Trying to stop aphids ...

As you may remember - a while ago I was completely desperate about getting rid of all the aphids. I don't want to use any strong stuff, since we eat all the peppers. So I found this ecologic "stopset", and thought it could be worth giving it a try.

It consists of very sticky plastic sheets that you place in/near your plants. They are supposed to be coated with a material that attracts the aphids.

I've now used it for a couple of weeks, and the result has so far not been impressive. The good thing is that it at least seems to attract flies.

This is how it looked when I just had installed it. Not pretty at all :-)

So, considering the results, I can not say that I recommend it... Well, never ever give up :-)

Regards,
  Mats

Struggling

Well folks. No picture today.

I have a few plants that are doing fine, but actually most of them are struggling. I can't remember a year when my plants have been hit so hard by the aphids.

I hope that I've seen the worst now, and that the plants grow stronger. Time will tell.

Hope that you have a good chile pepper year :-)

And - wishes for a nice weekend!
   Mats

Repotting (again) - and aphids (again)

Hi!

It's been a while since I posted anything. It's not because of laziness. Rather because of the !"#¤!¤ aphids!

We have really been struggling with the aphids. I think it's about the same amount as last year. It was terrible. But I expect them to go away as soon as the plants are moved outside.

Today I repotted three more varieties. Black pepper, pimenta da Neyde and the Mexican chiltepin.

I will get back with some pictures later. Right now I don't think that they are so good looking so it's even worth taking a picture of them.

How about you? How do you experience aphids this year? Better? Worse? Or the same?

Regards,
  Mats

With a little help from my friends

With the chiles out on the balcony, I got unexpected help with the aphid problem today. It definitely came from an unexpected source.

A tiny spider got a good meal tonight. Actually, I didn't know that spiders eat aphids. Flies and insects yes, but not aphids. But now I know!

I think this specific spider will take some time to digest tonight's meal :-)

Sorry for the unsharp images, but it's windy tonight, and I was in a hurry :-)