Pests on indoor plants: 12 photos and names of insects

Possible causes of plant infection

There are several houseplant pests that appear suddenly and often there is no clear reason why their green pets begin to wither. Here's where harmful insects can come from:

• plants in the warm season were transferred from the premises to the open space: to the street, veranda or taken to the balcony;
• left at an open window through which pests could enter;
• they bought a new plant, and put it together with others, but it turned out to be infected with pests;
• transplanted into fresh soil, without having previously processed it;
• mistakes in care: waterlogging or drying out of the soil, lack of lighting, as a result of which the diseased plant's resistance decreases, and pests take advantage of this.

It is impossible to foresee all the reasons, so it is important to notice the problem in a timely manner and try to start pest control as early as possible. Regular inspection of green pets will help with this.

Pests of indoor plants

It is possible to get rid of the parasite, if you correctly determine its type and how to get rid of it correctly.

Shield and false shields

But the methods of dealing with these varieties are the same. 

1. You can destroy the scale insects if you hold the plant under a hot shower with a water temperature of about 50 degrees.
2. Collect them by hand, sweeping with a soft brush from leaves and shoots.
3. Processing with a strong solution of laundry or green soap will also give a good result.
4. The use of chemicals to treat a plant is possible only in rare cases.

Mealybug

A grayish or creamy pest, whose body is covered with a powdery coating, its size is up to 5 mm, it is also called a hairy louse. The mealybugs are placed in small groups on the shoots, suck the juice from them, and secrete a sweet liquid - honeydew, similar to cotton balls. The sweet taste of a waste product provokes the appearance of a fungus, a dangerous infectious disease.

The mealybug is omnivorous and easily moves from one plant to another if the pots are nearby. When a parasite is found, you should immediately begin to deal with it.

Plant treatment will help:

• strong soapy water;
• showering;
• manual collection of the pest.

Alcohol tincture can wipe the leaves and shoots to destroy the pest. But immediately you need to try on one piece of paper, so as not to harm.

root bug

Root worm.

The root bug is much more dangerous than the mealybug. It appears on the roots of the plant and is difficult to detect. The owner has no idea why the flower withers.

But only by shaking it out of the pot, you can see the roots, as if sprinkled with flour. This is a large family of root pests.

If a root bug is wound up, then the roots should be washed in water, at a temperature of about 50 degrees, the pot should be disinfected and the soil should be changed.

Insecticide treatments are effective in advanced cases, but they should be applied according to the instructions so as not to harm the delicate roots.

spider mite

The spider mite is a small insect, up to 1 mm in size, and it is quite difficult to notice it. But about the appearance of this pest, you can find out about the presence of small, bright puncture points on the leaves and a silvery web on the plant. There are several types of spider mites:

• ordinary;
• Pacific;
• red.

Spider mite on indoor flower.

Spider mite is one of the most dangerous pests of indoor plants. It settles very quickly, falling on a flower, after a short period of time the whole plant is covered with a sticky web. Ticks suck useful substances out of it. The leaves turn yellow and crumble, a weakened plant becomes infected with a fungus and dies.

Plants with succulent leaves are especially susceptible to the mite, but it can appear on any plant. The pest must be dealt with immediately.

Before processing, cut off all affected leaves from the plant.

From folk remedies, plant treatments are effective:

You can use Fairy dishwashing detergent, it is diluted with a small amount of water and foam is whipped, applied to the plant for 30 minutes and then washed off. The soil under the flower should be covered with foil or polyethylene.

TRIPS

Thrips are one of the most common pests, both on indoor plants and on trees, grass, vegetables and berries. They quickly move from plant to plant, eating all the greenery on the way.

Folk methods of dealing with thrips:

• a large number of insects accumulate in flowers and unblown buds, so they must be removed before processing the plant;
• flower growers advise an effective method: treatment with flea shampoo. It must be dissolved in a small amount of water, whipped into foam and applied to leaves and shoots. After half an hour, the foam from the plant must be thoroughly washed off.

Sciarides

Sciarids or mushroom mosquitoes, black midges that fly over the plant and indoors. The larvae of the mushroom mosquito are in the soil, and it is not easy to notice them.

Several species are known that live in the middle zone of the country, these are brasidia, sciara, licoriela.

aphid

Aphids on indoor plants do not appear often. The pests are green and hard to miss. Large up to 2 mm wingless insects with thick translucent bellies sit on stems and leaves. Flying aphids mate and migrate to other plants. There are such types of aphids:

• greenhouse;
  

  Aphids on indoor plants.

• peach;
• nymphaeal.

These insects feed on plant sap. They pierce shoots and leaves with a sharp proboscis. In the process of life, aphids secrete honeydew, which sticks together leaves and buds. These secretions attract ants.

To successfully fight aphids, both the plant and the soil are treated, because it also contains larvae.

The flower on which the aphid has settled is washed in the shower, the pests are weak and easy to wash off. Can be treated with a solution of laundry soap or infusion of citrus peels.

Aphids do not tolerate the smell of geraniums, you can put this plant next to the one that has aphids.

Whitewoods

Whitefly.

The whitefly is dangerous for plants because it destroys them completely in a short time. Outwardly, it looks like a small yellowish moth, its wings are covered with a white mealy coating. Both larvae and adult butterflies are dangerous.

With a sharp proboscis, she pierces the leaves, releasing a sticky pad that clogs the pores and develops chlorosis.

It is not easy to fight the whitefly, the plant may be needed several times, changing preparations, it is very tenacious. Before treatment, insects are washed off under running water. Adults are destroyed:

Other types of insects

There are also other pests:

It is also necessary to fight them with the help of folk remedies or chemicals.

Useful Tips

Experienced flower growers advise how to prevent or prevent infection of indoor plants with pests:

1. A purchased new plant may be infested but look healthy, and symptoms may appear later when the pests have multiplied. You need to put it separately from the others and watch it for a while.
2. Examine plants. If harmful insects are found on one of them, it is isolated from others and treatment is started immediately.
3. The ground before planting can be calcined in the oven or frozen to destroy the larvae or eggs of harmful insects.
4. If there are not many pests on the plant, folk remedies can be used. If the lesion is severe, then it is better to immediately apply chemicals.
5. Follow the rules of care: watering, fertilizing.

Conclusion

If insect pests appear on a houseplant, the first thing to do is to determine which type of pest has settled and immediately begin control measures. Experienced flower growers note that the sooner you start fighting them, the more chances you have to save green pets.