Important Tips on Chili Pests
Cutworms, Feltia subterranea (F.) and .Peridroma saucia (Htibn.) are often severe on newly set plants, cutting them off near the surface of the soil. The smooth, stout, soft-bodied larvae are usually dull- coloured and up to 4 cm long. They can be controlled by poisoned bait. Aphids, particularly the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), are the most common and widely distributed of the pests of capsicums. Infection can occur in the nursery or hotbed. They are the vectors of virus diseases. It is important to control aphids by dusting or spraying as soon as the first infestation is evident and as often as necessary thereafter.
