Aphids on Pepper plants (5+ Tested ways to get rid of them & prevent them)

I was fed up with aphids constantly attacking my pepper plants, especially when the pepper leaves were thriving. It was so disheartening because I’ve done all the hard work to make them grow healthy and in the end what I’m getting? Nothing right? But I didn’t give up and sought to cure my pepper plants as soon as possible.

To help you grow healthy pepper plants, I’m sharing my tested methods for getting rid of aphids, resulting in the best blooming pepper plants. If you encounter any other issues with your plants, feel free to ask me in the comment section.

Quick takeaways:

• It’s really important that the plant is cared for well and maintained well with proper watering, otherwise, these pests might attack your plants and destroy them. 
• Aphids have found their home in the plants, then they are likely going to create an empire there within a few days.
• Some of the ways that can help in getting rid of aphids on pepper plants are planting some companion plants, spraying the plant with a hose and many more explained below.
• Aphids suck all the energy of the pepper plants and make them weak, causing the plant to mortality.
• The aphids get into the garden and attack the plants that are under environmental stress can cause drought, overwatering, overcrowding, etc. Not only the aphids but the ants also attack the pepper.

How to identify aphids? 

Now how would you identify that the pepper plants are attacked by none other than aphids? The aphids are in various colors and even in various shapes and sizes.

Usually, the aphids are greenish to dark brown. They are pear-shaped and have very soft bodies. 

Aphids are seen in large numbers and might be in thousands. They form colonies quite quickly and take over the plants. The aphids are seen on the lower surface of the leaves of pepper plants. 

What does aphid damage look like? 

The aphids release the waste after feeding on the sap of plant-like hungry tiny monsters, in a powdery form called honeydew. This honeydew looks like powder is there on the leaf which can be excreta of aphids. Other than this, the black powdery appearance on the leaves will also hint that the aphids have taken over the pepper plants.

The aphids most times will start from the younger plants’ parts, so look at the baby leaves as they might be hit by the aphids. Take a keen glance at the leaves, if there are tiny colonies of aphids. 

You will also see dark spots on the leaves, especially near the vein, that can indicate the presence of aphids. 

What aphids attack pepper plants? 

Though there are many species of aphids, the species that are mostly seen attacking the pepper plants are the potato aphids and green peach aphids.

These aphids attack on the leaves, shoot, flowers, and soft plant parts and suck the juice out. They cause serious damage to the pepper plants. You don’t want that, after spending much time growing pepper plants. So how do I get rid of them?

Proven ways to control aphids – Aphids on Pepper plants

Here are the most effective ways and the proven ones that can effectively help you get rid of monsters.

1. Squish the aphids or manually remove them

Wear a glove before doing this method. You can either remove the aphids yourself by using your hands or squish them without harming the leaves.

Removing the aphids is not as effective as squishing the aphids as they are destroyed and no fear of seeing them again on plants. While removing make sure about the tight grip as they might fall and make another trouble for you. 

2. Spray with a hose

I can also water the infected plants but at high speed through the hose. Spraying the water jet through the hose on the affected parts will throw the aphids away as they stick to the pants and cannot fly or jump.

While doing this make sure you don’t destroy the delicate plants that might bend or break due to the high speed of the water.

3. Companion planting

Companion planting has so many benefits in controlling aphids, and even getting rid of them. Companion planting is a way of planting in which a plant is planted with plants that benefit the main plant in growth, protection, flavor, etc. 

You can plant the plants with pepper that has a strong aroma like garlic, cloves, thyme, and other herbs that keep the aphids away from the pepper plants. The pungent and strong smell of the herbs deters the aphids. The plant will also enhance the growth of the plant and the flavor of fruits.

Not just this, you can plant some blooming plants like nasturtium, marigolds, etc near the upper plants that will attract many predators that feed on aphids into the harden like ladybugs, birds, etc. Ladybugs are seen to munch the aphids, so yes you can plant those which will invite many insects, ladybugs, that will eat these aphids. 

4. Use neem oil or organic pesticides

You can use neem oil and other essential oils to get rid of aphids. The neem oil can be used on the surfaces or below the surface of leaves and can be an organic way to remove aphids.

Now pesticides are another solution to get rid of aphids. Using chemical pesticides is always a risky way I feel as plants can also be affected by it. Using organic pesticides is a much safer and more viable way to get rid of aphids. 

5. Soap water

Using soap water or insecticidal soaps can help you get them washed in your garden. You can keep the surface of the leaves of pepper plants with soap water, which will kill the aphids and wash them away. 

6. Row covers

To keep the pepper pants and even other plants protected from the attack of aphids and other pests, row covers are effective.

The row cover will create a barrier and will not let aphids attack the pepper plants even if they are under some kind of stress. Row covers can be easily used even in any season. 

7. Prune the infected plant and dispose of

These are the last things you can do if getting rid of aphids is not working. You have tried a lot many ways to prevent and get rid of the aphids, but these stubborn aphids are not moving at all, having a tight clench to your pepper plants.

Just cut down that plant part that is infected and has many aphids that can’t be manually removed. If the whole plant has been infected then prune down the plant near the soil. The plant will need to restart again. 

Final thoughts on the context

We hope you find this article helpful and have understood what you have to do according to the damage you’re seeing on the pepper plants. Keep your pepper plants by reading the above paras regarding aphids, their damage, and the tips to get rid of them.

Happy planting! 

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