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| Photo Credit: ©2006 Buglady Consulting |
| This Cryptolaemus montrouzieri pupa is a kind of ladybug and one of the good guys. It can easily be mistaken for a pest mealybug or scale insect. |
So you’ve tried to do it all right: You’ve given your plants adequate light, proper watering and good nutrition. Yet despite your best efforts, somehow – Poof! Like some kind of magic “they” appear in the middle of the night. Then the next day you stand there scratching your head asking yourself, “How did they get here, and at such high populations?”
Well, it’s not magic. It’s possible that one of the insect pests you’re looking at had hitchhiked onto the plant when you first bought it and was hiding in a leaf fold or even in the soil. Or perhaps a neighboring plant that can sustain the pest without showing signs of damage is the culprit. Insects and mites can move on wind current, people’s clothing and tools, so these could be possible sources as well. Whatever the cause, once a pest problem has been discovered, you need to take a step back and analyze the situation: - Are you sure it’s a pest that’s causing your plant damage? Make sure you have a correct ID. Less than 0.1 percent of insects are actually pests.
- Is this plant worth the time and money to save? If not, get rid of it ASAP before it infects your other plants. (Don’t spend a dollar to save a dime.)
- Is plant stress part of the problem? If so, make sure you solve the stress factor first – your plant may be suffering from lack of sunlight or water, for example.
- Are beneficial insects at work? Before you treat your failing plant, look to see if good insects like ladybug larva, lacewing larva and beneficial flies are present. They may have already begun doing the work for you.
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