Insects On Indoor Plants

Lots of people like to bring nature into their homes in the form of plants. Fortunately there is a wide assortment of plants that have adapted to the conditions in which we live. They have got adapted to the reduced light, twenty-four hour warmth and the constantly dry environment. Some more than others, it is true, but most people go for indoor plants that are simple to look after.

For most people 'simple to maintain' means giving the plant a cup of water each week. However, some people are willing to take more trouble over their house plants and spray them with a mist of water, dust them off and feed them from time to time too. The more time you spend on your plants, the more likely you will be to spot infestations of insects.

Some insects thrive under the same conditions that these plants like. If you just pour a cup of water over your plants once a week, you might not notice populations of insects thriving on your plants until they have done a lot of damage or even killed the plant. In truth, insects hardly ever kill their host house plants, but they will often make the plant pretty sick.

This sickness may show up as yellowing leaves, leaves dying and falling off, leaves becoming mottled or curling or a wilting stem. Normally, worries come when the soil is too damp as well. This is a condition that may come about if you just water once a week and then give too much water to make it last a week.

Red spider mites are a common indoor plant insect pest that thrives under wet conditions such as these. An infestation of red spider mites is a serious difficulty for household plants. If it gets truly bad, the leaves will fade, fall off and the plant will die. Red spider mites can breed very quickly and move from plant to plant around your household.

Spider mites are like ticks and may be green-to-yellow or red, They are so small as to be very difficult to see with the naked eye, so the easiest way to see them is with a magnifying glass or you can hold a dark card under a leaf and then tap the leaf a few times.

Check the card for signs of movement. Once you know that they are there you can kill them with the correct spray from your plant shop. Check your watering habits for that pant. For instance, it might be better to give less water more frequently.

Shell insects are also very hard to see without a magnifying lens. When you do magnify them, they look like a blob of wax stuck to the stem or leaves. They suck the plant's sap and so will stunt or even kill a plant over time. The easiest way of removing them is by the use of pesticide.

Mealy bugs look as if they have crawled out of a bag of flour. They are whitish-grey and are easily noticeable, normally on the underside of the leaves. You could brush them off or apply a suitable insecticide. It may take a few weeks to eradicate the bugs and their eggs.

Ants and aphids can also attack larger indoor plants, but they are easier to see and deal with. Wash the aphids with washing-up water and kill the ants with poison.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is at this time involved with Insect Removal. If you want to know more, visit our website now at Pest Management at Home.