Flower fleas: harm, methods of control and prevention

Types of flea beetles in flowers

There are a large number of varieties of flower fleas that not only harm the plants, but also poison the life of the apartment owners. Let's talk about the most common types in more detail.

White

Winged white fleas in flowers have an external resemblance to aphids, in another way they are called whiteflies or scale insects. They are very fond of ficuses, pelargoniums and begonias, feeding on their juicy, delicate leaves. It is on the inner side of the leaves that these pests prefer to settle, instantly flying up into the air when they touch an infected plant. Their danger lies in the fact that a fungus develops on the feces, which first provokes the appearance of a whitish shade, and then blackening of the leaf. Whiteflies are also carriers of viral diseases.

Black

Sciarids or black midges prefer the root system of plants such as Decembrist, aloe, azalea, ficus. They are able to fly around the apartment, getting on food, drink and creating a lot of inconvenience to residents. Insects settle on growing flowers, but adults do not harm them. The main danger is the larvae of midges, which live in moist soil and feed on the roots of flower crops. With a large spread of parasites, young shoots with a delicate root system may die altogether.

Earthen

Legs or white fleas in flowers belong to earth insects that do not have wings. In another way, they are called podura. They prefer to live in conditions of high humidity - pallets, the bottom of the pot or the top of the soil, which is watered too abundantly. Also, like in sciariads, the danger to flowers is not the pests themselves, but their larvae. Springtails inflict very significant damage to the root system of indoor plants when they are spread in large quantities. They feed on organic residues in the ground, move with fast jumping or crawling movements.

The picture of the disease

At first glance, this pest looks like a small piece of cotton wool, but under the white bristles, which are threads of wax, an oval-shaped insect, about 0.4-0.5 centimeters in size, is hiding. This is a female mealybug.

The insect feeds on plant juices and, as a result, deprives it of nutrients necessary for normal development. An additional problem is created by the sweet secret (pad), which the females secrete intensively. This sticky liquid, remaining on the leaves and stem of the orchid, can cause fungal growth or attract other pests. A particularly large volume of honeydew is produced by the female citrus mealybug, which is more common on orchids.

Symptoms of a mealybug affection of an orchid:

• small white furry bugs are localized on the leaves, flower stalks, buds, orchid core;
• sticky spots or droplets on the surface of the leaves;
• a white coating that looks like powder;
• yellowing (or redness) and leaf fall;
• slowing or stopping growth;
• deformation of buds and flowers.

Attention!

An unpleasant feature of most species of these pests is the ability of females to reproduce without being fertilized by males. Moreover, each individual can lay 200-400 eggs.

See also: "Caring for a potted orchid at home."

The reasons for the appearance of fleas in flowers

The best habitat and breeding for flea beetles is excessively moist soil. It is an excess of moisture that becomes the main reason for the appearance of parasites in the soil. But, there are also secondary reasons:

• transplanting plants into unsuitable, large containers;
• the use of low-quality soil for growing indoor crops;
• the use of organics for fertilizers, as well as watering plants with home fertilizers - water, where the meat was washed, tea leaves;
• the presence in the ground of components that retain moisture;
• the entry of stray midges into the apartment from the basement.

Insects that have flown through windows or ventilation pipes immediately find a suitable habitat for themselves - flower pots.

Attention: Even if the plants are full of beauty and health, but many small midges hover around them - this is a sign of waterlogging of the soil. By themselves, midges will not harm if the larvae do not appear, but souring of the soil and excessive moisture will cause rotting of the roots.

Root mite

These white bugs on houseplants are most commonly found in bulbous flowers. The root mite is very difficult to spot, as it parasitizes in the ground. The insect, unlike others, does not feed on the sap of the plant, but gnaws passages in the bulb, as a result of which the indoor flower dies.

When creating unfavorable conditions for life, root mites do not die, but go into hibernation, so you need to fight them with the most aggressive methods:

1. Pollination of soil and plants with sulfur powder.
2. Spraying with hot pepper, garlic, celandine tinctures.
3. Using ethyl alcohol to wipe the leaves of the affected plant.
4. The use of drugs such as Fitoverm, Neoron, Apollo.

Also, mites are afraid of ultraviolet radiation, so every day such plants must be placed under special lamps for a while.

Control methods

Fleas reproduce on flowers rapidly, so you should get rid of them immediately after detection. Otherwise, insects will severely damage the roots of plants, which can lead to the death of young shoots. First of all, it is necessary to slightly reduce the watering of the plants, because fleas prefer high humidity. Next, it is worth sorting the plants, carefully examining each - it is better to isolate the sick from the healthy, eliminating the risk of their infection with parasites. For maximum efficiency, it is worth carrying out preventive treatment of all plants in the house, since the probability of the spread of insects is very high.

If there are a lot of parasites in the soil, it is better to throw it away, and transplant the plant into fresh soil, having previously disinfected it. However, before that, in 2-3 days, it is necessary to treat the land with insecticides in order to get rid of the larvae by 100%. The root system of the transplanted flowers is washed using potassium permanganate. The legtail is also caught on the bait - the raw potato is cut in half and placed in the pot, cut down. After a while, it will remain to collect and destroy the parasites. Also, earthen fleas, whose habitat is surface soil layers, can be removed by collecting the top layer (2-3 cm) of soil. To consolidate the effect, you can purchase a special aerosol from midges in the store, with which to spray the places near infected flowers.

To dry the earthen coma, you can pour a little river sand into the pots, which will only improve the structure of the soil. The method is especially effective in the fight against podura - earthen flea beetles, which simply will not exist in dry land. To effective and completely uncomplicated methods of insect control is the scattering of wood ash in pots.In this case, it is possible not only to rid the plants of flea beetles, but also to improve the structure and composition of the soil. After all, wood ash is considered an excellent natural fertilizer.

Folk remedies

Folk methods of dealing with flower flea beetles, which are effectively used by amateur flower growers, include:

1. Watering flowers with a solution of potassium permanganate, which should be very weak. The water should be slightly pinkish, which eliminates the risk of burning the roots.
2. Watering with soapy water. To do this, you need to add planed laundry soap to the water. The specific composition will scare away midges, but will not cause significant damage to the root system.
3. Watering with tobacco infusion, which is prepared from one tablespoon of tobacco and boiling water. The tobacco is poured over with boiling water and infused for 24 hours. Infusion can not only be watered, but also treated plants, at least once a week for a month.
4. Spread thinly sliced ​​garlic cloves in a flower pot over the entire surface of the ground. The insects do not tolerate the smell of garlic, so they will quickly leave the chosen place.
5. Even more effective in its effect will be a garlic solution, with which indoor flowers are processed or sprayed from an aerosol can. For its preparation, take three heads of garlic, peel and chop. Garlic is poured with a liter of boiled water and infused for 3-4 hours. After straining, the infusion can be used as directed. Only two processing procedures and the death of pests is inevitable.

Another easy way from the collection of folk recipes to get rid of parasites is to stick a few dried pieces of orange peel into the ground of each pot. Flower fleas do not tolerate the smell of incense and dill, so you can lay these herbs on the ground in a pot. Periodically dried branches are replaced with new ones. Hot pepper, yarrow are classified as insecticidal herbs. Therefore, they are capable of replacing far from safe chemistry. It is enough to pour boiling water over the plant, insist and process the flowers.

Chemicals

There are inexpensive, effective indoor plant pest control products commercially available. Flying flower fleas destroyed by means of sticky tape hung near the places of their accumulation. You can also use drugs such as Fufanon, Aktara, Mospilan or Confidor. To prevent the appearance of the whitefly, you can periodically spill the plants with Aktara for preventive purposes. In general, as for the whitefly, they are delicate insects that are sensitive to air temperature. Keeping flower crops in cool conditions reduces the risk of flying pests.

The granulated preparation Muhoed, as well as Tanrek and Fitoverm, are effective in the fight for the health of indoor plants. And aerosol products - Raptor or Dichlorvos are used if there are a lot of insects. However, they are very poisonous, so use with care. You need to spray the aerosol on window sills, shelves and walls located in the immediate vicinity of flower pots. Small amounts of soil in pots and pallets are sprayed. Thus, not only adults will die, but also their larvae.

Attention: Traditional methods are absolutely safe for flower crops to control insects. Consider this when choosing a product!

Whitefly

The winged white bugs in the soil of indoor plants is the whitefly. The insect is small, but its presence can be seen with the naked eye. Moths can carry viral diseases, as a result of which the plant dies, they feed on its juice and leave behind a sweet discharge, which is an excellent medium for the development of a pathogenic fungus.

It is possible to reduce the population by mechanical collection of insects and their larvae, as well as by processing with garlic infusion, laundry soap. Particularly effective in the fight against whitefly is noted in such drugs as "Parathion", "Nika".

Preventing the appearance of fleas in flowers

Simple preventive methods will eliminate the risk of flea beetle formation on flowers. This requires:

• prevent waterlogging of the soil, especially its acidification, by carrying out competent and regular watering of plants;
• purchase soil only in specialized stores;
• water with clean water;
• contain flower crops in compliance with temperature regimes, which are individual for each of them;
• timely remove fallen and dried leaves;
• do not use organic fertilizers for fertilizing, it is better to use special compositions designed for a specific type of plant;
• periodically loosen the earth;
• keep pallets, pots and flowers themselves clean;
• provide good drainage;
• transplant flowers correctly and in a timely manner, without using a new container much larger than the previous one.

To prevent the appearance and reproduction of insects, you can use tobacco dust. Just sprinkle it on the ground around the plant, which will not harm it, but will eliminate the risk of parasites. Try to inspect the plants more often in order to identify the infection in a timely manner. Flower fleas will not take a liking to your green favorites, if you follow the above tips.

It is worth saying that springtails can live not only in flower pots, but throughout the house. Then, to combat them, it is necessary to use insecticides, and to wash floors and windows, add alkaline agents to the water - soda, washing powder. The appearance of insects indicates the presence of a very damp place in the house, for example, flowing pipes or faulty taps. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the spread of midges.

Watch the video about flower fleas:

How can you not fight?

You need to start pest control at the first signs of their appearance.

1. Dry air promotes the rapid reproduction of parasites, so some growers begin to regularly spray orchids in the hope of raising the humidity to the required level and getting rid of bugs. This method is dangerous because insects get additional time for reproduction and development.
2. It is believed that ultraviolet radiation is capable of destroying pests. This is one of the most common myths. You can really get rid of insects with biological, chemical preparations or folk remedies.

What if there are white worms in the indoor flower? :

Once, not yet knowing what to do with them - there were small white immobile, apparently, larvae and nimble small adults - I pulled a flower out of the ground, transplanted it into another, and this one with worms just carried it out into the frost into the street and specially checked it later. There was no one there, but I used this soil later or I don’t remember. Now the same story with another flower, but I just transplanted it and what, transplant again?

Three times in winter she transplanted balsam (wet vanka) washed in manganese and still reappeared again, although the ground was frozen.

they say that drenching does not help, it is heat treatment, steam or something else that is needed.

I calcined all the soil in the oven, and it gave nothing. Mom suggested a recipe for iodine + milk + water, maybe it will help.

Chemicals

What to do if white fluffy or shaggy bugs appear on orchids?

A systemic insecticide can be used, it must be placed in the soil so that it is absorbed by the orchid. Thus, it will spread to the entire plant system.

Insects that feed on treated plants are poisoned when they suck on the plant sap. The systemic insecticide also helps control other sucking insects.

Many new products are based on the active ingredient imidacloprid, which is less toxic to humans and pets than older insecticides.

Read the label carefully and follow the manufacturer's directions for use.