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What's Bugging Your Plants?

© Norine Woods

Today I want to talk about bugs. Not a pleasant topic, I agree, but it can be a lot worse if these bugs get into your plants. There are lots of pesky insects that can spoil your plants. I have chosen the six I consider the worst and the most common.

1. APHIDS - Aphids are sometimes called plant lice. Another name for these miserable little pests is ants' cows, because ants like to "milk" the sweet honeydew from them after the aphids have sucked it from your plants. Aphids feed on leaves, buds and even plant roots. Then the plants become weak and the foliage becomes distorted.

Outdoors, the lady bug beetle is the natural enemy of the aphid. Indoors, you can pick them off by hand, touch them with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, or wash them away with an insecticidal soap,

2. FUNGUS GNATS - If you have ever bought soil from the store and repotted your plants, you may have noticed tiny black flies flitting around the house. These little flies can be a real nuisance, getting into your food, buzzing around your head or even up your nose! But it's not the tiny flies that damage your plants, at least not directly. It's the maggots that hatch from the eggs the little gnats lay in your soil. These tiny maggots feed on the roots and the crowns of your plants causing slow growth and dropped leaves.

Insecticide is the best way to control these pests. Soak the pots in an insecticide approved for this purpose. Adult gnats can be controlled with an aerosol spray.

3. MEALYBUGS Mealybugs are covered with a white waxy substance that gives them their name. They often gather in clusters at the axil of stems and leaves. They lay eggs in white cottony sacks. They are similar to aphids in that they suck the honeydew from leaves, and your plants become weak and deformed.

These are not easy to get rid of because they can be three or four deep so a light spray doesn't penetrate. You need to use a strong spray and use it several times in a row.

4. SPIDER MITES AND CYCLAMEN MITES - These tiny little pests can do a lot of damage for their size. These are another of the plant sucking pests. If they get bad, you may even find the tiny webs all over the plant. You may also find the dirty white skins they've shed and tiny shells from the eggs.

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