Aphids

This has to be chilli grower's nemesis No1. Not because they are the worst, but just because they are so common. At one stage or another you will come across these critters. Good news is that Aphids are easily visible to the naked eye. They are one of the easiest to spot on plants, although they are super at hiding when in small numbers. Aphids are sap suckers that can inhibit the plants ability to set flowers & fruit and will also interfere with the plants ability to produce energy due to massive leaf damage. Flowers and young pods that make it through an infestation usually end up with scars and deformities - which is not cool. Another and possibly the biggest issue with Aphids and sap suckers alike is that they spread infections. They are vectors for fungal, bacterial and viral infections, which are usually fatal. Again, these usually only become obvious when plant damage becomes apparent, such as leaf and flower drop - by which time the problem has usually infested the plant in question and also spread to other plants either by Ants or due to developing wings when they reach maturity. Aphid infestations can be crippling to adult plants but lethal to smaller seedlings when uncontrolled. They pop up in the most unusual places too, like on plants inside the house and inside grow tents. It's like they go under door cracks. Aphids have a very interesting symbiotic relationship with Ants as ants feed off the aphids sweet secretions and are well documented for farming aphids. In the case of Aphids, addressing ants around the plants is a key approach to limiting aphid outbreaks on plants.  The good news is that they are slow to move around and are easy to combat and there are lots of options to fight these critters. Also, Aphids are the primary food source for Ladybugs and other beneficial insects who will be attracted by Aphids and will help fight the infestation. We recommend the use of BioGrow BioNeem™. It interferes with the insects breeding, feeding and growth cycle. It needs to be applied over and under leaf after sunset and may require several treatments as it takes longer to take effect... but it will. Harsher non organic insecticides will kill everything on site, but we strongly advocate the use of gentler organic insecticides that are specifically formulated to target the insects in question and not the good ones. Pyrol™ & Neudosan™ are alternate options from BioGrow, but these are contact insecticides which are more suited to flying insects.