Natural Pest Prevention (Aphids)

[HOTttASsChillies]

So I am going to kick of the first topic.
I started this category because I HATE using chemicals on my plants! I have a few tricks to share and I hope others will post some successful tips here as I am VERY interested to try others. Yes pest can destroy or kill your plants. But chemicals also are not good for them either! And we have to eat that sh!t!
I don’t usually have too many issues. I believe prevention is the best cure. I use poly tunnels and poly houses which are very well sealed. Not only retaining heat and moisture which my plants love but also making it harder for pests to get at the plants. This is also another reason I LOVE hydroponics! No soil means bugs are less attracted to your plants. Also they have nowhere to hide or breed as many do in the soil.
That said I do sometimes get issues with Aphids which manage to sneak in through whatever gaps they can find.
(And Slugs in winter, check my other topic)
The best method I have found for Aphids is controlling Ants. Apparently Ants work together with Aphids. So control one you control the other. This has worked well for me! Ant traps and Ant bait (Chemical or natural) can be used around but not on the plants and will not affect them.
If prevention is too late hopefully you catch it early. If you are anything like me you check your babies every day and will notice these pests quickly and be able to do something before there is 100’s. Aphids breed like crazy, but also have short life spans. For removal I believe in taking your time. You can wash them off with water or even just shake the plant which will get rid of many. After this you can brush the remainders off with a soft brush. Apparently Aphids cannot find their way back to the plant once off it, and will die. This seems to work for me, but squashing, drowning, or burring them doesn’t hurt either!

Also bear in mind predatory bugs. Whenever I find spiders, ladybugs, praying mantis’s etc I always lock them in my ploy tunnels/houses as these guys are good bugs which will eat the bad ones for you. Another advantage of the well sealed houses/tunnels is they will remain in there looking after your plants.

[FireDragonChillies]

Our organic prevention against aphids if making up our own spray of either a seaweed and water blend or we sometimes make our own chilli and garlic spray. The trick is to get the aphids around this time on your overwintered plants. They will go hard on the older leaves so make sure all the new growth is sprayed to prevent the aphids eating all your new growth. This doesn't irradicate them all together but your plants will be fine with the odd one here and there. It is all about balance and unless you nuke the with chemicals then they will always be around! Don't spray poison on your chillies is the number rule! Completely agree wit HOT ASS on that one! You can mix seaweed, garlic and chilli with a squirt of bio degradable dish detergent too? Or the parasitic wasps are another organic option and loads of people recommend Neam oil too but I have never tried that myself. Last option squash the buggers with your fingers! Bit hard when you have a lot of plants though!

[Chilli-Festival.com]

Aphids tend to be the bain of my growing efforts! I overwintered around 20 plants in the house due to lack of greenhouse space and essentially generated an aphid/ant farm! I systematically took the plants outside once a week and used a low flow/high pressure hose to douse them down, which seemed to be the best way to get rid of the masses. But as you say, they multiply quickly and missing one means that the exercise repeated over and over. I made up some spray from crushed garlic, birds eye chillies, a spot of detergent and a pile of cayenne. The latter seems to be in most natural aphid recipes consistently, so I came to the conclusion that it must work. Garlic seems quite a common ingredient too, so applied the same logic there. With washing liquid, although it is a chemical, it's a chemical we tend to have on the plates we eat off so is fairly benign, plus (I believe) that it does the same thing to to an aphids body that it does to grease; it breaks down the structure and makes them pop! And my birds eye plants have been the only ones (even more than super hots) that have had minimal greenfly. After hosing the plants, I'd spray with this mix through a fine misting gun and that extended the aphid free duration. I eventually upgraded from the garden hose (simply to save a journey journey outside) to the the shower. I took a risk and tried warm water, which blasted the aphids off in seconds (albeit cooking one plant's leaves in the process, but it grew back!). This year I'm trying to have less frequent hosing sessions and and hoping that I can control for longer periods with my cayenne mix!

[elldizz]

I am currently having aphid issues. It seems to be at this point in the season every year. I find just shaking rinsing and brushing them off the plants everyday seems to help. But as I did last year I will be companion planting with my peppers this year. I used marigolds in between plants and lavender at the end of my rows to encourage bees. And before long I never had to brush off aphids as the ladybugs had moved in... But like the poster above whenever I find one they go strait on my plants...

[JimmyX]

Has anyone ever used these guys for aphid control?

http://www.bioforce.net.nz/products/Aphidius.html

looks interesting and only $10 for 100 that would cover a fairly decent area. I also found a colony of ladybirds yesterday so released a heap into the hot house. fingers crossed they stick around...

[HOTttASsChillies]

Has anyone ever used these guys for aphid control?

http://www.bioforce.net.nz/products/Aphidius.html

looks interesting and only $10 for 100 that would cover a fairly decent area. I also found a colony of ladybirds yesterday so released a heap into the hot house. fingers crossed they stick around...

I think Clint has? I am keen though! I always pick up praying mantis's< lady bugs and spider and chuck them in my tunnels.

[HOTttASsChillies]

Has anyone ever used these guys for aphid control?

http://www.bioforce.net.nz/products/Aphidius.html

looks interesting and only $10 for 100 that would cover a fairly decent area. I also found a colony of ladybirds yesterday so released a heap into the hot house. fingers crossed they stick around...

I have bought some so will see how these bad boys go! I haven't currently got any Aphids, but no doubt will again soon. I am hoping since my tunnels are well sealed these wasps will make themselves at home and continue to look after my plants!

I will keep you guys updated!

[HOTttASsChillies]

The new wasps in there new environment!

Wasp

[HOTttASsChillies]

Okay so I have been real slack lately keeping up with my method, control ants to control Aphids. I haven't topped up the ant bait all season! And I haven't really had an issue with Ahids. In the tunnels at least...
I have however been actively searching for natural predators lately also. The last few weeks have been AWESOME! Every night I close up the tunnels I check my outdoor plants and have been finding 4-6 ladybugs a night on them!
Which is great... for the outside plants.
Most of these I find on my Bishops Crown plant? Anyone know why this might be? The CapC plants everside seem to have more bad bugs on them?

1 advantage of tunnels is they offer better protection from pests. Especially with ventilation systems and filters as I have. However some small pest still can find there way in. But it is also harder for the predatory bugs to get in! So I have been transferring lady bugs from my outdoor plants into tunnel #1. And while I still find the odd mealybug and Aphid I never seem to have what I would call an infestation anymore! I have also been collecting spiders and Praying Mantises. The downside of these guys is they eat good and bad bugs! So these guys are going in my less important tunnels #1 & 3 and they can fight it out!! And leave my ladybugs alone!