Pepper Weevil Removal
Growing peppers for personal use or for sale requires more than just proper planting, watering, feeding and weeding. Gardeners must be educated about pest removal. For example, pepper weevils must be avoided and removed because they can cause severe yield loss. Pepper weevil larvae enter pepper pods and pupate inside the peppers, destroying them and causing some to drop off the plant. A severe and early infestation sometimes leads to the loss of the entire crop. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Remove any nightshade plants around the growing site. These plants are secondary hosts for the weevils, meaning if they aren't on your peppers, they are residing on the nightshade plants. Popular nightshade plants include potatoes, eggplant and wolfberry.
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2
Set out yellow sticky traps after you plant. This will alert you to any future infestations.
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3
Examine the plants regularly, from the beginning of the growing season on, looking for any dark puncture specks. Kill any insects you find. With most insects it's easiest just to swat them off the branch and step on them, or squash them with your fingers.
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4
Apply pesticide to plants at the intervals stated on the label. Spray them only once buds have formed. Organic sprays include Permethrin, Oxamyl, Esfenvalerate and Cryolite. There are non-organic options as well, but non-organic options don't use harsh chemicals on foods that you'll be eating later. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
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5
Change the pesticide if it doesn't seem to be working. Not all pesticides are created equal, and even the ones that list pepper weevils won't always be effective. You'll have to experiment to find which pesticide works best in your garden.
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6
Pick up and remove any buds or immature plants that fall from the vine. These are likely to be infested so do not add them to your compost pile.
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7
Remove and destroy any plant material remaining after harvest.
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