It’s actually an easy battle to win, when you have the right weapons! Here’s a look at some of the nastiest bugs you’ll come across this month and what you can do to eliminate – or better still, prevent – them.
Spider Mites – The symptoms of their presence is pale green and/or yellowing leaves, that actually have fine webbing when the infestation gets heavy. If they appear on your edibles (veggies), there is not much you can do. Your best option is just to discard and replant. HOWEVER for all other plants, you CAN treat for them with Bonide Systemic Insecticide. It absorbs into the plant’s sap and works from the inside-out, so to speak. Spray your plants every 3 to five days for a total of 3 weeks, in order to break their reproductive cycle!
Japanese Beetles – Thankfully they have a short life cycle! And while they usually do not actually kill a plant, they eat the foliage like crazy. First, treat for the bugs with one of the numerous insecticides we carry that are specifically for Japanese Beetles. Another option is use beetle traps – they work well, just be sure not to place them anywhere near your plants. You don’t want them to land on the plant instead of the trap! And if a quick fix is what you want, use pre-mixed Bayer Rose and Flower Spray – it will kill the beetles without damaging the plant! If the plant is healthy and you feed it some fertilizer, you can just trim away the damaged areas and new foliage will grow.
Scale – This white colored scale is most prevalent on Euonymus – the popular shrub pictured here. Treat them with the Bonide Systemic Insecticide mentioned earlier, or if you prefer a natural, organic solution, try Horticultural Oils. Just check the label for restrictions or ask any of our staff for details.
Aphids – Commonly called “plant lice”, aphids are often hard to see since they are tiny and are the color of the leaves they feed on! Fortunately they’re fairly easy to kill based on the plant they are on. For instance, Million Bell flowering annuals are very susceptible to aphids and often go undetected until the infestation is heavy – especially on hanging baskets of this plant. In your vegetable garden, beans are also frequently attacked. Feel free to “bug” any of our experts for details on which product to use for particular plants! (JK – helping customers is our FAVORITE thing to do!)
