What is the white stuff that seems to have grown on my pepper plant in just a few days? It doesn't seem to be alive. It doesn't move. I can scrape it off with my fingernail (although, not easily - it's a little sticky.) It smears if I rub it between my fingers.
This message was edited Apr 16, 2009 2:16 PM
This message was edited Apr 16, 2009 9:10 PM
Aphids?
Maybe it's mealy bugs
My first thought was aphids, but they look a bit too furry. Are there lots of ants on the stems? They seem to go hand in hand. You could try getting rid of them by spraying with diluted liquid seaweed or you can use a milk application. Dilute milk at a rate of 3 ounces per gallon and spray that on your plants every 2 weeks.
They look like Mealy Bugs to me! They are very hard to get rid of. There is a pesticide called "Marathon" (not Malathion) that will kill them, but it is a systemic, and you definitely DO NOT want to spray this on anything you are going to eat. You might try something oil-based. Alcohol will kill them, but it might also kill your plant.
Hi,
I think you may have white flies attacking your pepper plants.
Take a sample or close-up photo of the plant to your local nursery, if at all possible (if you take a sample in be sure to put it in a ziploc bag). They should be able to tell you for sure. Ask if you can use a dilute solution of summer oil spray on the
pepper plants to smother them.
Good luck.
My guess is mealy bugs, too. If they're on just one or a few plants, you can apply rubbing alcohol to them with a q-tip or cotton ball, being careful not to get it on the plant.
Hit em' with some soapy water (LEMON Ajax is best). Then hit em' again.
Ya'll ain't gonna believe this one. My container expert book by Dr. D.G. Hessayon shows a picture of Cuckoo spit that looks just like that. I googled it up for your reading pleasure. But dont go around telling the neighbors that Cuckoo's are spitting on your pepper plants. :-)
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0601/cuckoo_spit.asp
It's Mealy bugs. Smash them with your fingers asap.
Yep its mealybugs.
