Eggs on pepper plant leaves?

[Mike]

I've noticed on one of the pepper plants I've brought in for the winter have what looks like little white eggs on them. I'm having a hard time though determining what kind of insect is responsible for this. Some of the leaves look a little shiny, almost slimy and at the base of the plant has a few strains that almost look like spider webbing.

Any idea?

 

[w_r_ranch]

Spider mites for the webbing... Spider mites exist by sucking liquid that keeps your plant alive. They have eight legs & are classified a spider rather than an insect. Spider mites will be fully visible under a magnifying glass of 15x or greater. The mites are yellow/white, red, or most commonly are brown with two spots. These mites will spin webs which are a little easier to spot, but unfortunately mean the mites have been around awhile. Misting undersides of leaves will make webs much more visible & aid in detection. Females become fertilized for life once they mate & lay about 100 eggs every 5 days. 75% of all spider mite eggs become female.

To kill them, neem oil is the most effective. Other effective methods are pyrethrum, horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Spraying three times at 5 day intervals should be sufficient to destroy a mite population if sanitary conditions are maintained. Eggs of the spider mite hatch in 5-10 days. The 1st application kills adults, the 2nd will kill newly hatched mites & the 3rd will kill the stragglers. NOTE: If you choose to use pyrethrum, rotate to another chemical if you spray frequently. This will ensure mites will not develop a resistance to synthetic pyrethrum.

The white specks could be mealy bugs, white flies, thrips or aphids... Look at them with a magnifying glass to more positively identify them.

 

[Mike]

To kill them, neem oil is the most effective.

Is this safe to use indoors, around kids and pets?

 

[w_r_ranch]

It is safe as long as the kids don't drink it. Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits/seeds of the neem (an evergreen tree). It has a bitter taste & a garlic/sulphur smell. It has been used for hundreds of years to control pests and diseases. It is also used in soaps, creams, lotions & as a massage oil.

Here is a drug report on it.

 

[Mike]

Thanks @w_r_ranch much appreciated. I'll stop by Lowes tomorrow and pick some up.

 

[Mr_Yan]

A physical approach may also help as this is an isolated case and you're not battling the whole world.This won't eliminate the problem but will greatly reduce it for when you wage chemical warfare. I did this when I only had potted plants in my room in middle school and high school.

Two physical routes:
Wipe off the leaf surface with a damp cloth.

Wrap the pot in a plastic bag and spray off the plant in the shower.

A short blast of wintry weather may knock back the pests without harming the plant.

 

[Mike]

A physical approach may also help as this is an isolated case and you're not battling the whole world.This won't eliminate the problem but will greatly reduce it for when you wage chemical warfare. I did this when I only had potted plants in my room in middle school and high school.

Two physical routes:
Wipe off the leaf surface with a damp cloth.

Wrap the pot in a plastic bag and spray off the plant in the shower.

A short blast of wintry weather may knock back the pests without harming the plant.

Not sure that would work at the moment as it's been in the lower to upper 50's here the last few days.