Here's a spray recipe for white fly (works for aphids and Japanese beetles too) I got from Organic Gardening several years ago. It is non-toxic and can be used right up to harvest.

1 Cup rubbing alcohol
3 Cups water
1 tsp gentle liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's, Ivory, or Arm&Hammer)
1/2 tsp peppermint oil or cinnamon oil (or 1 tsp spirit)

Shake well and use in any spray bottle. Spray both tops and undersides of leaves. This will not prevent any future infestations, but will kill any bugs currently on your plants, and it is non-toxic and washes off easily, esp. if you use some mild, non-perfumed soap. I even use it on my parsley.

another,
1/8 cup neem oil
puree 3 habaneros, 2 cloves garlic, strain
1 T gentle soap
4 cups water.

spray all

it also helps to put diatomaceous earth all over the soil mix, leave no spot untouched! Timo

One of the above sprays will probably hold you over. And it sounds like you're already doing the right things.

If you want to keep them inside longer I highly recommend ladybugs, esp. if you have an enclosed space for the plants. I've overwintered 4 years now and they've been 100% effective for me.

I'm in S Wis so we're not that far apart... my infestation problems have been with aphids and whiteflys. Haven't seen anything besides those (and they're quite enough!).

Good luck!

Chuck

I'm not familiar with neem oil, pepperment oil, or cinnamon oil. Where do I shop for them? I'm guessing neem would be at an organic garden center and the others maybe in the grocery department....or not...?

Also, is Murphy Oil Soap considered a mild soap that can be used in plant sprays?

Thanks for the suggestions. The plants are looking okay for now.

Do NOT use Murphy's it will kill your plants. Buy the cheapest non scented dish soap you can find, or if you can find ivory dish soap. Also - no disenfectants or sanitizing soaps. I don't know about the others, but neem oil is available at most nurseries. TiMo

I was reading some of the posts that were submitted before. My pepper plant has aphids I know ladybugs eat the critters. But what about a spray.? There was a recipie made up of rubbing alchol, Ivory soap (liquid), water and some peppermint oil. What is pepermint oil and where can I get some.

You can get all those flavored oils at health food stores.

Hey Jesse,

With only a few plants you may want to try spraying them off regularly. Outside, a spray with the hose will knock off most of the aphids. Repeat every day until populations are down.

I have about a dozen plants inside. The small ones get sprayed off in the kitchen sink. The larger ones go into the tub and take a shower. I stick the pots into plastic bags and clip them shut with cloths pins to keep the soil from washing all over and getting too wet. After three baths 5 days apart mine have stayed aphid free for awhile...but I'm guessing they might return.

I've also filled a spray bottle....4 cups water, 1 teaspoon dish detergent (whatever generic brand I had around) and spray with that if I see a few stray aphids. It seems to work okay without the other ingredients added. There is a "recipe" around showing 1 CUP of detergent to a gallon of water. I was told that is INCORRECT and it should be 1 TABLESPOON of detergent. That is close to the 1 teaspoon to 4 cups I used. I think the 1 cup/gal would cause some serious leaf damage.

One plant of mine kept getting way more aphids than any others. It wasn't a variety I really wanted to keep so one afternoon it was set out on the front porch in 20 F. driving snow. When my husband unlocked the door and came in later he wondered why that plant got locked out in the cold. Aphids, was the answer. He asked if people could get aphids and is worried about what might happen to him if he comes down with them :) I think we'll stick with showers and soap sprays IF he gets buggy :)

If you have spider mites, you'll need something a lot stronger than what has so far been suggested.

When you get tired of pussyfooting around with 'natural remedies' that dont work on them, try a No Pest Strip, and spray with Mite-X.

Aphids can be controlled with the methods already described.

The dish soap suggestion is obsolete. Soap doesn't have lye in it anymore, and stuff like Dawn will suffocate the plants just like Murphy's soap.

The only time 'soap' should be used on plants, in my opinion, is Safer Insecticidal Soap.

I actually tried ladybugs last year, catching them on the outsides of my home on warmer days. I put 70 or so on, around the plants. The ladybugs all dies within 3 weeks. Aren't they a short lived species that are controlled by weather and sun duration? I thought I would have better luck with them. Believe me there were more than enough aphids, whiteflies/larvae and spidermites to feed an army of them. The beetles never made a dent. What gives?? TiMo

I don't know why they didn't work--maybe being local they just went into hibernation. They do that here in peoples houses and are considered a pest. I have used them for years but always obtained them through the mail. I never had much luck with sprays ( except temporarily) but the ladybugs work well for me. They sometimes die out over time but usually breed a new generation. If you are lucky you will find the yellow eggs on the undersides of leaves and then the larva.