Hi, we recently planted some kale but it looks like it's overrun with bugs. Do you know what kind of crawlers these are? Do you have any advice on how we can keep them away?






Thanks,
Kevin

Aphids?

With that many, your plants may be goners. At the first sign of activity, I use neem oil to control them...it's the only thing I've found that works on them, they're resistant to most pesticides.

Aphids, this why I don't grow brassicas anymore.

Aphids, been dealing with some on my pepper plants here lately.

Smush em with your fingers by gently squeezing, rubbing the leaves.
Or blast them off with the garden hose.

Or go gather up lady bugs and place them on the piles of aphids lol.

Neem oil is supposed to work- I just bought some to try for another option to keep them in check- today is the first day Ive used it, so will see.

Hard to tell from the photos. For aphids, I start by brushing them off with a paintbrush. Second tactic is Safer Soap insecticide (some kinds have pyrethrins and/or neem oil). I give them a dousing with Safer's, then the next day set them outside the greenhouse and spray them with a fine nozzle to wash the wee buggers off.

In a greenhouse ladybugs can be good, especially the second generation, little stripy monsters known as aphid lions.

Had whiteflies a couple years ago: worst ever plague. I had to clean out the greenhouse, burn the dead stuff, and let it freeze up for a month to get rid of them.

binfordw said:Neem oil is supposed to work- I just bought some to try for another option to keep them in check- today is the first day Ive used it, so will see.

It's my understanding that the neem works on the eggs and nymphs, having only a slight effect on the adults (they may or may not forget to feed due to nervous system disruption...it smothers the eggs and the nymphs forget to reproduce). That's why it's important to treat early and often (every 5 days or so if you don't get any heavy rain, every 3-ish if you get heavy rain after the last application...watering only has a moderate effect because you apply to underside of the leaves most heavily) until you see results. Apply later in the day so the oil doesn't damage the leaves in strong sunlight. Apply heavily to the underside of leaves (where they lay eggs and the nymphs hang out), and a little all over. Get plants where there's no apparent infestation, too, so they don't just move over.

ETA: neem works on whiteflies for me, too, but my plants are never in a greenhouse (start indoors then move out), so it may not work as well in a confined, climate-controlled space.