Some red bugs are running around the pot. What to do if white worms start up in a room flower? Chemicals to the rescue

How do pests get on an indoor flower? There are many reasons, and the main one is a violation of the rules for caring for a plant, leading to its weakening and disease. Then airing the room, transplanting a flower into contaminated soil, introducing insects on outerwear - these and other factors will be fatal for a pet. Insidious enemies must be known “by sight” in order to fight them more effectively.

whitefly

Reproducing rapidly, they and their oval, oblong, light green larvae suck the juice from the leaves, leaving sweet traces as a memory of themselves. And soot fungus appears on them. In addition, these malicious "moths" often carry viral diseases.

It is difficult to deal with these insects. Velcro, hung next to flowers, helps to reduce their number, washing off their eggs and larvae. From these pests indoor plants effective treatment with infusion of garlic:

soak a couple of cloves in a liter of water for several days;
dilute five times;
reapply after a week.

Irrigation with Nicotine sulfate or Parathion and insecticidal crayons from pests of indoor plants (“Domovoy Proshka”, “Nika”) help.

caterpillars

These lovers of eating young twigs, leaves and buds are more familiar as enemies of garden plants. They do not disdain and indoor flowers placed in the summer garden. Insects act mainly at night, and during the day they hide under the leaves.

The main measure to combat them is manual collection. And the prevention of their spread is spraying with specific biological preparations - Lepidocide and Bitoxibacillin. They do not harm humans and animals, and when these insects enter the intestines, they kill them.

Some gardeners use against caterpillars spraying plants with Coca-Cola diluted by half, which causes poisoning in them. Effective home remedy from these pests of indoor plants - household or green soap. Its weak aqueous solution also alkalizes acidic soils.

Weevils

Small flying bugs love to gnaw on leaves, like the Colorado potato beetles. And their larvae destroy the roots and tubers of plants. Beetles are best collected by hand early in the morning.

From them and their larvae, spraying with systemic insecticides such as "Fufan", "Inta-vir" helps. An alternative method is four times ground watering with Aktara solution (per gram per bucket with a weekly interval) or a single foliar treatment with this drug at a dose increased by 8 times.

An effective measure to control larvae is to transplant plants into fresh soil. Before it, the roots of damaged plants should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour.

Grape cutter

Small bugs, representatives of a large family of beetles weevils. They eat the leaves of flowers exposed in the summer to nature. Their two-centimeter larvae gnaw on the underground parts of plants. The presence of these soil pests of indoor plants is detected only when the plants wither, and their roots are already significantly damaged during this period.

Bugs from primrose or cyclamen must be removed by shaking onto film or paper. Do it better cool early morning when the "flyers" have not yet woken up and are inactive. With mass accumulations of beetles best method fight them - spraying with 10% Karbofos.

Drosophila

For indoor plants, they are characteristic, as tiny dark flies are attracted by the smell of rotting food. They are dangerous by the ability to spread small pests and infections on themselves.

They appear in flower pots where the soil is damp and rotting of the roots or fallen leaves has already begun. It is also possible to transfer these flies through garden soil contaminated with their eggs.

Therefore, in order to avoid getting fruit flies into flowers, it is necessary to transplant plants only into disinfected soil or into ready-made nutrient substrates purchased in specialized stores. Plants should be watered moderately, and faded flowers and missing leaves should be removed.

Ticks

Numerous species of ticks are especially active in spring. Reproducing rapidly, these inconspicuous pests gnaw out the stems of plants, leading them to death. The most common are the following subspecies of pests:

Cyclamen

This is a monophage attacking only cyclamens, pelargoniums and gloxinias. Its colonies are like dust raids on reverse side leaves. This is a rare type of tick that lives in dampness. The result of its presence is the weakening of plants: not blooming flowers do not grow, fall off, leaves curl and stems become thinner.

gossamer

Preventive measures against tick damage:

Most of them do not tolerate high humidity, so you need to periodically spray the plants with settled warm water.
Due to the fact that spider mites are afraid of ultraviolet radiation, two-minute weekly sessions of plant treatment (especially under the leaves) with special lamps should be carried out in winter in winter, and in summer they should be taken out to the balcony. It also improves the immunity of pets.
When storing bulbs, it is necessary to maintain constant coolness and average humidity in the room.
Potted plants need good soil drainage, and excess moisture from the pan should be removed.

Treatment with folk remedies:

Spraying and pollination with sulfur powder.
Spraying with infusions of red pepper, tobacco, garlic, celandine. But sometimes they only work temporarily.
Spraying or rubbing the leaves with medical alcohol. This method is only suitable for flowers with dense leaves (palms, ficuses, roses), and it is used to a limited extent for cacti or succulents.
Most effective ways tick control is the use of Fitoverm, Aktelik, Neoron, Apollo preparations. Since these pests adapt well to chemical agents, they must be alternated.

Woodlice

These are small crustaceans that look like mealybugs. They also have a gray-brown shell. These insects sometimes reach a size of up to several centimeters. They can be found in pots with loose and nutritious soil, where they move quickly with the help of 8 pairs of legs.

These are the worst enemies of tropical plants (orchids, ferns, cacti), in which they damage delicate roots. In addition, pests compress the soil, which leads to malnutrition and respiration of the roots.

They end up with potted plants that spend their summers in the garden. Uninvited guests can be detected by heaps of dry earthen substrate, constantly spilling out of pots into the pan.

Processing indoor plants from these pests comes down to transplanting them into a new earthen mixture with preliminary washing of the roots with warm water. You can also lower such plants for a couple of tens of minutes in a container of warm water. And the insects that emerge at the same time are very easy to collect.

Centipedes

These caterpillar-like, rather conspicuous insects also enter the flower pots from the garden. Their favorite food is the lower parts of plants. Main prophylactic from these pests of indoor plants - preventing dampness in the ground.

Sciarid fly (mushroom mosquito)

These flying pests of indoor plants reach sizes up to 0.5 centimeters. Adult mosquitoes lay tiny eggs in the roots of flowers. The larvae that have emerged from them eat the roots, which is why pets often die.

Adults often infect flowers and spread the larvae of various pests. They settle in pots, having got from the street when airing the room or in another way. They reproduce well in a moist and nutritious environment, especially rich in humus. Often present in aquarium water.

Insect larvae are removed with the help of drugs "Decis", "Karbofos", "Inta-vir". Moreover, one-time treatment is often ineffective. Fly remedies help against adult pests: special Velcro, Raptor, Fumitoks, and if they are ineffective, then Dichlorvos. As a rule, complex measures are used and repeatedly.

Nematodes

These are 3 groups of white round small worms that live in different parts of tropical flowers:

root

stem

They live at the base of the stem, cause the death of plants due to lack of nutrition.

leafy

Millimeter earthworms. When they appear on the leaves, greenish, quickly darkening spots are observed. Plant buds do not develop, young shoots, tops of stems and buds dry out. These individuals spread with contaminated water.

To prevent the ingress of these almost non-removable pests, the land is disinfected at temperatures above 50 degrees for 10 minutes or by treating it with 10% formalin, washing it off only after a couple of hours. Garden tools and flower containers are also disinfected.

There are no effective measures against these dangerous pests. Weakly affected plants are treated with Dekaris (the tablet dissolves in a liter of liquid) or Heterophos. Launched flowers and the earth from them destroy.

Podura (springtails, forktails)

The appearance of these millimetric wingless flower pests usually indicate excessive moisture in houseplants. They live in the soil, eating the small roots of flowers. If there are a lot of them, then you can notice colonies of insects on the lower opening of the pot or on the ground. They look like whitish particles.

They do not cause much harm to plants, rather they even benefit attentive flower growers, signaling with their appearance that it is necessary to reduce watering of plants in order to avoid rotting of the roots. The soil in places where insects accumulate is replaced, sprinkled with sand or crushed tobacco.

Slugs

These pests affect balcony plants - irises, phloxes, carnations and others. If sores appear on the leaves and petals of flowers, then this is the work of slugs. Visually, insects can also be seen, especially when damp.

You can get rid of slugs by draining the soil with ash and lime (4:1). Additionally, the eaten plants are sprinkled with tobacco and lime powder (1: 1). Do this 3 times a day every 2 hours. And, of course, you should reduce the watering of plants in order to avoid the reappearance of these moisture-loving pests.

Aphid

Their coloration is different, they live in large colonies on the most succulent parts of plants. If you do not take measures to them, then the plants under the onslaught of significant enemy forces are weakened and die. Luckily, they are easy to deal with. Common pests are:

root bug

In spring and autumn, they must be watered prophylactically three times with insecticides with a gap of a couple of weeks. In the affected plants, the damaged fragments (and partially the crown) are cut, washing the roots for ten minutes with an insecticide. Then they are transplanted to a new land.

Mealybug (hairy aphid)

Lives on leaves and stems. It is considered the most dangerous pest. A winged insect, its female plants up to 2 thousand eggs, which are not afraid of water. The presence of a pest indicates a white cobweb-like coating on plants. And the sticky substance secreted by aphids is a favorite habitat for soot fungus. Flying insects do not disdain any plants, leading them to death.

Shield and false shield

Shield aphid (shchitovka) - a half-centimeter brown insect that appears on the leaves in the form of scales. The wax shell reliably protects it from many chemicals. Male insects are flying. False shields are not equipped with such a shell. Their larvae and eggs are protected by the dried skin of females. Among them there are also viviparous varieties. Both of them live on the leaves and stems of plants.

Preventive measures are reduced to monitoring the purity of the flowers, washing the leaves. You can also use sticks from pests of indoor plants ("Agricola", "Clean Leaf", "Golden Spark"), which are also top dressing of flowers.

Fight against harmful insects:

Three times spraying with solutions of green soap, tobacco, garlic.
Washing the leaves with alcohol, vinegar or pharmaceutical preparation calendula.
Double (in a week) spraying with Aktelik, Fitoverm, Vertimek or others.

thrips

This is a dark, barely noticeable four-winged insect. Their larvae almost immediately also become winged, but lighter than adults. They are abundant on the underside of the leaves, where they leave a whitish substance. Then the leaves turn brown, dry and disappear. The same happens with flowers.

Thrips are especially dangerous in the summer heat, causing damage to palm trees, cacti, roses and many more common houseplants. Therefore, for prevention, they should be sprayed with water, preventing the land from drying out.

Well helps from these pests on houseplants powder-insecticide "Bushido" (dilute half a pack in 5 liters of water). The following are also effective:

Twice (in a week) treat with pyrethrum (2 grams per liter).
Infusions of yarrow, tobacco, chamomile, green soap, decoction of cyclamen tubers.
Pollination with powder pyrethrum, spraying (three times) with 0.2% "Thiofos", "Vertimek" or "Phosfamide".

Earwig (mite)

It is a widespread pest of garden plants. She is awake at night, hitting the leaves and flowers until they are destroyed.

Onion peel (6 grams per liter), infused for half a day, helps get rid of these pests of indoor plants.

Traps made from thin tubes of thick paper or hollow wooden sticks placed on flower pots are also effective. The night pest hides in them in the morning, and it is easy to detect and remove it from the flowers there.

Earthworms

Familiar to all earthly inhabitants, crawling out of the soil after the rains. Once from the garden soil into a cramped pot, where there is not enough organic top dressing, they will not disdain the roots of plants. They may also appear from eggs left in the soil brought from the street. In the neighborhood of worms, pets wither, grow poorly.

Street land should be disinfected before planting. And when taking home plants into the summer garden, it is better to place them so that they do not touch the ground. How to get rid of worms:

Put the flower pot for half an hour in warm water, then the worms will either appear on top or drown.
Water the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and collect pests that have crawled out.

enchiterea

White insects in the flowers

Insects with white color that can appear on house flowers are springtails or fools. They often appear in damp environments. Increased humidity of air and soil provoke their active development.

How to prevent the appearance of springtails?

In order for the springtail not to settle on indoor plants, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room. In addition, moderate watering and maintaining the level of air humidity will protect your plants from uninvited guests. It is important to observe this nuance: between the next sessions of moistening the soil, the soil in the pot should not dry out or, moreover, dry out, otherwise fools will appear in the fluctuation of care methods and the condition of the plant.

As a preventive measure, flower growers need to use chemicals. They are also effective at the peak of these white insects in flowers. Use these drugs:

Aktara
Doctor
Potassium permanganate solution

White insects wound up in flowers - how to get rid of?

Podura don't like drought. Although flower growers are advised not to overdry the soil mixture in the pot between waterings, however, if springtails have already appeared in flowers, you need to dry the soil in the pot, creating inconvenience for pests. Usually white insects disappear on their own, but if this does not happen, treatment methods come into play.

A pink solution of potassium permanganate is a folk remedy for the fight against white insects (podura) in flowers. As soon as they start, immediately water the soil with potassium permanganate. Let the potting soil dry out a bit between treatments and water again.

Chemical preparations Aktara and arrows Doctor - serious artillery to combat the springtail, however, effective. Use drugs strictly according to the instructions. Do not forget that their composition can be toxic, so protect yourself with gloves and a mask during processing. Do not process flowers in the room where you sleep or eat - follow basic safety precautions.

do not flood the plant;
maintain normal air humidity;
regularly ventilate the room;
take breaks between watering, dry the earth in a pot;
treat with potassium permanganate if the first symptoms appear;
inspect indoor flowers for the presence of white insects;

Pests on indoor plants are not so few. Most often they are very small, not always immediately noticeable. They live and reproduce both in the soil and on parts of the plant itself. If pests of indoor plants appear and no action is taken with them, then the flowers begin to wither, turn yellow, and then die altogether.

What needs to be done to save pets? First of all, find out what harmful insects are on the flowers. To do this, a thorough examination of the plant itself and the soil is carried out. After that, a merciless fight begins. various methods. Remember, any delay is fraught with disastrous consequences.

Insects live in the ground (on the roots), on leaves, stems, gnaw out buds.

Pests of indoor plants

Plants react to each pest in a special way: they can change the color of the leaves, slow down their growth. When visually inspecting a houseplant, you can notice changes in leaves, stems.

Appearance of white spots

White spots - a signal of the appearance:

Mealy or root bug. You need to examine all parts of the flower. If you notice "cotton" lumps, then there is a pest.
When a whitefly appears, the leaves become sticky and may fall off.
The presence of a red spider (clover) mite can be determined by a whitish mesh, a spider by a cobweb. Leaves at in large numbers insects die off.

What do yellow spots indicate?

Appearance on leaves yellow spots you need to look at the leaves. If fingers stick to them, these are traces left by the scale insect. The cause may be the appearance of enchitreya. Tiny white worms live in the soil at the very root.

brown spots

The presence of brown, brownish spots from the bottom of the leaf and white smudges from above indicates the action of thrips.

Deformation of the green parts of the plant

If the shoots and leaves on the flowers begin to deform, then the flower is affected by aphids or cyclamen mites. Aphids leave behind sticky traces. She sucks the juice of indoor plants, from which they can dry out. If dust appears on the leaves from below, they curl up - the mite “hosts”.

Withering

The cause of drooping leaves and shoots is fungal mosquitoes, leaf or gall nematodes.

Description of pests

Pests of indoor plants can cause harm, bring to the death of green spaces, if they are not dealt with. Consider the most common insects, their destructive activity.

spider mite

Spider mite on indoor plants is the most frequent "guest". Due to their small size, they are invisible to the naked eye. You need to consider the lower part of the flower, because these pests do not tolerate light and moisture. Insects may appear to eat in a dry and hot room. Under such conditions, the development spider mite swift.

If you grow geraniums, palm trees, then they need to be inspected constantly. Insects pierce the tender part of the leaves, suck out the juice. As a result, the leaves become faded, crumble.

Aphid

Aphids can be seen despite their small size. They are black and green. Insect colonies multiply rapidly: the female lays at least 150 larvae, which themselves enter the breeding stage after 7 days.
Third generation females have the ability to fly. They move to any indoor plants, lay larvae. On the paws, diseases are transferred to the flowers, for example, different types flower mosaic. Getting rid of aphids is not as easy as it seems.

Shchitovki

Shchitovka on indoor plants is a dangerous pest, loves to settle on cuttings, leaves, stems. It is not difficult to detect it: it is flat, oval, with the lower part of the body closely adjacent to the substrate.

These pests are different. Real scale insects hide under the shell, just like turtles. False scale insects do not have such an opportunity, since this part of the body is inseparable.

The favorite colors of these pests are:

lemons;
oranges;
tangerines;
oleanders;
ivy;
palm trees.

Scale insects settle on the lower part of the sheet. Colonies develop rapidly. Slowly moving dots appear on the leaves, somewhat reminiscent of plaques. Around their habitat, the leaves turn yellow. Insects suck the juice of tender plants and shoots, deplete the plant. If you do not start a timely fight, indoor flowers die.

thrips

Ficuses, palm trees are affected by a small jumping beetle - thrips. Females, having made holes in leaves or flower buds, lay eggs. The damage is microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye. The signal that thrips on indoor plants is a silvery pattern that appears on the leaves. The insects themselves live on the back of the leaf.

Podura white

These creatures can also jump. This is a soil insect that lives directly in pots. It is distinguished by an elongated body, on which sparse hairs are visible. Mustache on the head. Most often appear in soils rich in humus.

The basis of nutrition is plant residues, but it does not shun a living root system. It is clear that the eaten roots can no longer cope with their function, the plant slows down its growth, and may die.

Mealybugs

These are worms white color, love the back of the leaf in those places where the vein passes. Females are large, up to half a centimeter, very prolific. They arrange houses for the offspring, similar to lumps of cotton wool, and lay eggs in them. The hatched larvae are mobile, quickly gaining space on the flowers.
Flower growers who grow cacti need to constantly inspect the plants for signs of a mealybug. It is they who are preferred by these pests of indoor plants and it is necessary to take immediate measures to combat them.

whitefly

Whiteflies are by and large greenhouse insects. If you purchased flowers in these places, do not be too lazy to examine them carefully. Even one female whitefly on indoor plants for a short time will produce great offspring. Then the question arises how to fight. Favorite flowers of the pest are fuchsias, ferns, geraniums. A two-millimeter insect feeds on the juice of plants, as a result, it weakens, withers away.

mushroom mosquitoes

It often happens that flower growers notice flying small flies around their flowers, but do not attach any importance to this. And in vain, because the fly lays larvae in moist fertile soil. The larvae are microscopic, so their appearance is not immediately noticeable. The danger of insects is that the smallest creatures feed on the root system of plants. As a result, the flower dies.

How to deal with pests on houseplants

Many beginner flower growers are wondering how to deal with pests of indoor plants. The answer to it is important, since insects multiply rapidly, you should not waste time.

There are different ways to help get rid of pests:

mechanical;
biological;
folk;
chemical.

If pests of houseplants are correctly recognized, and measures to combat them will be effective.

Mechanical

You need to start with the safest measures for a person, especially since they often help a lot. Before starting work, disinfect and sharpen tools. All damaged leaves and shoots are cut off, the places of cuts need to be sprinkled activated carbon.
Beetles and visible larvae are selected manually: worms, scale insects, slugs, caterpillars. Leaves with pests such as aphids can be wiped with a cotton pad. A contrast shower, spraying with water helps to get rid of pests that live on the green parts of the plant.

Biological

How to deal with harmful insects with biological agents? Such preparations are based on plants. Most often used:

"Fitoverm";
"Agrovertin";
Iskra-Bio.

Before use, you need to read the instructions. Since they destroy pests, they contain poison in small doses. Plants are treated early in the morning, left in a shady place until all parts of the plant dry out. The room where the treatment was carried out is ventilated. It is necessary to wash all exposed parts of the body with warm water and detergents.

Folk methods

If indoor pests of plants have appeared, treatment can be carried out with folk remedies that have been proven for centuries. To do this, prepare decoctions, infusions from:

yarrow;
chamomile;
dandelion;
nails;
nettles;
garlic;
Luke;
peels of oranges, tangerines, lemons.

These environmentally friendly and harmless to humans plants are able to effectively destroy harmful insects. Steamed citrus peels can be dug into the soil. Insects do not like their smell.

An infusion of tobacco, stove ash, a solution of potassium permanganate, furacilin or soda works well. So that the liquid does not immediately drain from the plants, laundry soap is added to it.

Chemical

With the use of chemical pest control agents, quick successes can be achieved. It is better to resort to their help as a last resort, if other methods have not given. positive result. It should be remembered that such products are unsafe for humans and beneficial insects. It is necessary to work with chemicals with the window open, removing children and animals from the room. In addition, when working, you need to use personal protective equipment. After work, you need to thoroughly wash your hands and face.
The treated plants are removed in the shade until the solution is completely dry. The place where the treatment was carried out should be washed with hot water and detergents.
Remember that chemicals are toxic, so keep them out of the reach of children and pets.
Popular and effective means from pests of indoor plants:

"Karbofos";
"Chlorophos";
"Siphos";
"Trichlormetafos";
"Pyrethrum";
"Decis";
Fury.

They are able to destroy almost all harmful insects.

Getting rid of harmful insects

Shchitovka

The shell of insects makes them invulnerable even to toxic drugs. With a large accumulation of pests, they should be cleaned with a toothbrush, moistened with alcohol.
Of the chemicals it is better to use:

Aktellik;
Detis;
Intavir.

Getting rid of thrips

If thrips appeared on the flowers, they must be urgently isolated from healthy plants and processed. Put flowers in a cool room with high humidity.

An adult insect can be destroyed with special preparations:

Karbofos;
spark bio;
Fitoverm.

Thrips eggs thrive safely in the soil. One treatment will not be enough. Repeated in a week, just by this time a new batch of pests will hatch. It is advisable to transplant the plant into a new pot and fresh soil. In order not to transfer the larvae to a new vessel, the roots are washed with clean water.

The people have long used the treatment of the plant with an infusion of garlic to get rid of thrips. You can go the other way: spread chopped garlic on the soil, close the flower with cellophane and leave for 2-3 hours. Repeat the procedure every other day until complete destruction.

Plants will be healthy if timely prevention is carried out, the rules for caring for each indoor flower are followed.
Use high-quality soil, be sure to disinfect it before planting. Purchase indoor flowers themselves from reliable sellers. The appearance of pests is easier to prevent than to deal with them.

In gardens, green potash soap is also an indispensable helper - it does not smell and is not poisonous to people. Potassium soap should be diluted at the rate of 20 g of liquid green soap per 1 liter of water. Especially carefully spray secluded places - tops of shoots, axils of leaves, apply a foam cap on the buds. Do not rinse with soapy water!

Nematode

Nematode happens various kinds, the root usually forms spherical growths or swellings. Stem or leaf nematodes do not form swellings, but cause severe deformation of leaves, stems, buds. The flowers usually don't even open. Begonias, gloxinias, ficuses, and ferns suffer greatly from the nematode. Their leaves wrinkle, as if shrunken, turn brown between the veins, young ones grow immediately twisted, ugly.

Some types of nematodes also form galls on flowers, often the defeat of the nematode is accompanied by symptoms of bacterial infections.

mushroom mosquitoes

Sciarides or mushroom mosquitoes - small annoying midges start up in flowers, fly all over the apartment. By themselves, they do not harm, flowers do not eat, but mosquitoes are a sure sign that plants are systematically flooded. It is necessary to check the soil in pots with flowers, because if waterlogging is not eliminated, the roots of plants can rot.

If mosquitoes have time to lay eggs in the soil, larvae hatch from them, feeding on decaying organic matter, and can partially damage the roots of plants.

mining flies

The larvae of these flies gnaw out the core of the leaves, leaving discolored patterns of moves on them - min. They disfigure the leaves of trees, shrubs, including conifers, and herbaceous plants, in room conditions they can infect violets (senpolia), succulents (euphorbia, stonecrop), hibiscus syngonium and other plants ...

root mites

Root and onion mites feed on the underground part of plants - gnaw out bulbs, feed on juicy roots. They are found at the stage when the plant has already suffered greatly - growth is inhibited, the leaves turn yellow, buds and flowers do not form, sometimes the crown dries out one-sidedly - with separate branches, but more often the plant has general signs of starvation - chlorosis. Often, an infection gets into the wounds on the roots and bulbs, and the plant becomes ill with fusarium.

Contributes to a more rapid reproduction of root mites high soil moisture. Very often, affected houseplants, especially small and tender ones, die. The best prevention is soil disinfection and quarantine of all purchased plants.

Occasional pests: woodlice, weevil, enchitrei, caterpillars

There are such pests that appear quite rarely in flower pots - these are enchitrei, wood lice, earthworms can be brought in from the land for planting, weevil or wood lice can get into the house from garden soil. If you have someone crawling in a pot, look here, you might recognize the pest...

Many of them are not as dangerous as they seem, and sometimes not at all dangerous, for example, podura or enchitreya can eat rotting plant roots, but in themselves do not cause the death of indoor flowers. Plants die from overflow and putrefactive infections.

Podura, springtails, springtails

Some white little fleas are jumping in pots with houseplants. Gray worms swim in the pan after watering. Little brown spiders crawl around the roots. All these are soil inhabitants - springtails, springtails and podura. Harmless, in essence, the inhabitants of the soil rich in humus and organic matter. They come to our house with earth from the garden or with store soil. But as long as the soil moisture is moderate, the bugs are not visible. When the earth inside the pot does not dry out for many days, the roots of plants begin to rot, the podura multiply in large numbers.

Podura is a sign of a violation of the care of indoor plants, systematic waterlogging, frequent watering, or improperly selected soil (too moisture-intensive, heavy, non-porous).

No one can avoid the appearance of indoor pests: neither a novice florist, nor an experienced one. Some, scale insects or aphids, infect many types of indoor plants, others are more selective and prefer certain species and under certain conditions. For example, ticks rarely harm Benjamin's ficus, but the scale insect devours it with pleasure.

If pests are found, you must first get rid of them mechanically by wiping the leaves and stems with a sponge dipped in soapy water. It is imperative to remove damaged buds, flowers, leaves and shoots, if the leaves begin to turn yellow or become stained, they will not recover. If the pest is seen on only one plant, it is better to isolate the flower pot and observe the rest.

Try not to use insecticides unless absolutely necessary, especially class 2 toxicity. All chemicals for pest control are not safe for humans and animals (birds and fish). All of them emit toxic substances in one way or another. Therefore, if it is possible to fight pests with folk remedies, i.e. herbs, onion peel, as well as biological plant protection products, then you must definitely try them first.

Currently, the use of pesticides (plant protection products against diseases and pests) is approached quite carefully, but so far we can see warnings on the packaging of chemicals about precautions, and they cannot be completely safe.

Folk remedies for pests of indoor plants

Yarrow - 80 g of dry crushed leaves pour 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 36-48 hours, spray against aphids, thrips, ticks.
Tobacco, shag - 40 g insist in 1 liter of water for two days, strain and dilute with another 1 liter of water, spray against aphids and thrips.
Onion - 15 g of chopped onion insist in 1 liter of water for 5-7 hours in a tightly closed container, spray against aphids and mites.
Celandine during flowering - 300-400 g of fresh or 100 g of dry celandine insist in 1 liter of water for 24-36 hours, spray against false shields, aphids, thrips.
Kerosene -2 g per 10 l of water + 40 g laundry soap- against thrips and ticks.
Dandelion officinalis - 300-500 g of crushed roots or fresh leaves insist 2 hours in 10 liters of warm water, filter and spray against thrips and mites.
Marigold flowers - a glass of dried flowers is poured into 1 liter of warm water, insisted for 2 days, filtered and sprayed on the affected plants against thrips.
Alder leaves - a glass of dry alder leaves is poured with one liter of boiling water, insisted for a day. Then heated to 50 ° C, and kept in this infusion before planting the bulbs and tubers for 5 minutes. Thus, carry out the prevention of root mites.
Wood ash - 1 cup of ash is infused in 5 liters of water, then a quarter of a bar of grated laundry soap is added there, sprayed against ticks and thrips.

All living beings are susceptible to diseases and attacks by enemies, and indoor plants are no exception. Withering of the plantation is facilitated not only by improper care and adverse conditions. There are also indoor plant pests that pose a serious threat to the "green friends". This article will tell about the most common types of such insects.

With white tiny moths, whose body length is not more than 2 mm, many flower lovers are familiar. A distinctive feature of the pest is a yellowish body and two pairs of pollinated wings:

Thanks to the sucking mouth apparatus of the juice of the plant, as a result of which it gradually fades and may even die.

On a note!
The inhabitants of greenhouses prefer hibiscus, pelargonium or begonia. It is enough to appear just one individual, so that after a while the houseplant is attacked by a whole population of whiteflies. Therefore, upon discovery.

Aphids

In nature, there are both wingless and winged individuals. They can enter the house through the window, along with the purchased plants and even in the brought bouquet of flowers.

hairy aphids

Mealybugs, or as they are also called hairy aphids, are considered one of the most dangerous pests. These white worms live on the stems and the reverse side of the leaf in the places where the vein passes. The presence is indicated by a white cobweb-like coating, as well as a sticky liquid secreted by them.

The females of the pest are highly fertile. They lay their eggs in secretions that resemble cotton balls. After a while, mobile larvae appear from them, which spread very quickly throughout the plant. Therefore, having found traces of the presence of mealybugs, it is necessary to get rid of them urgently.

root bugs

The root worm also poses a threat to the root system of plants. Pests live in the ground or on the lower part of the stems, which is why a whitish coating appears on them. Not very mobile females are much larger than males (reach up to 2.5 mm). They have a cylindrical body covered with a wax coating. Females lay eggs in special chambers made from their own mold-like secretions.

The males bear a strong resemblance to the whitefly. They stop eating in the state of an adult, and therefore die rather quickly. That is why entire generations of insects are female.

On a note!
The presence of insects inhibits the growth of flowers, the leaves begin to fade and wrinkle. Infected plantings are also subject to fungal diseases.

Shchitovki

A serious danger to the plant is a false shield, distinctive feature which is the absence of a wax shell. Larger sizes of female insects (up to 5 mm), unlike males, they do not have legs and wings. The body of females is covered with a convex shield, which can be either elongated or rounded.

Sucking pests settle on the stem or along the veins on the back of the leaf. There is also a hemispherical false shield, which is distinguished by large dimensions and volume. Ferns, asparagus and myrtle especially suffer from it. Below is a photo of indoor plant pests.

Podura white

have an elongated body covered with sparse hairs;
3 pairs of legs;
long antennae;
prefer moist soil, compost and humus.

Soil pests feed on plant residues, and they will not refuse a living root system. This slows down the growth of the plant and can lead to its death.

Spider mites

The spider mite is one of the most common and dangerous pests of indoor plants, which many flower growers have had to deal with. Small, barely noticeable, the insect is difficult to see without a magnifying glass. It lives on the underside of leaf blades. Reproduces rapidly when available favorable conditions, namely, when there is dry and warm air in the room.

Evidence that the plant is affected by a tick is evidenced by:

light spots formed after pricking of leaf plates and sucking juices out of them;
the presence of the thinnest cobweb covering the surface of the leaves, due to which they acquire a silver-gray color and fall off over time.

Chinese roses, geraniums and palm trees are especially affected.

thrips

Thrips are small, not more than 1.5 mm long insects that have a black or dark brown color. The lower part of the body is reddish-yellow. Pests of indoor plants live on the back of the leaf. They lay their eggs in microscopic holes made in leaves and flower buds.

On a note!
The presence of thrips on a houseplant signals the presence of a silvery pattern that insects leave on the leaves.

Mushroom mosquitoes (sciarids)

Often around indoor flowers you can see small (up to 0.5 cm) flies, which are called mushroom mosquitoes. Sexually mature infect flowers and are carriers of larvae of other pests. In addition, they lay eggs in the roots of plants, from which larvae appear after a while - dangerous pests of indoor plants in the soil. Whitish worms damage the root system of the culture, causing its death.

How to get rid

The question of how to deal with pests of indoor plants is puzzled by many amateur flower growers. You can solve this problem in various ways:

The simplest and affordable way houseplant pest control at home. Damaged leaves should be cut with a disinfected tool, and the cut points must be treated with activated charcoal. Pests that are visible to the human eye, such as scale insects or mealybugs, can be selected manually.

On a note!
It will also help to rid a green friend of insects that live on his stems and leaves. cold and hot shower, spraying with water or wiping the pest-infested surface with a cotton pad.

The use of folk recipes

During a plant disease caused by harmful insects, many flower growers use time-tested folk remedies. Decoctions of chamomile, nettle, yarrow, dandelion or marigold are completely harmless to both human health and the plant itself. Garlic and onion have a similar effect. It is enough to water and spray the plant with a decoction so that the pests leave it.

On a note!

The liquid composition will not quickly drain into the ground if laundry soap is added to it.

biological method

This method of struggle involves the use of biological agents, which are based on plant components, as well as a small amount of poison. Therefore, when using these drugs, precautions must be observed:

plants are treated with a solution prepared in accordance with the instructions;
after which the green pet should dry;
the room in which the treatment was carried out is thoroughly ventilated.

It is possible with the help of drugs: Agrovertin, Fitoverm or Iskra-Bio.

chemical method

To achieve a quick result in the fight against pests of indoor plants will help the use of chemicals, which are based on insecticidal components. However, it should be borne in mind that they are very toxic and pose a danger to human health. Therefore, it is advisable to use such funds only as a last resort. Moreover, the processing in this case should be carried out in a well-ventilated area and in the presence of personal protective equipment.

When using toxic drugs, children and pets should not be in the room.