Paprika as a fruit vegetable attracts numerous insects. But pests also like to eat the plants. Here you can find out what these are and how you can effectively fight and drive away the pests:

  • lice and aphids
  • Red Spider
  • other pests

Lice and aphids on young shoots and leaves

Lice are easy to spot if you look closely at the plants. They sit on leaves and shoots. Their sucking causes the leaves to curl or curl. The sugary lice secretion runs over the plant and is popular with many insects. For example, ant trails form towards the lice to milk them. Viruses and sooty mold fungi also spread on the honeydew of the aphids and cause additional damage to the pepper cultivation.

Countermeasures against lice

Support the natural lice killers! Such as wasps, ladybugs, ground beetles, hoverflies and lacewings. When using sprays, look for products that protect beneficial insects and at the same time prevent paprika diseases.
Rinse with stale water and scrape off lice with a wooden spatula. Then let the peppers dry.

Red spiders discolor leaf tips

If the red spider (fruit tree spider mite) spreads over the peppers, the tips of the leaves turn dark. There are dark spots on the leaves. Later the leaves curl and fall off.

Countermeasures against red spiders:

There are enough natural red spider killers that you can do without the use of chemicals.

Rinse off the infested peppers vigorously with lukewarm water. Especially on the underside of the leaves. Spraying the plants with nettle decoction and horsetail broth also works. If the infestation is very severe, spray with soapy water or skimmed milk.

More voracious pepper enemies:

  • weevil
  • snails
  • fungus gnats
  • thrips
  • white flies
  • bugs

Effective countermeasures against various paprika pests

If the natural balance is right and the peppers are cared for properly, there are enough natural enemies such as wasps, ladybugs, ground beetles, hoverflies and lacewings in the garden and in the greenhouse. Provided the greenhouse is not hermetically sealed and the windows where the peppers are are opened.

tips and tricks

There is a herb against every pest. You can place pots of herbs like savory, lavender, sage, thyme, or garlic among the pepper plants. In addition, spread the clove powder over the potting soil and water it. Most paprika pests don't like that very much and disappear after a while.

Category:

Vegetable garden