How do I KILL those persistant aphids???

[Jibby]

I tried neem oil spray, that didn't seem to phase them... then neem oil with garlic and chile soaked in the oil for 24 hrs.... this seemed to work at first, but it just doesn't eradicate the buggers completely, and every few days they seem to be re-populating.

 I think the spray is a bit harsh on my plant too, as I have to soak it down with spray on tops and bottoms of leaves and all every day or two, and the blossoming\fruiting has slowed alot last week or so since spraying with the neem.  Does anyone know of a good aphid killer that will do away with these little monsters once and for all, but will not kill my plant?

This grow has been one disappointment after the next from the get go... any help would be appreciated as i'm on the verge of throwing in the towel and starting over.  :cry:

  Jibby

[Sauli Särkkä]

Ladybugs? I know they can be a hassle indoors, but I think it would certainly add a nice "wild" touch to the interior decoration style of your house..

Do you have a chance to use something stronger, like Malathion?


-Sale

[Jibby]

Malathion? ... isn't that poisonous to us humans?  :?  I will use anything as long as it won't kill the plant or me. There are a half dozen small pods on the plant now... would the malathion make my pods toxic?

The neem\garlic\chile\dishsoap mixture seems to really piss them off, but there's always a few that hide in a few flowers or in tiny, curled under new growth leaves... they are crafty buggers. Not sure if it kills em, but I definitely find less(2 or 3) 8 hrs or so after a good spray\soak.  I almost admire their survival instincts, but dang, I want them gone once and for all!

I wouldn't mind a few ladybugs around, if they stayed downstairs with the plant, but there's no doors from my basement to keep them down there and they do fly around.

I'm gonna add a few drops of Dave's insanity sauce to my spray mix... see how they like that!
:wink:  

 ...all replies much appreciated!!

          J

[Sauli Särkkä]

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/malagen.pdf

Volunteers ingested malathion for 47 days and displayed no significant cholinesterase activity effects. Volunteers eating malathion for 56 days had reduced cholinesterase activity three weeks after the dosing period in the study.

..and also

Volunteers who inhaled malathion products for 42 days showed no cholinesterase activity effects and no signs of poisoning

If you can attach something like plastic sheet (opened up garbage bags, etc.) to the door after using malathion and just let it sit there for a day or two, it should take care of the bug problem.

Malathion is actually used in Winnipeg to eradicate bothersome mosquitoes..it is sprayed from airplanes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malathion


-Sale

[Jibby]

Hey Sauli,  ... Ya, I know about the mosquitos and spraying all too well. They usually tell you on the news(radio and TV) days before spraying so you can close your windows at night when they do the spraying.  There are trucks that go down streets and backlanes to spray in middle of the night when sketters get bad. It works great... no bugs around for weeks after.  There has been a big controversy over the spraying in Winnipeg, as some don't want it.. but now that 'west nile virus' is here(spread by late summer mosquitos), I haven't heard many complaints about the malathion spraying.

I will try that pyrethrium spray first.  I called a local retail greenhouse and they recommended it.

The neem\chile spray is working but I still find 4 or 5 aphids a day on the plant.


   J

[Jibby]

:?  :x   ...now this just tears it!  I used the pyrethrium spray after chopping all the tops off of my last plant about 3 weeks ago. It worked! ... no aphids , not one, in last few weeks!  Now just waiting for the 10 or so fataliis to ripen so I can terminate and start over. New veg growth started soon after topping and , low and behold,  its putting out many new flowers!..yaaaa    ...so I figure i'll keep her alive for the second round of flowers,  BUT.. today on close inspection\pruning, I see the aphids are back!  :evil:  Only in one area of the plant but still, I don't get it  :roll:  ..did they materialize out of thin air?  I didn't even look at another plant in last few weeks... there's no way they could have jumped\flew\ or walked over from another plant.

Do I have to spray my plant with that poison every week or so to keep these evil insects away?

Does anyone else have problems like this growing in the house?  If this is the norm, i'll be packin' it in!  :cry:    

Thanks to all for your help though... its much appreciated.

  Ken

[JohnF]

I have had plants inside in winter for many years and have tried spraying soap, neem, and pyrethrum. But as with you the aphids return shortly ( I would not spray the chemical poisons on my plants) and the only thing that has worked is ladybugs. I have now used them for several years and have found no problem with them in the house.

Larva on inside plant

[Sauli Särkkä]

..so the ladybugs really stay mostly on the plants? It's not me I'm worried about - couldn't care less if they crawled on the walls and such, but the wife doesn't like anything that has less than 2 or more than 4 legs..


-Sale

[JohnF]

Sometimes a few of them stray when first released but then they end up where they are supposed to be--where the food is.

[Jibby]

...Thanks for that John, maybe I will try them for the next grow.  Do they live long?  Do they breed indoors?

[JohnF]

They don't seem to live long but as long as there is food they reproduce. That larvae is the result of ladybug fornication which you will see soon after you release them. If you look carefully you will find their little yellow eggs on the leaves also. I have used them for years and don't think there is anything to compare. If the aphid population gets very low I feed them a bug chow made from honey, brewers yeast, and sugar

Here is the recipe I used:
* Good Bug Chow
Mix all the following ingredients together in a glass or plastic container:
2/3 cup of warm water
4 tablespoons of brewer's yeast
2 teaspoons of honey
1/2 cup of sugar

This can be sprayed on the leaves ( may need to be diluted) but I use less water and make a paste  which I smear on small pieces of cardboard which it set among the plants ( don't want to spray in the house)

[willard3]

My  method for dealing with aphids is to throw out all the chiles in the hydro greenhouse (12 plants max), clean and disinfect  the greenhouse well, let it sit with no activity for a month and then replant

I have had to do this about once every ten years. Aphids have always come in with dirt, but I fog out occasionally and bring in a plant with dirt.

Hydro chiles seem to have less pathogens/pests as the plants are never stressed and are not attractive to pathogens/bugs.