Tiny black bugs on brussels sprouts

[Kathleen]

Hi All,

I'm new here, and new to gardening. Just purchased a house with an established garden box. There are kale and brussels sprouts a plenty. However, I noticed there are hundreds of tiny, black bugs all over the stalks of my brussels sprouts. The kale seems to be okay. My first thought was aphids, but aren't those usually white? What can I do to get rid of the bugs without using any sort of pesticide? Thank you in advance for any suggestions or help.

 

[zigs]

Welcome to Gardening Forums

Aphids come in black and green too. If they stay where they are when disturbed then they're not Flea Beetles, they jump up.

If you're not in the EU then you can spray them with soapy water

 

[SunBakedParadise]

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is another great way to deal with aphids...100% natural dunno whether its EU approved...but its probably already in your flour already!

Here's a link to my initial resource on D.E.when I discovered its use as a pest control

http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp

 

[firelily99]

Thanks for the tips on how to deal with the aphids; I don't care for Brussels sprouts but do grow veggies that are related to them. I'm always on the look out for non toxic ways to control pests.