INTERIOR PLANTS
“PLANT PESTS”
PREVENTION
Monitor Regularly
Sanitation
Supplier
Quarantine
Alter Conditions
CURES
Chemicals
Lots of federal, state and
industry regulations
Uniform application can be
effective
Soap - limited effectiveness
Hand Removal - Time consuming
CURES, 2
Cotton, alcohol swabs - time
consuming, homeowner
Biological Controls - Knowledge
base needed, $, must be prepared
with sources
IPM- Use pesticides, bioloicals,
cultural methods to gain control,
detect early, monitoring, sticky tags
BIOLOGICALS
Program Design- We will look at this
in depth in the future
Chemical Use- Limited, use 30 days
before release
Timing- Before population explosion,
may take 6-8 weeks to see results
Insects- Specific insect for each crop
SUCKING INSECTS -
APHIDS
Aphids:
“Plant louse” in shoots and on
backs of leaves
Curl and discolor foliage
Honeydew harbors black mold
Chemicals include micro-
encapsulated, foam, bombs,
etc.
TWO SPOTTED SPIDER MITES
Spider Mites - scourge of the
interior industry
Mottled or sandblasted
appearance, check undersides
Fine webbing
Magnifying glass & white paper
Dry air, estivate in wood
SCALE
Scale-
Oval, undersides along veins
Plants yellow and die, inject toxin
Notoriously hard to eradicate
6000 species, Soft waxy shell
produces honeydew, armored
don’t. Denatured alcohol helps
MEALY BUGS
Bugs
Mealy
Looks like pink to white cotton
Found in leaf axils and crevices
Alcohol dehydrates them
Leaf distortion, yellowing, stunt,
and honeydew, injects toxin
Remain in soil and thatch
WHITE FLIES
White Flies
“Flying Dandruff” Size of fruit fly
Leaves yellow and drop
Reproduce in 3 days so spray
multiple times a week
Waxy coating repels chemicals
FUNGUS GNATS
FungusGnats-
Size of fruit fly
Lives on organic material
Larvae of small worms found in
unsterile soils
Low pH limits
LEAF MINERS
Leafminers-
Found on wide array of
ornamentals & vegetables
Rapidly develop resistance to
insecticides
Neem seed extracts seem to be
useful
THRIPS
Thrips-
Tiny with two pair of wings, tan
Streaking or browning, stunting,
and distortion
Transported by wind and carry
virus organisms
Target buds, flowers, and foliage -