of the most effective methods.

Description of the pest

Aphids are homoptera or wingless parasitic insects that settle in colonies on green plants.
It feeds on the sap of young shoots and transmits plant disease viruses. If the leaves of the pepper turn black and the buds fall off, then the number of insects has reached catastrophic proportions. You can find the insect on the back of a green leaf. Learn how to control slugs and caterpillars on peppers. External signs:

• oblong or drop-shaped body;
• size - from 3 to 8 mm;
• the body is soft, transparent, its color depends on the color of the plant on which the insect parasitizes;
• the head is trapezoidal, the organs of hearing and touch are located on the jointed antennae located on the forehead;
• the eyes are colored red, brown, black, insects have excellent vision;
• the legs are thin, long, have walking and jumping functions;
• oral apparatus in the form of a proboscis capable of piercing the surface of a green leaf or stem;
• the abdomen consists of 9 segments, the last of which is underdeveloped, in the shape of a tail;
• the body is covered with fluff of varying lengths.

Did you know? Ants guard aphid colonies by feeding on their sweet honeydew. For the winter, they roll insect eggs into an anthill. to save the colony from extinction.

Where do the ants come from on the site?

Ants appear where there are aphids, protect them, scaring off enemies, build shelters for them, carry them to the juiciest shoots, and shelter the females in an anthill for the winter. The fact is that ants feed on the liquid secretion that aphids leave behind.

If the ants think there are too many aphids, they get rid of some by eating them.

At the moment, it has not been possible to establish who appears first in the city - the ants that came because there are a lot of aphids here or whether the ants themselves bring the aphids.

What is a gall aphid?

Leaf gall aphids are one of the most dangerous insects that parasitize currants. Its habitat: from Europe to Central Asia, including Siberia and the Caucasus. There are about 4,000 species of this insect worldwide, and the red gall hairy aphid is the most common of those found on berry bushes.

This parasite is often found on colored currants. Also settles on plants such as:

• sage;
• Apple tree;
• mint;
• viburnum;
• rose hip;
• thyme.

Looks like that:

• body color is greenish-yellow;
• the body is hairy, which is why they called her hairy;
• body length - from 2 mm.

Since aphids are a polymorphic parasite, their appearance differs depending on the stage of insect development. In one gardening season, it can produce about 4-19 generations of its own kind. Therefore, the harm from the insect worsens as it spreads. The warmer it is in the region where currants grow, the more harm they cause.

Among the red gall aphids of the same species, you can find both mothers that give birth to offspring and babies that devour leaves. Among them there are also winged aphids, which facilitate the relocation of the colony to a new plant, as well as transitional forms - bisexual individuals that lay eggs.

Active reproduction of the pest occurs after the flowering of apple or currant trees, and aphids cause the greatest damage to plantings in June. After the leaves of fruit trees and berry bushes become rough, the colony of insects moves to other plants. Usually these are herbs from the Lamiaceae family: mint, lavender.

Several generations of aphids feed on these plants until early autumn. And when a bisexual generation appears, it moves to the currant and lays eggs there.

What does aphid look like and why is it dangerous?

The insect's body is oval, usually about 2-3 mm long; division is weakly expressed. There is a proboscis at the front, with which the aphid pierces the surface of the plant and sucks out the juice. The color of the outer cover depends on the type of insect: light green is the most common, but red or black are also found. Each species has both wingless forms (providing rapid reproduction) and winged forms (allowing them to move to a new habitat).

Did you know? In many species of aphids, the length
of the proboscis can exceed the body size by several times.
The life cycle of an aphid consists of several stages. Females lay eggs on bushes in the fall, where they hatch into larvae in the spring. After molting, wingless forms appear; they reproduce parthenogenetically, without the participation of a male. Their main task is intensive mass reproduction. Later, the pests produce females with wings. Winged individuals fly to neighboring bushes and continue to reproduce intensively.

At the end of summer, male aphids are born, with wings. They move to the main plant and participate in further reproduction. Multiplying through generations, insects feed on sap from stems and leaves.

Parasites are extremely dangerous for peppers - the damage they cause to the crop affects not only the yield, but also the general condition of the plants.

With prolonged damage to the bush they:

• suck out plant juices, thereby inhibiting the growth and development of bushes;
• carry infectious diseases;
• They secrete honeydew, a coating that promotes the formation of mold and attracts ants.

Important! Ants promote the reproduction of aphids because they feed on honeydew. Their coexistence accelerates the slowdown and death of the plant

Preventive measures

In order to prevent aphid infestations, it is not recommended to plant peppers next to cucumbers, beans, peas, lettuce, and radishes, because these crops often attract aphids. Both in the greenhouse and in the open ground, plant crops with a pronounced aroma next to the peppers: dill, basil, coriander, onions, mustard, marigolds.

Get rid of ants in your area.

It is the ants that are involved in the “breeding” of aphids, so they must be dealt with first. Finding and digging out an anthill located on a site is not so easy. But if you managed to dig up an anthill, then take its contents into the forest, away from the house, and carefully dig up the place where it was located and cover it with hot ash. Ants are hard-working, so if you do not completely destroy the anthill, they will quickly restore it and also increase their numbers.

You can bring forest ants from the forest, then the garden ants will leave the area.

To combat ants, use sweet baits made of bread or any cereal soaked in boric acid. Taking the poisonous bait with them into the anthill, the ants die within a few days.

Keep in mind that it will not be possible to get rid of ants forever and in 2-3 years they will settle on the site again.

Attract insects that feed on aphids to your yard. Ladybugs, some species of wasps, hoverflies, and the larvae of Micromus carbonata feed on aphids. Some insects can be purchased at nurseries and garden centers. Remember that insects are unlikely to fly to an area treated with chemicals. For insects, spicy herbs and fragrant flowers will be bait.

Preventative measures to combat aphids will help control the number of aphids and minimize the damage caused by aphids to peppers.

To prevent aphids from destroying peppers, it is necessary to regularly inspect the beds and take immediate action when they are detected. For the purpose of prevention, plant flowers and plants on the site that repel aphids and attract their natural enemies.

When fighting aphids, it is important to control the number of ants in your area.

Signs of plant damage

Controlling aphids on peppers begins with determining the degree of infestation. You can understand that adult peppers or seedlings are being attacked by insects by two main signs:

• Small insects of black, whitish, greenish or other shades, which are grouped into large “spots,” are visible on the seedlings. The main localization is the lower part of the trunk and the base of the leaves, as well as the lower part of the leaf blade.
• As the number of insects increases, the signs of infection worsen - the leaves begin to bend, curl, become thinner, and the tops of the shoots become deformed. Sugary secretions appear on the surface of the foliage. They cover fabrics with a thick film that does not allow air and moisture to pass through.

The severity of the destructive effect of insects depends on the stage at which the aphids settled on the bushes:

• if seedlings are damaged, the ovaries may be completely or partially absent, the resulting harvest will be 2-4 times smaller, the fruits will be small, dry, and deformed;
• If the pest attacks adult bushes, they become thinner, soften, deformed, the plant falls to the ground, and signs of rotting are visible on the leaves and stems due to the penetration of bacterial microflora into the tissues at the bite sites.

The severity of the destructive effect of insects depends on the stage at which the aphids settled on the bushes:

if seedlings are damaged, the ovaries may be completely or partially absent, the resulting harvest will be 2-4 times smaller, the fruits will be small, dry, deformed; if the pest attacks adult bushes, they become thinner, softened, deformed, the plant lies on the ground, on the leaves and stem signs of rotting are visible due to the penetration of bacterial microflora into the tissue at the bite sites.

It is more difficult to control insects in open ground, since they can migrate during treatment with insecticides, and after some time again settle on the treated plants.

In greenhouse conditions, aphids on pepper seedlings are easier to deal with due to the limited space: 2-3 treatments are enough to completely eliminate the pests.

Expert advice: how to deal with aphids

As already mentioned, there are three methods to fight aphids. Let's look at each in more detail, taking into account the vegetable crop, namely pepper.

Chemical treatment of aphids on peppers can be applied, but a number of rules must be taken into account:

• competent and reasonable approach (dosage according to instructions);
• strict adherence to all recommendations of the chemical manufacturer;
• use of personal protective equipment.

In our case, the following chemical preparations, which can be purchased in any specialized store in ready-made form, will do the job well:

1. Fufanon is an insectoacaricidal agent with a fumigation effect, based on the contact principle of action (pepper leaves should be moistened in its solution), is not phytotoxic, and is moderately dangerous for animals and people.
2. Fury is an insecticide containing zeta-cypermethrin, which is intended for use in individual farms and is not phytotoxic. The product is applied to the affected plant using a sprayer.
3. Actellik is a non-systemic organophosphorus insectoacaricide of rapid contact action (it contains pirimiphos-methyl), leads to paralysis and death of insects, and the period of protection of pepper from re-infection by aphids lasts from two to three weeks.

A biological method of controlling aphids on peppers includes planting the area with plants that this insect cannot tolerate and is afraid of. These include potatoes, tobacco, regular onions, yarrow, celandine, horseradish, and garlic.

But traditional methods of fighting aphids are the most popular among Russians. These include infusions, decoctions, and soap mixtures. The main thing in this method is the correct preparation of the product that suits you best. Let's look at a few effective recipes:

1. Soap mixture (the main active ingredient is an aqueous solution of laundry soap 72%) with the addition of ash or ammonia, or vegetable oil:
   grind a piece of laundry soap (for example, grate or cut it);
2. mix the crushed soap with a small amount of warm water (up to one liter);
3. leave for about five hours;
4. be sure to strain through cheesecloth so that there are no large undissolved pieces of soap in the mixture;
5. add an additional component (decoction of red pepper or garlic, soda ash).
6. A weak solution of potassium permanganate - to get rid of aphids you will need several approaches to using this product.
7. Tobacco infusion:
   soak tobacco waste for a day in hot water (temperature 60-70 degrees);
8. strain.
9. Mustard powder:
   pour mustard powder (can be purchased at a grocery store) with boiling water (half a liter of boiling water for 40 g of mustard);
10. leave for three days in a closed container;
11. Dilute the prepared concentrated infusion with water to 10 liters.
12. Garlic infusion:
    Peel the garlic and chop it (for example, through a garlic grinder or a meat grinder);
13. pour boiling water over it;
14. leave for one day;
15. for better effect add soap solution;
16. dilute with water to the required volume.

Any prepared product will be a liquid mixture of several components. Therefore, it is best to apply it to plants affected by aphids using a sprayer. If your household does not have this, then you can use an ordinary household broom. To do this, it is dipped into the liquid mixture and the droplets are sprinkled onto the pepper bush.

Experienced gardeners claim that aphids can actually be knocked off a plant with a strong stream of cold water. But if the pepper sprouts are too weakened, then this method will not work, since the plant stem may break under the pressure of water.

Mustard powder

Helps against aphids, mites, honeysuckers, codling moths, wireworms, onion, carrot and cabbage flies and naked slugs

Mustard powder. Photo from gekomarket.com

• Recipe 1 - infusion

Infuse 10 g of mustard powder in 1 liter of water for two days. Dilute in a ratio of 1:5

• Recipe 2 - infusion

3 tbsp. spoons of powder, pour 1 liter of boiling water, grind, leave for three days in a tightly sealed container. Filter, dilute with water 1:20, add laundry soap at the rate of 40 g per 10 liters of the finished solution.

• Recipe 2 - suspension

Stir 5-6 tbsp in 10 liters of warm water. tablespoons mustard powder

How to use it?

The suspension is effective against slugs - it is watered between the rows. Plants are sprayed with infusions. Dry mustard is poured into the holes when planting cabbage seedlings, and the soil around the seedlings is also sprinkled with it. And live mustard plants planted between potato rows will help against wireworms.

Folk remedies

Gardeners who prefer to avoid chemical methods (they are dangerous for bees and other beneficial insects) use folk recipes. There are many of them, and here are just a few of the popular ones:

1. A solution of laundry soap and water. You will need 5-10 grams of soap per liter of water. All this is infused for at least five hours, then filtered and used for spraying pepper. It will take a lot of time, but the result will please you.
2. Infusion of ash. It is made from two glasses of ash, a bucket of water and 100 grams of soap. After a day you can spray and water the plantings with it.
3. A mixture of tobacco dust and ash. Take 50 grams of both, add to water (2 liters) and process the peppers.
4. Ammonia. It is used to prepare a solution that causes instant death of insects. For 10 liters of water, take two tablespoons of ammonia and one tablespoon of liquid soap. Mix and use as directed.
5. Hydrogen peroxide (50 ml), two tablespoons of alcohol, a liter of water and a few drops of liquid soap is an effective solution for pests on peppers. They should be sprayed on the leaves and stems of the plant.

You can also find regular reviews and those captured on video, where gardeners name Coca-Cola, vodka, iodine and milk among folk remedies.

Burdock leaves

They will help get rid of cutworms, cabbage whites and moths.

Burdock leaves

• Recipe

Pour half a bucket of fresh crushed burdock leaves with water and leave for up to 3 days.

How to use it?

Spray plants with infusion of burdock leaves during the flight of butterflies and during the period when caterpillars hatch from eggs.

Prevention of occurrence

In order not to rack your brains over the question of how to treat pepper seedlings against aphids, it is necessary to timely prevent the appearance of the pest. This will require the use of a set of measures.

1. Disinfect the soil in which the pepper will grow and drive away all the ants (because large clusters of aphids always appear near ant colonies).
2. Thoroughly treat the seeds and disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide.
3. Plant onions and garlic next to the peppers (the aroma of the plants will repel the pest).
4. Regularly treat all equipment and greenhouse surfaces with bleach or caustic soda.
5. Create optimal conditions for effective forcing of pepper seedlings, harden them so that the plant can more easily withstand aphid attacks.
6. Prepare a spray of hydrogen peroxide and spray it on pepper seedlings (this composition will prevent the development of diseases in young sprouts).

Don’t despair if aphids do get to your seedlings. Now you know the best ways to combat this pest, and with the right approach, you can eliminate it quickly.

Red pepper is a real salvation for my garden from pests

Surely every gardener dreams:

“If only they could invent a miracle remedy, one, universal one that could save our entire garden from all pests at once. And the main thing is that it is a natural remedy, not an insecticide. And it should be inexpensive."

Agree, such a desire arose. So that, as if with the wave of a magic wand, all the leaf-eaters that eat our fruits and spoil the harvest will disappear in an instant.

But, unfortunately, such a drug has not yet been invented. But there is one remedy that can still be called universal and effective; it helps fight several pests in the garden at once.

And it's just regular ground red pepper from the grocery store.

Effective recipes

Chili pepper is an effective way to get rid of aphids and is considered to have many uses for its versatility. Popular examples from a number of remedies: tincture, decoction and solution. The recipe depends on the form of use of red pepper. The vegetable is taken in ground, dried, raw form.

Pepper infusion

The fight against aphids with hot pepper usually involves treating plants. A popular recipe involves the use of fresh spicy fruits. They contain more alkaloids and odorous substances. Preparation of the solution:

1. Take 1 kg of fresh red hot pepper pods, chop them using a meat grinder or food processor. It is allowed to finely chop the fruits.
2. Place the resulting mass in a 10-liter enamel bucket, completely filled with water.
3. Mix thoroughly and leave to infuse for 10 days.
4. Use the finished infusion to prepare the product.

The resulting pepper concentrate must be mixed with soapy water - 100 g per 10 liters. Preparation of the base: take 40 g of laundry soap, cut into shavings, dissolve in 10 liters of water. Mixing pepper infusion and soap solution will enhance the effectiveness of the aphid repellent. Liquid treatment is carried out by spraying plants affected by the pest.

Pepper infusion

The second most popular recipe is a decoction of fresh pepper pods. By heating the fruit, substances are released into the water that have a harmful effect on aphids. The plants need to be treated with this liquid. Preparation:

1. Take 100 g of fresh red hot pepper pods and pass through a meat grinder or blender.
2. Transfer the pulp into a bowl, add 1 liter of water.
3. Place on low heat and cook for 1–1.5 hours, covered.
4. Pour the broth into a glass container.
5. Leave to infuse for 2 days in a dark place.

Before treating a plot or garden, dilute 50–60 g of concentrated pepper solution in 10 liters of water. Treatment method: spraying trees and shrubs or vegetable crops with red pepper against aphids.

Using ground red pepper

Ground red pepper is an affordable spice that is sold in all grocery stores. Therefore, anti-aphid remedies are usually made from ground and dried chili. Recipe:

1. Take 4 packs of ground pepper, 50 g each.
2. Pour into a bottle, add 2 liters of water.
3. Take warm water – 20–30 degrees.
4. Mix thoroughly and shake the container.
5. Leave the solution to infuse for a day.

The prepared liquid must be poured into a spray bottle. This is how the treatment is carried out - by spraying. A tincture of ground hot pepper is approved for use to get rid of aphids on all vegetable, fruit or berry plantings. Pests immediately leave the treatment site. After 2–3 hours it will be clear that the insect colonies have noticeably thinned out.

From dried chili peppers

Treatment of red hot pepper against aphids is often performed by preparing remedies from dried parts of the plant. Why do they take not only pods, but also leaves and shoots? Cooking options:

1. Take 500 g of dry leaves and add 10 liters of water. Leave for 1 day, strain. Spray the resulting liquid on greens, lettuce, vegetable and garden crops, flowers, and indoor plants.
2. Pour 100 g of dried red pepper pods into 1 liter of water. Place the dishes on low heat and cook covered for 2-3 hours. Add water to a volume of 10 liters.
3. Grind 250 g of dried pepper pods, add water (5 l) and put on low heat. Cook for 1 hour. Leave the container in a dark place overnight. Grind the pepper and strain the mixture.

It is recommended to prepare the listed products both to eliminate numerous colonies and to prevent the appearance of aphids. Spraying and irrigation do not harm plants or humans. Dried fruits are sometimes easier to find; in terms of effectiveness, such products will not be inferior to tinctures and decoctions with a base of fresh chili peppers.

Red pepper is a real salvation for my garden from pests

Surely every gardener dreams:

“If only they could invent a miracle remedy, one, universal one that could save our entire garden from all pests at once. And the main thing is that it is a natural remedy, not an insecticide. And it should be inexpensive."

Agree, such a desire arose. So that, as if with the wave of a magic wand, all the leaf-eaters that eat our fruits and spoil the harvest will disappear in an instant.

But, unfortunately, such a drug has not yet been invented. But there is one remedy that can still be called universal and effective; it helps fight several pests in the garden at once.

And it's just regular ground red pepper from the grocery store.

Who is it effective against?

Red pepper will help drive out the following pests and insects :

• aphids
• suckers
• caterpillars
• slugs
• cabbage
• scoop
• onion and carrot flies
• ants

Ground red pepper can be used both dry and as an infusion.

When dry , we simply scatter the pepper on the beds around the plants. This method is especially good against various pests on cabbage. Dry pepper is also used to fight ants: take a packet of spice and sprinkle it on the anthill and along the ant trails.

the liquid preparation as follows: take 100 grams of pepper and add a liter of water, boil for about an hour. Next, I pour the broth into a bucket, add up to 10 liters of water and leave for a couple of days. The infusion is ready, I spray the plants with it.

In this way, we can protect a good part of our harvest from pests. And what is very important - an inexpensive and natural remedy. Of course, if pests have been attacking your area for a long time and thoroughly, red pepper will not help much. But for prevention and early control - that’s it!

I use red pepper every year to control pests, especially in the spring and summer, and I want to say that it really does reduce them. Of course, this is not the only way to fight, but it absolutely definitely contributes to my fight against uninvited guests. And I’m sure it will be a very “significant contribution.”

The main thing is not to harm yourself, so when I use ground pepper, I always use a bandage so as not to burn my airways.

Ground red pepper is a universal, budget-friendly and natural remedy that will help us protect the garden from almost all pests at once.

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Prevention

To prevent the appearance of aphids, preventive work begins with proper preparation of the soil for growing seedlings. The soil must be disinfected by heating or freezing. Also for this purpose, pouring with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate or garlic infusion is used. Additionally, seedling containers and seed material are disinfected.

When growing pepper seedlings indoors, do not leave flower bouquets in the same room with the seedlings. They can be a source of aphid spread. During the development process, seedlings must be fed with mineral fertilizers. Weakened seedlings are sprayed with the drug "Epin" to strengthen the immune system.

Types of fertilizers for pepper seedlings: how and what to properly feed peppers For peppers to develop well, they need light, water and oxygen. All these points are important for seedlings, and for them...

After planting in a permanent place, make sure that there are no anthills in the vicinity of the pepper beds. If they are found, they are dug up and the area is covered with hot wood ash. The anthill itself is taken further into the forest. To kill ants, sweet, poisonous baits are laid out on their paths.

Tip! After planting the pepper bushes in a permanent place, plants with a pungent odor are planted along the edges of the bed, which repel aphids. For this purpose, marigolds, cloves, onions, dill, and coriander are used.

To destroy aphids, insects that feed on them are attracted to the site. These include ladybugs and lacewings. Birds are also used to control the pest.

To get rid of aphids on pepper bushes, different methods are used. At the same time, the degree of effectiveness and toxicity of the drugs used is taken into account. Chemical insecticides are used only in extreme cases: when a large number of plants are infected or when other methods are ineffective. At the stage of growing seedlings or during the fruiting period, aphids are destroyed using folk remedies or bioinsecticides.

Signs of the presence of aphids

The appearance of aphids on bell peppers can be noticed almost immediately. A signal that it is time to carefully inspect the plantings and process them is ants running around the plants. They spread aphids along the shoots so that they can collect honeydew, a sweet liquid that the insects secrete.

The main signs of the appearance of a colony of aphids on peppers:

• at first - white spots on the leaves;
• subsequently the foliage curls and turns yellow;
• Shine and sticky drops appear on the plant;
• severely affected leaves fall off;
• the growth of seedlings slows down, this is especially noticeable in seedlings;
• the flowers fly around without forming ovaries.

Seedlings that are attacked by pests often die completely. Weakened peppers do not take root well after transplantation. Shoots oppressed by aphids begin to become covered with mold, which develops from the remains of the life activity of this pest.

The tops of the bushes bend, the stems become deformed. On the underside of the leaves you can easily see insects and egg laying.

It is necessary to treat aphids on peppers as quickly as possible, because their mass spread leads to a decrease in yield or complete death of plants.

Pests in a greenhouse or in open ground

Most pests live both in the greenhouse and in open ground. However, whiteflies, Colorado potato beetles and mole crickets are most often found in structures.

They appear there due to a special microclimate: high humidity and heat. The mole cricket is a powerful insect with a shell about 5-8 cm long.

The pest has a forked tail and large wings. The mole cricket eats the underground part of the pepper.

Open ground is characterized by aphids and spider mites. They arise due to frost, waterlogging of the soil or excess fertilizing. To prevent the appearance of pests, gardeners take a number of preventive and therapeutic measures.

Causes and signs of plant damage

Insect eggs overwinter under a layer of foliage, in tree bark. In the spring, the female hatches larvae, and the generation reproduces intensively. The second brood appears in the first month of summer. If the cold does not set in for a long time in the fall, then another offspring is possible.

Ants promote the growth of pests by feeding on sticky insect secretions.

The following types of aphids are dangerous for peppers: granular, black, mealy and indoor.

Causes of aphids:

• planting peppers in contaminated soil;
• high air temperature combined with high humidity;
• an adult aphid flew to a loggia or windowsill and laid eggs on the plant.

How to determine the presence of bugs by external signs:

• yellowing and curling of leaves, the appearance of shine on the leaf blade;
• the ovary does not have time to twist, the buds fall off;
• sticky mass on leaves and trunk;
• there are egg clutches on the lower part of the tops;
• deformation of shoots, the plant stops growing;
• Ants are running along the stems.

The pest is a carrier of infections dangerous to young pepper seedlings.

Reasons for the appearance of aphids on greenhouse peppers

Sweet pepper is a plant with a herbaceous, succulent stem, which becomes slightly woody only with age and only in the lower part. The tissues of its shoots and leaves do not contain any aggressive essential oils and alkaloids and are not protected by thorns. Therefore, aphids happily settle on this plant.

The reasons for the active reproduction of aphids on peppers in a greenhouse can be explained as follows:

Aphids can enter the greenhouse on their own. With increasing daylight hours, these insects develop winged forms that fly away in search of food plants. If a mature colony has formed in the open ground not far from the greenhouse (for example, in beds with tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, beets or in a flower bed with chrysanthemums), the female settlers easily penetrate through open windows and doors into the greenhouse.

Somewhat less frequently, aphids are carried onto greenhouse peppers on human clothing. Another way of penetration is with ants.

Signs of the presence of aphids

Aphids are such small and translucent insects that they are difficult to detect immediately. Usually gardeners clutch their heads when there are so many aphids that the plant dies before our eyes.

How to understand that this pest has settled on pepper? The following symptoms indicate this:

1. The pepper leaves begin to turn yellow, curl into tubes and fall off.
2. The plant becomes sticky and shiny. Aphids secrete a secretion called honeydew and leave it on the leaves.
3. If you look at the sheet from the back, you will notice small moving dots on it.
4. Pepper does not produce buds, and if they do, they quickly die without developing and fall off.

The plant needs to be saved urgently by taking the necessary measures.

There are more than three thousand varieties of aphids today. And each pest feeds on the juice contained in the leaves, roots, flowers and stems of plants. With the help of a proboscis, the aphid pierces a thin leaf of pepper and sucks out the nutritious liquid from it. When there are many such insects, the plantings die. Aphids are dangerous during any period of pepper growth: both during the growing of seedlings and during the periods of flowering and fruiting. Features of aphids:

• the size of the insect depends on the species: from 0.3 to 8 millimeters;
• insects live no more than a month;
• the color is transparent, which allows the pest to mimic the color of the plant;
• females fly;
• a female aphid can make up to ten clutches of eggs per summer;
• for the winter, thousands of eggs laid by the female can overwinter on the remains of tops, in the bark of trees and among fallen leaves.

Most of all, aphids like warmth and humidity, so in warm summers they are able to settle in all plantings. The pest especially loves greenhouses, greenhouses and seedlings kept at home.

The following types of aphids can attack peppers:

1. Greenish-yellow or pinkish aphids called tobacco aphids. Its size is 2.5 mm.
2. Red or green aphids called potato aphids. The length of the pest is 4 mm.
3. The most terrible species that poses a danger to the garden is the black aphid. These insects can not only move from one bush to another, but also fly in from neighboring areas and are brought along with clothing or garden tools.

Onions and onion skins

It will get rid of copperheads, aphids and spider mites, and will repel ants.

Onions and onion skins

Recipe 1

Infuse 250 - 300 g of chopped onion with peelings in 10 liters of water for 1-2 days. Use immediately after straining.

Recipe 2

Infuse 150 - 200 g of onion peels in 10 liters of water for up to 5 days. Use immediately after straining.

To get rid of spider mites, “individual” recipes:

Recipe 1

Leave 200 g of onion peel in 10 liters of warm water for 24 hours.

Recipe 2

Fill half a bucket with onion peels and fill to the top with water heated to +65°C. Leave for a day, dilute by half. Use the solution immediately after straining.

Professional gardener Anna Rostislavovna talks about getting rid of spider mites using traditional methods in the next video.

Onions planted next to cabbage and cucumbers will protect the latter from slugs. There is evidence that thrips, codling moths and plant bugs do not like the onion smell.

There are a lot of methods for controlling insect pests. The main thing is that everything that we use to rid our plots of those who spoil and destroy the harvest does not harm nature and ourselves. Because the principle “Do no harm” remains the most relevant in land use today.

If you have interesting and safe pest control recipes stored in secret country chests, we will be glad to make them public. It's a common thing))

Proven folk recipes for harmful insects

What to do if a whole army of insects decided to choose for breakfast, lunch and dinner what we, by the sweat of our brow, grow in the country for our own - human - table? Of course, drive flying and crawling thieves out of your areas! Moreover, there is no shortage of people's experience - our people are observant, inventive and great inventors. He tried a huge number of methods of struggle - from peaceful expulsion with a click from a leaf to complete mixing with the ground with the heel of a boot.

Traditional methods of fighting insects Let's consider today the most proven, easy-to-use and safe recipes that can be successfully used against insects - pests of our areas. All the ingredients, as they say, are at hand: ash, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar... And no chemicals!

Champagne made from birch sap

Birch sap is a good base for making homemade champagne, a light and invigorating drink.

You will need 12 liters of birch sap, 2-3 kg of sugar, 1 tsp. citric acid, 50 g liquid honey; for sourdough: 100 g raisins, 25 g sugar, 1 glass of water.

Preparation. First prepare the starter. To do this, mix unwashed raisins, sugar and water and leave to ferment at room temperature for 3-4 days. Then strain the juice into a saucepan, add 2 kg of sugar and citric acid, bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about 15%.

Cool the mixture to room temperature, add the prepared starter and honey. Stir, pour the mixture into a bottle, close with a water seal and place in a warm place to ferment.

When fermentation ends (after 20-40 days), strain the liquid into a clean container, removing any sediment. Pour sugar into clean plastic bottles (at the rate of 10 g per 1 liter of liquid), pour in wine, seal and leave for 7-10 days in a dark room at room temperature. During this time, check the gas level in the bottles: if the bottle is hard, open the lid slightly and release the gas.

Then place the bottles of champagne in the cellar or refrigerator and keep for another 2-4 days. Store the finished drink in the cellar or refrigerator for six months.

Wood ash

Helps against aphids, cruciferous flea beetles and cabbage mites, cabbage flies, codling moths, cutworms, slugs and snails

Wood ash

• Recipe 1 - dry

Dust the plants with dry ash or sprinkle the soil between the rows with it.

• Recipe 2 - decoction

Pour 300 g of ash into 3 liters of boiling water, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Cool, strain, add to 10 liters.

• Recipe 3 - infusion

Leave 300 g of ash in 10 liters of water for two days. Add 40 g of laundry soap for adhesion.

How to use it?

Dust cabbage after dew or after rain. Sprinkle ash on the soil between the rows to prevent cabbage flies. Spray fruit trees, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin with infusion or decoction

The best drugs for pest control

Every summer resident should have a first aid kit equipped with chemical and biological means of protecting vegetable crops. Emergency help for pepper infestation with aphids gives good results.

Chemicals

You can get rid of pests using chemicals. Those that contain organophosphorus compounds (pesticides) or insecticides are effective:

• neonicotinoids;
• pyrethroids.

All chemical control agents are toxic to humans and domestic animals. While working with them, the summer resident must protect himself from contact with the solution. Use a mask, goggles, gloves. Wear a hat and work clothes that cover the skin of your legs and arms.

"Intavir"

To destroy all aphids, peppers are treated with Intavir 2 times with an interval of 7 days. The drug is toxic to humans and soil microflora. It is released in the form of tablets. Peppers in open and protected ground are sprayed with a solution of the drug “Intavir” once.

1 tablet is dissolved in 10 liters. A bed of 10 m² uses 2 liters of working fluid. Aphid control is carried out in dry weather. The effect of the drug lasts 2-4 weeks. In hot weather, the effectiveness of the product decreases. The threshold temperature is considered to be 25 °C.

"Karbofos"

Aphids can be destroyed using 2 treatments. The second is carried out no later than 10 days later. The active ingredient in Karbofos is malathion. This is a contact insecticide. Only those insects that are exposed to the solution die.

The action of "Karbofos" in open ground lasts 8-10 days, in a greenhouse - no more than 7. The duration is affected by weather conditions. With frequent use, insects become addicted. This reduces the effectiveness of the insecticide.

A solution for treating peppers against aphids is prepared according to the instructions:

• water - 10 l;
• "Karbofos" - 1 tbsp. l.

"Aktara"

The contact-intestinal drug is sold in 5 ml ampoules. This amount is calculated for 10 liters of water. A solution of the drug "Aktara" can be sprayed on seedlings and adult peppers. Plants are treated against aphids twice with an interval of 7 days.

The effect of the solution begins after 30 minutes. First, the aphids stop feeding. Death occurs within a day. The product can be used in any weather. The active ingredient is thiamethoxam. This is an insecticide of toxicity group III, part of the neonicotinoid class.

Advantages of the drug:

• Thiamethoxam decomposes in soil;
• harmful substances do not accumulate in pepper fruits;
• If the rules are followed, insects do not develop addiction.

"Fufanon"

The product is effective against sucking insects. The active ingredient is malathion (an organophosphorus compound). When aphids come into contact with a Fufanon solution, the insects stop producing enzymes, after 1 hour they stop sucking juice, and within a day paralysis and death occur.

“Fufanon” can be sprayed on peppers growing in the garden and in the greenhouse. To prepare 5 liters of working solution, use 1 ampoule with a volume of 5 ml. Vegetables after processing can be eaten after 3 weeks. It is necessary to re-spray the infected plants if it rains 1-1.5 hours after treatment.

Organic preparations

Treating pepper with biological preparations is a priority for summer residents. They are less toxic than insecticides. Do not harm soil microflora.

"Akarin"

The fruits are suitable for consumption 24 hours after processing

This is very important if you need to treat fruiting pepper bushes. The product does not lose effectiveness in hot weather

It decreases when the temperature drops below 18 °C.

To treat a ridge with an area of ​​10 m², prepare 1 liter of solution:

• water - 1 l;
• "Akarin" emulsion - 8 ml.

"Fitoverm M"

This remedy is very popular. It is used to combat fungal infections and insects. For large-scale work, the product is purchased in the form of a paste. For local treatments, ampoules with a volume of 2 ml are limited. One is enough to prepare 4 liters of solution.

From the treated leaves, the active substance enters the stomach of the aphid. The effect appears after 12 hours. Insects stop feeding. They die within 72 hours. Fitoverm has no effect on larvae, so peppers need to be treated at least 3-4 times.

Tobacco dust

Will get rid of aphids, honeysuckers, thrips, cruciferous flea beetles, moths, sawflies, leaf rollers, weevils, moths, spider mites and ants.

Tobacco dust. Photo from obi.ru

It disorients pests, drowning out and distorting the smell of the “food” plant.

• Recipe 1 - dry

Just dust the green part of the plant with tobacco dust at the rate of 30-50 g per 10 m².

• Recipe 2 - infusion

Infuse 50 g of tobacco dust in 1 liter of warm water for 24 hours. Strain, dilute by half, you can add laundry soap for sticking at the rate of 40 grams per 10 liters of the finished solution.

• Recipe 3 - decoction

Add 100 g of tobacco dust to 10 liters of water, boil for 0.5 hours, leave for 24 hours. Strain, dilute with water three times, add 40g of laundry soap.

• Recipe 4 - fumigation

Place a container with burning coals on a cloth or film under the tree, pour up to 0.5-0.6 kg of tobacco dust onto the coals. (As an option: sprinkle the straw scattered under the tree with tobacco dust and set it on fire)

How to use it?

Advantages and disadvantages of traditional methods of combating aphids

When choosing between chemical and traditional methods of destroying aphid colonies, you need to clearly understand both the advantages and disadvantages of home remedies:

Thus, if there are few aphids in the greenhouse, and only individual peppers are affected, home remedies can help cope with this problem. Otherwise, it is better not to waste time and buy a chemical insecticide.

“Although gardeners are often afraid to use chemical protection products, sometimes they cannot do without them. In particularly unfavorable years, aphids reproduce so actively that one has to choose between environmental safety and complete loss of the harvest. But here you need to understand: modern insecticides, if you use them correctly and observe the waiting periods, will not cause much harm to the ecology of the site and human health.”

L. Dobryakova, agronomist

Edible table salt

It will help against the Californian scale insect and the codling moth, and will drive out ants.

Edible table salt

• Recipe

Dissolve 1 kg of table salt in 10 liters of water.

How to use it?

Spray fruit trees after leaf fall or in the spring before buds open.

Approximate consumption rates:

• for a seedling and a young tree - 2 liters of solution;
• for an adult fruit-bearing tree - up to 10 liters;
• per raspberry bush - 200 ml;
• for a currant and gooseberry bush - 1.5 l.

To keep ants away, salt is sprinkled on their “paths” and the anthill itself.

Sweet pepper diseases and their control

In addition to pests, peppers are susceptible to various diseases. The reasons for their appearance are the same as the reasons for the appearance of insects: improper care, contaminated soil, lack of fertilizing.

The most common diseases:

1. Late blight. Appears as yellow-brown spots on leaves and fruits. Late blight is a fungus. Infection occurs through spores. Late blight often appears in greenhouses, as there is high humidity there. To combat, use ash solution or manganese. Photos of leaves affected by late blight are presented below.
2. Powdery mildew is a virus. Looks like a white coating on the leaves. Dew appears due to an excess of nitrogen-containing fertilizers or non-compliance with crop rotation rules. An excellent way to combat powdery mildew is whey-based sprays.
3. Black bacterial spot appears as small black spots on the fruit and stem. Soap sprays are used as a preventive measure. It is better to remove infected bushes from the garden and burn them.

Tomato tops

It will help drive away the moth from currant and gooseberry bushes.

Tomato tops

• Recipe

Boil 3-4 kg of tomato tops (stepchildren) for 0.5 hours in 10 liters of water. Dilute the resulting broth in a ratio of 1:5, for sticking add 40 g of laundry soap for every 10 liters of the finished solution

How to use it?

Spray currants and gooseberries during the period when the caterpillars emerge.

Infusion of rotted hay for fungal infections

This remedy can help if plants in the garden suffer from powdery mildew. To prepare hay infusion, a container (barrel, tank) is filled ½ full with rotted hay and filled with water. The infusion should be prepared for 2-3 days, after which it is filtered and used for spraying. This procedure must be repeated several times with an interval of 7 days.

Vodka, soap and Coca-Cola

You can buy the cheapest alcoholic drink you can find in the store. It needs to be poured into a spray bottle (without diluting with water) and applied to plants with colonies of pests.

No matter how terrible it may sound, aphids die from a carbonated drink (cola). To do this, you just need to apply it to the plants from a spray bottle. The only negative is the sugar in the product. It can cause other problems - butterflies, bees.

Cabbage and other plants have long been treated with laundry soap. The natural antibacterial properties of the product allow you to grow healthy fruits. You need to grate 200 grams of soap on a coarse grater and dissolve it in hot water (1000-1500 ml). Plants in the garden are treated with this solution.

Vinegar

It will help get rid of the cruciferous flea beetle. Apple cider vinegar will help prevent moths.

Vinegar

• Recipe 1

Add 2 tbsp. spoons of vinegar essence in 8 liters of water immediately before processing. Spray radish and cabbage seedlings generously.

• Recipe 2

Dilute 200 g of apple cider vinegar fermented for 3-4 days with 3 liters of water.

How to use it?

At a height of 1.5-2 m, hang such jars with such a solution on the branches of an apple tree. The codling moth is collected in jars. Change traps once a week.

Answer to the question

You are absolutely right, gardeners sometimes try to protect their beds with the help of certain plants, including hot peppers.

There is a popular belief that hot pepper tincture repels pests.

However, the effectiveness of this method is zero. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, all plants, without exception, in the process of evolution, develop the ability to resist those pests that cause them maximum damage. This is how nature ensures the preservation of species and biological diversity. It’s just bad luck - in the complete absence of enemies, some carrot or elderberry can literally take over the world, displacing other representatives of the flora that are no less useful in terms of the planet’s life support. For this reason, the self-defense mechanism in plants works to ensure the reproduction of the population - and nothing more. And for this very reproduction, 100% survival of maternal individuals is not needed; for some species even 5% is quite enough.

Some gardeners use a water tincture of hot pepper as a preventative against aphids, thrips and fleas.

Secondly, pests also have not stopped in their development and are successfully evolving, developing resistance to substances directed against them. The situation here is the same as with insecticides and acaricides sold in stores - after a few years, their effectiveness decreases to critical levels and new, improved drugs appear on the shelves.

But chemical laboratories work faster than nature - if scientists can find the right formula in a few months, then plants will go through a dozen (or even more than one) generations until they “ learn ” to sufficiently resist mutated enemies.

Source of the article: https://frukti-yagodi.ru/mozhno-li-ispolzovat-gorkij-perec-dlya-borby-s-vreditelyami-rastenij/