I've actually read that the same hydrogen peroxide spritz you use to kill dampen down fungus will kill aphids and gnats as well, and won't hurt your seedlings.

Just hit walmart or your local pharmacy, get some regular antiseptic 3% peroxide in the brown bottle, and give your seedlings a mist. Just don't soak 'em in it.

It would count as organic to me, as its a naturally occuring chemical in rain water, and it breaks down into just water and oxygen fairly quickly.

Ladybugs

fiedlermeister - Ladybugs might be a little difficult in the house :) (although, trust me, I'm considering it). I failed to mention that these are peppers seedlings under lights in the house. Once my peppers are out in the garden, I never have aphid issues - too many things out there to eat them

Edymnion - have you actually tried that? Considering how corrosive hydrogen peroxide can be, I'd be a bit worried about spraying it on very tender seedlings. But thank you for the idea. I will look into it more.

Thanks!
Bellatrix

Bellatrix

I have used them in the house every winter for years. The only thing that works for me-especially with tender little seedlings.

I have Ladybugs on my plants right now...in the house.

The soap and water method has to be repeated, in my experience.

Josh

fiedlermeister - Really?? Were do you get them at this time of year?

Josh - what concentration of soap to water do you use? I may need to resort to that until I can acquire some ladybugs (Oh, the cats will be pleased).

Thanks!!
Bellatrix

The best price I have found is March Biological. Be careful with soap on small seedlings. As a holding strategy you can spray them off with plain water.

Yes, I have found that plain water sprayed with force from an old household cleaner bottle works by mechanically (hydraulically)? removing them. Placing your free hand behind the seedlings to support them helps.
Brien

Yeah, I mist my bhuts and my broccoli romanesco with straight 3% about once a week to prevent damping off. The tops of the plants, even seedlings, aren't bothered by 3%. I've read most plants can take up to 10% before it starts damaging them.

I just wouldn't soak them with it because the roots are more susceptible to being burned than the leaves.

1 tsp per 24 oz spray bottle is my mix when using the dishsoap/water mist. Use joy or dawn (non-antibacterial).

You can also use neem oil. You could probably use it inside but I take them outside to spray then bring them back in. It kills the ones drenched by asphyxiation. The others will eventually die from starvation and it breaks the life cycle after feeding on plant tissue that has been treated because neem messes with their heads and they forget to eat and breed.

As far as the H2O2 it turns back into water shortly after exposure to air so the roots will not be burned. I've never heard of using it for pest control. It works to green up the plants and fungus issues though.

i tried a head of garlic minced and boiled (supposedly they don't like the smell) and dish soap, however they seemed to die off fast then explode. I'm going to get a container of lady bugs soon and if that doesn't work i think I'm going to have to resort to chemicals even though i really don't want to

You have to repeat the soap treatments since every aphid is born pregnant and you're bound to miss some. It has no residual effect.

Fiedlermeister: THANK YOU!! That was one of the most amazing things I've watched. I ordered ladybugs from March Biologicals (great price, fast shipping, healthy bugs). They inhaled the aphids and are breeding. I should have lady bug larvae to release into my garden at the perfect time. I put a bunch of lady bugs on my house plants and am hoping they will attack the mealy bugs.

Yes, they are running about the house, too, but they stay mostly with the plants. Totally worth it!

Thank you again for the suggestion!
Bellatrix

Bellatrix

Glad they worked for you. Mine mostly stay with the plants ( where the food is)but a few wander.I have never had a problem with this as they don't seem to damage anything.

They say if you order them for outside they mostly just fly away but I usually have a few on the plants I over wintered and put outside and some of them are always around.

I have asian ladybugs upstairs year round due to an ongoing infestation in our area. Instead of vacuuming, I have been putting them in my pepper grow tent downstairs. They work well, except once they clean up all the pests, they leave the grow area. If I don't keep restocking them there, I will get a severe infestation, and have to use soap, then readd the ladybugs again.

SO I just found a couple of aphids that were causing the tips of some pepper plants to twist up (their spittle apparently causes this reaction in peppers). These are seedlings about 6 in high or less, under lights, indoors. I live in a small apartment, so I am afraid I can't use ladybugs, and I'm not sure if soap is going to work. Can anyone else confirm that H202 works on these guys? The aphids I found were tiny pale green ones that were attacking the tiny new leaves of the plant. I wonder if maybe removing the curly leaves might help, because it seems like it gives the aphids a place to hole up in.

Luckily I only found one or two on each plant. Or perhaps I am not lucky, because that means I missed a lot. It really sucks, because the plants in question looked perfect before this happened...

Aphids. Are they only common to certain areas? I live in Wisconsin and although I have heard of Aphids before, I have no experience with them so I am wondering if maybe they are a southern critter or not. Plenty of Asian Beetles around here though so maybe they are the reason for a lack of aphids.

Plantslayer - seriously, order the ladybugs. You don't need to release all 1500 in the apartment, just some of them. Release the rest outside in the garden. I am still completely amazed at how much and how quickly they took care of the aphid problem. They do stay mainly with the plants and who doesn't like a ladybug?

esox07 - aphids are everywhere, but if you aren't over pesticiding your garden, you probably have natural predators in the garden that take care of them. I never have an issue outside, just this year in the house.

Bellatrix

I was wondering, is it a good or bad idea to just pull off the small twisted leaves? It seems like aphids are always hiding inside spots like that. I'm talking about the leaves, not the growing tip.

For that matter, can the entire growing tip of a plant be ruined by aphids? I always find them right in the center of the new leaves/buds. Arrgh I hate those *!@#@*!@*# things.

Plantslater,

I realize the OP was about seedlings... they are easy to inspect due to their size and low leaf count so I just brush them off daily.

But anyway, regarding larger plants...

I have had the same observations as to them [aphids & mites] being mainly in the new and emerging growth/leaves/shoots.

I have a few approaches to my aphids (yet I still have them)....

Use a small paint brush to flick them off (this becomes more labor intensive as the plants get bigger),
off-the-shelf organic pesticides on large groups of them (containing: garlic, peppermint, and clove oils (followed by a rinse),
squeeze them on the plant,
cut off SMALL new growth shoots,
use Murphy's Oil soap (a bit more concentrated than recommended followed by a rinse a few min. later),
and JUST NOW seeing Ladybugs showing up.

I don't pull off the deformed leaves as I believe they are still 'working' as they remain green (until they begin to yellow at the stem).

Summer is just in full swing here in Fla. so I believe we have many growing months ahead so I don't worry about removing SOME new growth.

I also seem to find them more on new growth towards the bottom of the plants so removing new growth down-low makes it easier to inspect as the plants get taller.

Here's the problem I seem to be having: I don't have a large outbreak of bugs. I have very very few bugs. I never see more than one on the plants now (I manually removed them earlier), but the problem is, often just a single bug (as far as I can tell) will curl up in the growth tip and feed on the new leaves. This makes it hard to find them, hard to remove them, and it stunts/twists the leaves before they even get a chance to grow semi-normally. So I am wondering if just picking off the tiny leaves coming out of the growing tip that seem to be deformed already is a good idea? If I just pull the whole tip off, and let the new shoots towards the bottom of the plant grow, will the plant fall behind dramatically in growth? These things are driving me nuts- just one or two tiny bugs can torment a plant that was otherwise doing great...

I'm having problem with aphids this year. Last year I was able to keep them under control (almost nonexistent) with ladybugs, neem oil, and dish soap.

This year they just keep eating my poor plants. I want to kill every last one of them. I hate to do it, but I'm thinking about using seven dust

The only thing that ever worked for me was lady bugs- I ordered them through the mail and they did a great job - I used to overwinter a bunch of pepper plants.

Dust of any kind is a way to get rid of them. In theory, dust create a layer on the leaves. I know some people use charcoal ash dust. It is harmless to plants anyway.
Another way: Is to use a household type of sprayer, Filled with Neem Oil mixture (as recommended) .. Put it in "JET" spray position and just wash the leaves and get rid of the aphids. Have to do this few times. So in effect you are doing 2 thing : Spraying and Washing.
Bayer has also something called "3 in 1" insect killer that say it also kills aphid. .
I had once infestation on my eggplants. I did a combination of Neem oil spray, jet spray and dusting. And I got rid of the aphid.No damage was done to the plants. As I remember those were store bought plants. Hmmm

Seysonn

Insecticidal soap works. The key is to continue using it for at least a week or two past the time you last see any aphids. It doesn't kill aphids in the egg stage and if you don't continue to treat the plants, the eggs eventually hatch and the problem starts all over again. I am not sure what the life cycle of aphids is, but I would think a couple extra weeks would be enough.

I have never gotten them on seedlings. But I would get them on overwintered plants soon after I bring them inside. And insecticidal soap worked for me. It is a pain, but it works.

Bruce

Score 1 for me.

I took a 20oz spray bottle mixed a table spoon of neem oil, a couple drops of dish soap, 2 teaspoon of seven dust ( I let it completely dissolve in warm water) and obviously water sprayed it on my plants and no more aphids Killed them all

Hope they stay dead

Andrew, I have heard that in FL aphid is a major pest problem . It is good to hear that you have found the weapon to kill them. But be on the alert for the unhatched eggs.

Seysonn

FL is bad for all bugs. Going to keep spraying plants for the next couple days to make sure they don't come back

Well, the seven spray alone will kill the aphids. Its what I use when I get them or spider mites while over wintering. There are no beneficial insects in my house that might be harmed by the seven, so screw it, nuclear option.

You can dunk the seedlings, pot and all into some twice brewed coffee, and it will kill the aphids, and even spider mites on contact. It will even organically fertilize the plants.