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Key Takeaways
- A strong spray of water from your hose can safely knock aphids off pepper plants, but it may take a few rounds to fully clear them.
- Helpful insects like ladybugs and lacewings naturally control aphids, so attract them with flowers and don’t disturb them.
- For heavier infestations, try insecticidal soap (store-bought or DIY with Dawn) or neem oil, but apply when it’s cool to avoid leaf burn and always coat both sides of the leaves.
Aphids will feed on just about any plant, including peppers. You might not notice the soft-bodied insects right away—they’re small and don’t leave obvious holes. Instead, they suck the sap from leaves and stems, eventually distorting leaves and stunting the plant. You don’t want to let an aphid infestation get serious. Aphids carry viruses that can infect your pepper plants, plus they leave behind a sticky honeydew that causes the growth of sooty mold on leaves.
Fortunately, aphids are easy to get rid of using one of the methods below.
What Are Those Tiny Bugs On My Pepper Plants?
Aphids are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects. They range in size from 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long. Depending on the species, they can be pale green, yellowish, reddish, brown, black, or gray.1 Some types of aphids develop wings when they mature, but most are very slow moving and cluster together to feed on plants. You may see them on the stems, top or bottom of leaves, and fruits of your pepper plants. Sometimes you’ll notice ants on infested plants, since they’re attracted to honeydew from aphids. Leaves may be covered in black, sooty mold that grows on the honeydew, eventually blocking photosynthesis.
How To Get Rid Of Aphids Naturally
You don’t need to resort to insecticides to get rid of aphids in many cases. Simply use a strong stream of water from your garden hose to knock the insects off of pepper plants. You may need to do this a few times before the aphids move on—check on your pepper plants each day.
Eventually, an aphid infestation will attract predator insects like ladybugs and lacewings that can keep them in check. Leave those predator insects alone so they’ll feed on your garden pests. Planting flowers around your peppers can help attract more ladybugs.
How To Get Rid Of Aphids With Insecticidal Soap
For serious infestations, you can spray plants with an insecticidal soap from the store. You can also make your own with Dawn dish soap, but be careful you don’t burn up the leaves by using too much. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of Dawn to a gallon of water, then use a spray bottle to apply the insecticidal soap.
Make sure to spray when it’s cool and cloudy so you don’t burn the foliage. Apply to both the tops and undersides of leaves. Insecticidal soap generally only kills the aphids it comes into contact with, so you may need to apply it more than once.
How To Get Rid Of Aphids With Neem Oil
Neem oil is a slow-acting natural insecticide that kills aphids by stopping or slowing feeding. Neem oil may also interfere with insect reproduction. Because it can affect bees, don’t spray neem oil on flowers (in general, you may want to avoid any pepper plants that are blooming).
Like insecticidal soap, neem oil will burn foliage in the hot sun and should be applied early in the morning or late in the day. Apply to both sides of leaves until dripping wet. Reapply every few days per label instructions.
