Larvae damage eggplant by feeding in the fruit, making extensive tunnels that are usually filled with their excreta. Mature larvae leave a hole (3-4 mm diameter) as they exit the fruit to pupate. Damaged fruit will eventually break down and rot.
What is the major pest of eggplant?
Eggplant – a solanaceous crop – has some of the same pests as pepper, potato, and tomato. The eggplant flea beetle and the eggplant lace bug are common pests, but twospotted spider mites can be more damaging.
What is eating my eggplant leaves?
Aphids and whiteflies both have piercing, sucking mouthparts used to suck the sap out of eggplant leaves and stems. Both pests are primarily found on the undersides of the leaves. As they feed, they secrete a sticky waste known as honeydew.
Who eats eggplant?
The types of animals that can devastate your eggplant crops are the usual suspects like rabbits, squirrels, deer, rats and raccoons.
What worm is in eggplant?
Pepper maggot, Zonosemata electa. These maggots may also feed in the fruits of eggplant. The maggots of these barred-wing flies infest the fruits of peppers, causing them to decay, and in eggplants, resulting in tunneling within the fruit.
What are the natural enemies of eggplant?
Eggplant Pest Management
- American Serpentine Leafminer. American serpentine leafminers feed on a number of crops, including eggplants, and they are present throughout the growing season.
- Aphids.
- Armyworms.
- Melon Thrips.
- Silverleaf Whitefly.
- Tomato Pinworm.
What do you spray on eggplant leaves?
Organic options are neem oil, garlic-based sprays, rotenone, pyrethrins and Pyola (a canola oil and pyrethrins combo from www.gardensalive.com.) You might need to spray every week or so through August, when flea beetles taper off for the season.
How do I keep bugs off my eggplant?
Hosing off your eggplant with a strong blast from your garden hose can help control small flea beetle populations. Prevent the pests from even reaching your eggplants by covering seedlings and young plants with floating row covers.
Should I prune my eggplants?
ANSWER: Eggplants, like fellow nightshade family member tomatoes benefit from staking and pruning. In fact, eggplant actually produces more fruit when pruned. Pruning eggplant can also improve the fruit quality of the plant, and decrease the plant’s susceptibility to disease.
What animal likes eggplant leaves?
Eggplant leaves are not very palatable and few animals will choose to eat them unless they are really hungry. While groundhogs are on the bottom of the list, they will eat them if hungry. Rabbits and deer are in the same category, but be advised, unless your fence is over four feet high, it will not keep out the deer.
What is making holes in my eggplant fruit?
Small, irregular to oval-shaped holes along the fruit surface are signs that pepper maggots may be feasting inside. Pepper Maggots are a common pest of Eggplant and related crops. To reduce populations, sanitation and crop rotation is helpful.
Do squirrels eat eggplants?
Squirrels sometimes eat part of a tomato and leave the rest behind; other times, they eat the entire fruit. Other squirrel favorites include beans, squash, cucumbers, and eggplants.
Is it okay to eat eggplant with worm?
“The worm of the insect bore tunnels in the fruit, rendering them unfit for consumption.” Unfortunately, there is no known genetic resistance to EFSB in cultivated and wild eggplants. “The insects are concealed in the shoots and fruits and are difficult to reach,” Dr. Javier explained.
Do Hornworms eat eggplant?
There are a few species of hornworms that inhabit North American gardens, including tomato hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata) and tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta). Both species feed on common garden plants like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
Do cutworms eat eggplant?
Thrips, flea beetles, cutworms, armyworms, aphids, and white flies can also find food in maturing eggplant plants.
Why are the leaves on my eggplant turning yellow?
If your eggplants aren’t receiving enough water during their growing season, they will begin to show signs of stress, like yellowing leaves. A solution to this issue is ensuring your eggplants receive enough water throughout the season. Monitor the soil moisture and ensure watering at least twice a week.
Why is my eggplant dying?
The most common causes for dying eggplants are watering issues, temperature problems, lack of sunlight, or eggplant pests and diseases.
When should I use neem oil?
When to Use Neem Oil on Plants. Neem oil works as a preventative method as well as pest control for an existing infestation. Use neem oil during the morning or evening hours. Avoid using neem oil during the middle of the day, as the combination of neem oil and direct sunlight can burn the plants.
What to put on eggplant leaves to prevent bugs eating OT?
My eggplants’ new leaves are being eaten by flea beetles. What is the best organic control method? Spray with a botanical insecticide, like neem or pyrethrum, or dust with diatomaceous earth. A dusting of screened wood ash will disrupt feeding, though it must be reapplied after rain.
How often do you water eggplant?
Water eggplant deeply and infrequently, applying 1-2 inches per week. Use drip irrigation if possible. Mulching around the plant will conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth. Irrigate so that moisture goes deeply into the soil.
What is the best fungicide for eggplant?
Fungicides registered for control of Verticillium wilt in eggplant are fumigants such as 1,3- dichloropropene + chloropicrin which has a general registration for soil borne diseases. There are no fungicides permitted for control of Verticillium wilt in eggplant.