A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

The Bug Battle

How are people tackling the bugs that find our systems? I've been using a combination of beneficial insects (mainly ladybugs) and spraying with insecticidal soap when I have to...but I worry about the effect that using too much of that might have on the fish. If a plant is pretty small (lettuces, greens, beans, peppers) and is pretty bug infested I'll take it out of the media and let it soak in the fish tank for about 15 minutes. the bugs drown, and the fish seem to love them.

I know some people use neem oil with success. What are the downsides? What else do you guys use?

Also, my most buggy plants are salad greens and peppers. They've stayed totally off my herbs, broccoli, and tomatoes. What have other's experience been with this? Any hypothesis as to why? Travis thinks it has something to do with nitrogen levels...

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