Noticed yesterday that one section of hops on one of my plants were starting to turn brown. Seemed a little early for harvest so I though I’d wait another day or so. I checked on them tonight and they were almost totally brown and covered by about a hundred of these little pests. Spayed some bug killer on them which should help, but now I’m wondering if I should take a chance and harvest early to get my hops before they do. I think I’d rather have some less bitter hops than none at all. Also, I don’t want to spray bug killer on the whole plant. Probably not something I want in my beer.
I’ve never had any bugs attack my hops before. It is crazy.
Look for some powdered bug killer and read the label. Many are safe for fruit and vegetables up to the date of harvest. I have cucumber beetles attacking my Willamette and Northern Brewer hops. It works but washes off easy. Bugs are funny in that you may never have a problem and then all of a sudden your plant is gone. That happened to me last year with my Chinook. Some type of worm ate nearly all the leaves in one day.
Thanks for the tip. I found some of that powdered stuff. I just hope I have some plant left by Saturday when I have time to go buy it!