Kay in Cal Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 OK, I've got a tiny back patio garden, planted with tomatoes, bell peppers and some herbs. The bell pepper plant isn't fruiting yet, but has bloomed. Now that plant and the nearby jasmine bush are COVERED with flies. Not white flies, but honest-to-goodness big green-eyed house flies. There are a few buzzing around, but if I shake the pepper plant there are dozens of the things. What's going on? The plant doesn't seem any the worse for the wear (yet!), but I don't like the idea of flies swarming all over my growing peppers... ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 ..my hunch is they are simply attracted to some combination of shade and scent. They probably aren't doing any harm, though I'm sure they are aggravating. You could try spritzing your plants with a mild soap solution -- a few squirts Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille soap in a spray bottle of water. Don't do this when it's super sunny, though. You're sure they're big house flies, not pepper maggots? Not even sure you have these in CA, but they don't look like house flies, so chances are it's not this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCMom Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I ask because yesterday my mom (who has her own garden within ours:) had a plague of flies on her peppers yesterday. Turns out she and my dh has fertilized everything that day with our usual fish emulsion fertilizer and for some reason the flies are sitting on her peppers and not her tomatoes. My guess is she dumped a lot on the actual plant and they liked it. It's weird isn't it? Maybe we just never noticed before because we usually fertilize only a couple time a summer and run inside when it is done, to avoid the fishy air, lol. anyway that was our theory and we are sticking to it! I've seen pepper maggots and we definitely don't have those. hth, Georgia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted June 16, 2008 Author Share Posted June 16, 2008 We actually aren't using anything for fertilizer--yeah, I know, pretty pathetic, huh? I mixed in potting soil to our barren sand at the beginning of the season when I planted, but that's it. Hmmm... maybe they just like it there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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