I have a new hobby!

[Caro]

My over-wintering chillies, which had been blemish and insect free on my spare room windowsill for weeks, suddenly became infested with wee beasties I turned my back for a couple of days to find them absolutely covered when I got home.

I washed the plants with the showerhead in the bath, and squished off whatever was left that I could find. A few days later though, the numbers are increasing again.

So I've found a new way to get the horrible little things. It's more agressive than hanging flypaper, and not quite as yeuch as squishing them, but at least as, if not more satisfying

I now dab strips of sellotape gently on my plant; the strips are thin enough for good access to tricky areas, and lift everything, adults and eggs! And you can inspect the strips afterwards and see the little b*ggers stuck there waving their legs helplessly in the air It's addictive!

Which also lets me try to see what I have. I thought I had whitefly, judging by the white debris under the plants which I took to be dead ones. On closer inspection, I have two different kinds of beastie, and I don't think either can fly. One is a light green aphid-looking thing (presumably a light green aphid ) and the other is similar in size, but is darker and striped. Any ideas?

Many thanks

[stella]

That is a very unusual hobby you have there Caro, and probably very satisfying. Bit like when I have to look at my seeds every few hours to see if they have germinated

[Glutton4...]

... One is a light green aphid-looking thing (presumably a light green aphid ) and the other is similar in size, but is darker and striped. Any ideas? ...

Dark striped Aphid!!!!?


Sounds like you're having great fun, anyway! LOL

[Nicos]

Is it raining????

[Caro]

Is it raining????

Errrrr? No

But keeping my precious chilli plants pest-free has become fun.

[Nicos]

Just thought you'd nothing else to settle your desire to do stuff in the garden!

Actually- it's a darned good idea!- whenever I have basil plants they end up covered in white fly.

[Two_Sheds]

Aphid nymphs don't have wings: they're still aphids (greenfly) though

I have them too, they're leaving a horrible sticky mess on the windowsills

[buzzingtalk]

I had a big problem with scarab flies, and chopped down my overwintering chillies Still have a few dotted about the house but they aren't anywhere near as bad. Gonna treat everything with neem and gnat off again, and put an inch of sand over my bigger houseplants. Little buggers!

Wish I'd thought of the sellotape trick though, that sounds brilliiant! What about getting double sided tape and sticking one side to some yellow paper then hanging it up...would be funyn to catch them on it

[Caro]

Scarab flies ???? I tried googling, but got mainly beetles and a reference to how to defeat the scarab in Halo Oh, and one "medicinal marijuana" site but I didn't want to click into there

I chopped my chillies down a bit too, with the first invasion, but i'm optimistic they'll be fine.

What is scarab fly?

Thanks

[Two_Sheds]

BT means scariad or sciarid (fungus gnat, from the family Sciaridae)

[Caro]

Aphid nymphs don't have wings: they're still aphids (greenfly) though

I have them too, they're leaving a horrible sticky mess on the windowsills

GROSS. I blame you, TS. I decided to google nymphs and have now read up on way too much detail about aphids and their sexual habits, or a-sexual habits, or egg-laying habits, or live-bearing habits. And I never knew they moulted, hence the what looks like dead white flies lying around.

Gross, but fascinating stuff. It will make my sellotape inspection tonight all the more interesting!

Now just to work out the ones with the stripe