5 Most common pests + bugs
Any of these look familiar? 👀
While you’re doing your weekly plant check-ins, try and spend an extra 10 minutes scanning for pests, which can be quite common over the Summer with windows being open more, or if you’ve moved your plants outside. It’s really good practice to do this when you can, as pests can literally appear from nowhere, and can cause a whole lot of damage if left to do their thing!
☁️Mealy Bugs
Look out for: ‘Cotton-wool’ like clumps, mainly on leaf veins and leaf joints. Yellowing, dropping leaves.
How to treat: Quarantine the plant, remove the infected plant from other plants to prevent spreading. Remove the mealy bugs: as many mealy bugs as possible with a damp cloth or cotton swab. Take care to remove all the insects, including eggs and nymphs. Then you want to spray with insecticidal soap. Apply soap to the entire plant, following the label instructions.
Repeat the treatment every five to seven days until the mealy bugs are gone.
What’s next? Improve humidity. Mealy bugs thrive in dry environments, so increase the humidity around the plant by placing a tray of water near it or using a humidifier.
Tip: Use natural remedies: Try using neem oil, rubbing alcohol, or a mixture of water and dish soap as organic alternatives to chemical insecticides.
🪲Aphids
Look out for: large clusters of the green (and sometimes black) insects, usually on the underleaf, sticky honeydew and/or random yellow patches on leaves.
How to treat: Quarantine the plant, remove the infected plant from other plants to prevent spreading. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil, following the label instructions. You can also try using a mixture of water and dish soap as an organic alternative.
Repeat the treatment every few days until the aphids are gone. If there are a large number of aphids, you may need to use a chemical insecticide.
What's next? Encourage natural predators, such as ladybugs or lacewings, to eat the aphids. Improve humidity and ventilation around the plant, as this can help discourage aphids. Regularly check your plants for signs of infestation and take action immediately if you see any aphids.
🪰Fungus Gnats
Look out for: small, tiny black flies that you'll usually see hanging about on the soil surface or hovering around the plant. If you move your plant suddenly, you will usually see a cloud of them all move at once. You might also spot white larvae on or just under the top layer of soil.
How to treat: Let the soil dry out completely between waterings, as fungus gnats thrive in moist environments. You can also consider repotting the plant in fresh, well-draining soil. Use sticky traps to catch adult gnats and reduce their population. Apply a soil treatment such as Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) or neem oil to kill the larvae.
Repeat the treatment every few days until the fungus gnats are gone.
What's next? Avoid overwatering plants, as this can contribute to fungal gnat infestations. Improve ventilation and airflow around the plant, as this can help dry out the soil and reduce fungal gnat populations. Use a layer of sand or gravel on top of the soil to help discourage adult fungus gnats from laying eggs in the soil. Regularly check your plants for signs of infestation and take action immediately if you see any fungus gnats.
🐛Thrips
Look out for: Leaf dimpling, browning / yellowing leaves, with a 'washed out' appearance, and tiny (seriously tiny) yellow/green specks (usually on the underside of the leaf) that with good vision or a magnifying glass will be moving.
How to treat: Quarantine the plant, remove the infected plant from other plants to prevent spreading. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil, following the label instructions. You can also try using a mixture of water and dish soap as an organic alternative.
Repeat the treatment every few days until the thrips are gone. If there are a large number of thrips, you may need to use a chemical insecticide.
What's next? Encourage natural predators, such as mites, lady beetles, and lacewings, to eat the thrips. Improve ventilation and airflow around the plant, as thrips prefer still air. Remove any debris or leaves on the ground that may serve as a breeding ground for thrips. Regularly check your plants for signs of infestation and take action immediately if you see any thrips.
🕷️ Spider Mites
Look out for: Thin, sticky spider webs over your plants. (on closer inspection when you look you might see loads of tiny mites crawling around.) Look out too for small brown dots on the leaves, which is where the mites are getting stuck in at sucking the juice out from the plants’ leaves.
How to treat: Quarantine the plant, remove the infected plant from other plants to prevent spreading. Hose down the plant with a strong stream of water to dislodge the mites and webs. You can also use a mixture of water and insecticidal soap or neem oil, following the label instructions. Repeat the treatment every few days until the spider mites are gone.
What's next? Encourage natural predators, such as lady beetles, lacewings, and predatory mites, to eat the spider mites. Improve ventilation and airflow around the plant, as spider mites prefer hot and dry conditions. Increase the humidity around your plants by misting the foliage regularly. Regularly check your plants for signs of infestation and take action immediately if you see any spider mites.
Make sure you keep an eye on your plants and continue to monitor them. Look out for any signs of recurrences and take immediate action if you see any pests again!
