How to identify and destroy the pest of indoor plants?

What to do when a favorite flower suddenly begins to wither, hurt, or suspicious insects have settled on it? First of all, you need to find out what pests of indoor plants are. To understand the existing species is simple, it is enough to carefully examine the leaves, stem and roots in the soil.

Symptoms of Plant Disease

Most often, pests infect certain places, settle in the ground, eat leaves or stems. If the infection occurred relatively recently, then the symptoms will not be so obvious, but with a careful examination, you can still notice them.

• White spots on the soil or leaves.

In plants with such symptoms, the following pests can often be found: mealy or root worm, whitefly, red spider web, clover mite. The vermilion can be identified by characteristic deposits resembling cotton (mealy leaves them on the leaves, and the root in the ground). Sticky discharge and leaf fall indicate a whitefly infection. Clover tick can be recognized by a white grid on the leaves, the skin in this place dies, and when infected with a red spider mite, a thin whitish spider web is visible under the leaves.

• Yellow spots.

This may be the first sign that the pot wound up enchitrea or scale insects. Echitrei resemble white worms, you can find them in the ground, right at the roots of the plant. If the spots on the leaves are sticky, then this indicates that a scale shield has wound up on them.

• Brown spots.

Thrips leave such marks. Usually brown, brown spots are located under the leaf, and white streaks are visible from above, which the insects leave when moving.

• Deformed shoots and leaves.

More often this sign indicates that aphids or cyclamen mites have settled on indoor plants. In the first case, the leaves and shoots are sticky to the touch, the flowers (if any) quickly wither and dry. The mite can be recognized by a layer of dust on the underside of the sheet. If you can not get rid of it in time, then over time the leaves of the plants curl and dry.

• The plant withers.

Slow flower withering can be a sign of damage by fungal mosquitoes, leaf or gall nematodes. Nematodes often lead to the death of the entire plant, with characteristic bloating on the roots. Adult mushroom mosquitoes are harmless, but the problem is that their larvae are in the soil, which deplete young roots as they grow.

Whitefly specimens

Pest Features

It is worth noting that pests on indoor plants are not found as often as in a greenhouse or garden. But it also happens that they start in the apartment of a multi-million city. What are these parasites?

1. Shield - these are insects 2–5 mm in size, they feed on cell sap. Pests are covered with shields on top, their appearance resembles brown droplets of wax. The scabbard is difficult to separate from the leaf, under it you can notice a discolored tissue and a sticky coating, which contribute to the development of sooty mushrooms.
2. Worm - sucking parasite with a diameter of 3-5 mm. It is a close relative of such an insect as a scale insect, but differs in white color and "fluffiness". Adult individuals, unlike young ones, are practically motionless. Often they gather in the axils of leaves or in the ground at the roots of plants, where they leave behind a white trail that resembles cotton wool.
3. Thrips - rather small insects with a diameter of up to 2 mm, are often found in large numbers. They are black, white or striped in color, however, due to the size, it is almost impossible to see the fly.Thrips lay eggs in the tissue of the leaf, which is then covered with strokes - the moves of the larvae.
4. Whitefly resembles white flies with wings. Insects feed on the juice of indoor plants, and if they are suddenly disturbed, they rise into the air with a whole cloud. Whiteflies lay greenish larvae that cover the underside of the leaves.
5. Aphid- small insects of orange, green or black color. These pests love a warm and stuffy climate, form dense clusters, colonies on the stems and leaves of plants. Aphid excretions attract ants and also contribute to the development of soot fungus.
6. Spider mite - arachnid arthropod pests that feed on the cellular sap of indoor plants. Most often, a weakened flower growing in dry land is affected. In addition to the web, the tick leaves yellowish spots in the places of the prokus.
7. Mushroom mosquitoes - black flies no larger than 4 mm. They live in the soil, they lay eggs in the same place. Larvae of mushroom mosquitoes attack young shoots and weakened plants. During irrigation, insects fly out of the pot in large numbers.
8. Nematodes- These are parasitic white worms 1-2 mm long. The digestive enzymes of nematodes disrupt plant growth, lead to thickening of petioles, galls form on the roots. Parasites often settle on moist soil, it is rather difficult to detect them.
9. Enhitrea - translucent white worms up to 4 mm long. They take part in the processing of organic elements, in a small amount they are harmless. They love a moist environment, often found in pots with substrates for growing plants.

Methods of struggle

After the pests of indoor plants are calculated, you can begin to destroy them. There is no universal remedy, the method of struggle depends on the type of insects:

• Shield.

Densely populated leaves and shoots are removed, in other places the insects are carefully cleaned with a cotton swab. Next, the plant is thoroughly washed with soapy water and dried. Then the flower is sprayed with a broad-spectrum preparation (Metaphos, Fitoverm) and covered with polyethylene for half an hour. After two days, the remnants of pesticides and dead pests are washed off in the shower. Scale is completely exterminated after 6-8 weekly procedures.

• Mealybug.

Pests are removed from the leaves with a damp cotton swab or the blunt side of a knife. When the root system is damaged, the plant is removed from the planted pot, the missing part of the roots is removed. Then the cleaned places are washed with soapy water and treated with substances that destroy the pest (Dimethoat, Inta-Vir, Malathion, Pyrethrum). After processing, the flower is placed in a new soil substrate.

• Thrips.

Insects are caught using special sticky traps. The soil is treated with a broad-based chemical preparation (for example, “Actar” a), the stems and leaves are sprayed with “Intavir”, “Akarin”, “Fitoverm” or “Agravertin”. All indoor plants are treated weekly for a month. It is noteworthy that thrips do not like naphthalene. Just a few balls will help get rid of the unpleasant neighborhood.

• Whitefly

These pests are destroyed in the same way as thrips. However, there is an alternative method of struggle. For this, the room where the plant is located (balcony, greenhouse) is heated to a temperature above 40 degrees Celsius. This provokes thermal shock in whiteflies and leads to the death of the insect.

• Aphid.

Pests are destroyed quite simply, with a minimum defeat, it is enough to wash them off with soapy water. In other cases, the plant is sprayed with Akarin, Iskra-bio, permethrin, Resmetrin, Agravertin or another chemical. After all the insects die, the flower is washed with water. To solve the problem, the procedure is repeated 2-3 times.

• Spider mite.

With a large number of insects, the plant is washed in the shower and substances that reduce their number (acaricides) are used. It is difficult to remove the spider mite. It is necessary to use weekly chemicals, possibly changing the active substance. A positive effect is a two-minute exposure to an ultraviolet lamp (prevents the development of new individuals).

• Mushroom mosquitoes.

To destroy mosquitoes living in the earth, it is necessary to water the soil with permethrin, IntaVir, Akarin or Malathion. Larvae are removed with the help of Bazudin, Pochin or Grom-2 preparations. After treatment, the plant is not watered for 4–5 days.

• Nematodes.

Most often, when infected with nematodes, the flower and soil are destroyed. However, there is another way. Sick roots of indoor plants are removed, the remaining ones are washed with water with a heating temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. The anti-stress drug Ecogel has a positive effect. It strengthens the plant, after which the nutrition and distribution of nematodes becomes impossible.

• Enhitrei.

You can reduce the number of pests with solutions of "Regent" or "Bazudin", as well as balancing watering and soil composition in a pot.

Tip

When destroying pests of indoor plants, do not forget about precautions. Dilute chemicals exactly according to the instructions on the package. It is also important to isolate the diseased flower (even if the insect settled only in the soil).

Often insects appear along with newly acquired flowers. That is why it is important to shop only from trusted sellers or in specialized stores. Otherwise, a long-term pest control of indoor plants cannot be avoided.