Whiteflies
How to identify Whiteflies in houseplants & soil?
- Tiny white moth-like bugs.
- 1/8″ to 1/10″ long at most
- White or slightly yellowish in color
- Have wings and can fly
- Commonly found under the leaves of house plants.
- Moves or flies off very fast, allowing them to evade physical contact.
- Visually inspect the houseplant leaves by turning them over and shaking them. You will notice a swarm of white bugs that resemble the ones above that are flying off.
Facts about Whiteflies
- In cold temperatures, cannot survive
- Under the leaves and soil, usually lays white eggs.
- Warm weather and indoors can trigger rapid reproduction.
- Swarm attacks are extremely harmful to plants.
- House plants are most vulnerable to whiteflies at this stage (nymphs and adults).
- Honeydew is a sticky substance that they leave behind while feeding.
- The development of mold can be caused by honeydew
- Another danger to be aware of with Honeydew is Ants.
How to get rid of Whiteflies from Houseplants & Soil?
It is very important to eliminate whiteflies as they spread rapidly. The first step is to move the infested plants away to another location.
Set up Methods 1 and 2, using Neem oil solution to treat this step. Alongside, set up Method 3 to eliminate adult flies. These 3 methods combined together will kill the whiteflies effectively for good.
Method 1: Water Blasting (physical removal)
To shed the eggs, first soak them in a stream of water. Spray from different angles to wash out as many bugs & eggs as possible.
Method 2: Neem Oil or Insecticidal Soap (natural treatment)
Spray over & under the leaves with insecticidal soap solution. To make the insecticidal soap solution, mix 1 gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of mild liquid soap and 2-3 tablespoons of Neem oil. Do the neem treatment several times every week during the first two weeks. If there is still whiteflies present after that period, continue treatment for another week.
Method 3 (physical removal)
Using Yellow sticky traps at the same time kills flying whiteflies and lowers their numbers rapidly.
Mealybugs
How to identify Mealybugs in houseplants & soil?
- Soft, cottony bugs that are white
- Some people mistake it for fungus.
- Moves slowly, can’t fly
- Part of the “soft” scale family
- Plant roots in houseplant soil can be consumed
- Leaves can be gathered at leaf joints, stems and the undersides of leaves
- Your houseplants are infected with mealybugs if you see this sticky, white, spongy, bug that clusters around leaves/stems but does not move vigorously when poked.
Facts about Mealybugs
- Taking 7-10 weeks to mature, this plant reproduces slowly.
- Insecticides & water can be protected from mealybugs by their outer coat
- The aphids cause plants’ leaves to fall off and yellow, resulting in deformed growth.
- If not treated properly, plants can eventually die.
How to get rid of Mealybugs from Houseplants & Soil?
To stop the mealybugs from spreading to nearby plants, quarantine the infected plants away from any other plants. I recommend using both Method 1 and Method 2 to get rid of the Mealybugs permanently.
Method 1: Wash off with Water (physical removal)
If the infestation is mild, rinse them off with water from a hose, this works for most infestations. Do this for few days and see if they reappear. If not, use method 2.
Method 2: Neem Oil or Insecticidal Soap (natural treatment)
For moderately or heavily infested plants, use insecticidal soap or neem oil spray. Combine Neem oil, a few tbsp mild liquid soap, and a gallon of water to make a Neem insecticide. Check & spray the plant from all sides as mealybugs are prone to hiding in various crevices.
The Mealybugs can also hide in the soil, so you should check the top layer of the soil and dig it up to check for them. To be safe, pour some Neem solution on the soil to kill any hidden bugs. Repeat the treatment once a week for 2-3 weeks.
Consider getting rid of the plant if it is still infected after 3 weeks since it can infect others.
Thrips
How to identify Thrips in houseplants & soil?
- Nearly invisible, difficult to spot
- Usually the color is brown or black
- Colors can include white, light yellow, greenish, etc.
- Have narrow wings and can fly
- They leave droppings, which resemble black dots on the leaves.
- Shake them off on a white piece of paper for identification by shaking them over a magnifying glass to see & identify.
Facts about Thrips
- Eggs can be laid in the soil & can be reproduced quickly.
- Thrips can live for up to a month as adults
- Feeds usually from beneath the leaves, making them difficult to spot in their early stages.
- Sucks and feeds on plant juices from the leaves, stems, and flowers.
- Plants droop, form black spots on leaves, or develop white patches.
- With time, the leaves will start to fade to pale, eventually turning brown and then falling off.
- Thrips can deform new growth.
How to get rid of Thrips from Houseplants & Soil?
Use both Method 1 and Method 2 sequentially to isolate the affected plants. Plus, use Method 3 to eliminate the adult Thrips as well.
Method 1: Water Blasting (physical removal)
To clean up affected areas, use a stream of water from a hose.
Method 2: Neem Oil or Insecticidal Soap (natural treatment)
By mixing 2 tablespoons of Neem oil with 2-3 teaspoons of mild liquid soap and 1 gallon of water, you can make Neem insecticide. Once every week, spray the solution all over the plants, as well as the top layer of soil. Repetition is best for 2 to 3 weeks.
Method 3
At the same time, place Yellow Sticky Traps near the plant. Thrips are attracted to bright colors which can be used to trap them.
Houseplants become infested by Bugs if not protected.
Make sure your plants are healthy
Plants that lack nutrients and water will suffer from weakened roots & be more vulnerable to houseplant pests.
- Plants will suffer from improper watering, too little or too much water.
- Light is an important factor in how your plants look and thrive. Different plants require different levels of light.
- Humidity is low.
- Plants can be harmed by too much or too little fertilizer. Too much can even kill your plants.
- Make sure your plants don’t get shocked by sudden temperature changes.
Knowing the conditions under which your plants thrive and stay healthy is very important.
Pots can be cleaned effectively if they are properly cleaned
- Before potting your plant, wash your container with warm water and soap.
- In this manner, it prevents the presence of bugs’ eggs or other invisible pests.
To eliminate the likelihood of bugs eggs in your soil, sterilize it
- In some cases, even potting soil purchased from a nursery may contain insect or bug eggs.
- To take care of this, mix some Neem cake into your soil mix.
- Besides being an outstanding fertilizer, it can also destroy and repel numerous soil-borne insects, fungi, or bugs.
- If you have extra potting soil, store it in an airtight bag.
Watch out for your plants
- Regularly keep an eye on your plants.
- Especially on new baby leaves, on the surface of the leaves as well as over and underside of them, check for signs of pests or bugs on the stems or joints.
- Also dig at the far end of the pot until you see some roots. Healthy roots will usually feel firm and appear white in color.
- Taking early action will help get rid of houseplant bugs much more easily than when the infestation gets widespread.
Garden tools should be disinfected
- The tools you use should be disinfected before being used on another plant.
- In order to prevent the spread of diseases, each tool should be cleaned before and after use.
- You can wipe the blades of your shears, pruners, etc. with a cloth soaked in 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Sick plants & new plants quarantined.
- If you buy a new plant, make sure it is bug free for a while.
- Before putting the new plants out with the rest of the plants, spray them lightly with organic insecticide to make sure any bugs will die or flee away.
- Whenever you see plants getting sick, quarantine them and make sure they are given proper medications or insecticides until they get well.
When you bring plants inside, be careful not to damage them.
- You should always make sure your plants are clean before you bring them inside, such as at the end of the summer, to eliminate any bugs.
- Even if the plants aren’t infested, you can spray them lightly with organic insecticide to eliminate any pests.
Introduce Bugs that will help
The introduction of predatory insects can help reduce harmful pests. Examples include ladybugs, pirate bugs and lacewings. These insects feed on parasites and flies that are harmful to plants. This approach works best outside.
Final Words
Regardless of the type of bugs that have infested the soil of your houseplants, you now know how to identify them and follow the proper methods for eliminating them for good.
Also, Neem oil can be used to deal with almost any other type of bug that causes trouble in houseplants or the soil. This natural solution works with almost all types of bugs.
With the knowledge from this guide, I hope you are able to win the battle and stop those pesky bugs from bothering you!
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