The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking by Paul W. Bosland & Paul W. Bosland & Dave DeWitt & Dave DeWitt

Author:Paul W. Bosland & Paul W. Bosland & Dave DeWitt & Dave DeWitt
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2009-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

Hornworm.

GREEN PEACH APHIDS OR PLANT LICE (Myzus persicae)

Description: These pests are usually light green and soft-bodied. They cluster on leaf undersides and on stems.

Damage: Aphids excrete a sticky liquid called honeydew, which creates spots on the foliage. A black fungus, sooty mold, may then grow on the honeydew. Severe infestations can cause wilting, stunting, curling, and leaf distortion.

Control: Normally, aphid predators and parasites keep the aphid numbers low, but the aphids can multiply quickly. Spray with insecticidal soap.

GRUBS

Description: Grubs are white to light yellow with dark brown heads. They are the larvae of June beetles, May beetles, and Japanese beetles. There are more than one hundred species of white grubs. They are curved (C-shaped) and ½ inch to 1½ inches long.

Damage: The larvae feed on roots and underground parts. Root-feeding can cause wilting, stunting, and death of the plant.

Control: Till the soil repeatedly to uproot the grubs so the birds can eat them. Apply insecticide.

HORNWORMS (Manduca sexta and M. quinquemaculata)

Description: These worms are the larval stage of the sphinx moth. A green body with diagonal lines on the sides and a prominent horn on the rear end distinguishes these worms. They can be up to 4 inches long.

Damage: Foliage is eaten, and these worms can strip a chile pepper plant quickly.

Control: Hornworms are large enough to be removed by hand. Rotenone, Bacillus, and Sevin dust are also effective.

LEAFHOPPERS

Description: These bugs are green, wedge-shaped, and up to ⅛ inch long. They fly quickly when disturbed. Nymphs resemble adults but are smaller.

Damage: The leafhopper spreads curly top virus and can cause hopperburn. Hopperburn is rare in chile pepper, but the symptoms are tips and sides of chile pepper leaves turning yellow to brown and becoming brittle.

Control: Remove infested plants or plant parts immediately to reduce overwintering sites. Use floating row covers as a physical barrier to keep leafhoppers from damaging plants. Beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs are all voracious predators of both the egg and young larval stage. If leafhopper levels become intolerable, spot spray with insecticides as a last resort.

LEAF MINERS (Liriomyza trifolii)

Description: The larva is yellow, about ⅛ inch long, and lives in pods and leaves. The adult is a tiny black-and-yellow fly.

Damage: The infected leaves are blotchy. The larvae make long, slender, winding tunnels under the epidermis of the pod and the leaf.

Control: Natural enemies, primarily parasitic wasps, often control leaf miners. When natural enemies are killed by pesticides, leaf miner outbreaks are common. Remove infested leaves. Sabadilla dust will control leaf miners.

PEPPER MAGGOTS (Zonosemata electa)

Description: The maggot is the larva of a fly.

The pepper maggot is white or yellowish-white and ¼ to ½ inch long. Adult flies are yellow-striped, about ¼ inch long, with dark bars on the wings.

Damage: The pepper maggot feeds inside the pod by tunneling underneath the calyx. The damage appears very similar to that of the European corn borer. The first sign of a pepper-maggot infestation is the appearance of tiny elliptical holes in pods. The female’s ovipositor creates these holes as she inserts her eggs just beneath the skin of young pods.

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