The pest of houseplants - scale insects. Pest photo and tips on how to deal with it

Shield - a common scourge of indoor plants. This is a harmful insect that can infect various plants. It poses a danger to a huge number of indoor plants. Fighting her is very difficult.

There is an opinion that it is impossible to completely remove it, and the only way out is to throw out the plants, process the apartment and declare a long quarantine. But is it?

What you need to know about the pest?

Scutellum (lat.Diaspididae), otherwise shield aphid - a half-winged insect from the coccid family. All scale insects are pests that feed on plant juices. The scabbard got its name because of the durable wax shell that covers the body of the insect and protects it well.

The carapace can be convex or flattened, in various shades of brown. Sizes of guards - from 0.5 to 5 mm. Accumulations may form on plants. Scabies is characterized by the phenomenon of parthenogenesis - asexual reproduction.

This greatly complicates the fight against the pest, since even one randomly remaining individual can again multiply exponentially.

Signs of color damage

• Yellow spots appear on the leaves, they gradually spread.
• The plant is covered with a sticky sugar substance - pad.
• A dirty soot coating appears on the leaves.
• Leaves dry, curl, die.
• The plant gradually fades and dries.

In addition to the scale shield, there is also a false shield scale similar to it. It differs in that its carapace does not separate from the body when trying to scrape it off. Measures to control the scale and false shields are the same.

Reasons for the appearance

Indoor plants are usually infected with scale insects from plants brought from the street, through bouquets of flowers, or, less commonly, from poorly sanitized soil. Often, the owners themselves enter the scabs, bringing home a "sprout" or a random plant in a pot.

Photo

Before we talk about measures to combat shield aphids, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with how it looks in the photo.

You can find out about the types of scale insects here.

First steps to discover

If on the stems and leaves of the plant during inspection something like small brown swellings is found, the plant should be immediately isolated. Now all other plants should be checked. At first, while the scutes are few, you can try to remove them mechanically. But, as a rule, this is only the beginning of the struggle.

How to get rid of shield aphids at home?

How to bring a shield:

1. Transfer the infected plant to quarantine immediately. Wash the place of the plant and its surroundings thoroughly with soap and then treat it with an insecticide solution.
2. Remove all affected leaves, and even entire affected shoots from the plant. If this is impossible for some reason, the pests should be carefully scrubbed off with the blunt side of the knife, and the plant treated with cotton wool moistened with soapy water (preferably tar soap) or an insecticide solution.
3. Replace the topsoil in the pot. Scale guards do not live in the soil, but larvae that accidentally fall there may be on the surface.
4. Completely treat the plant with an aqueous solution of alcohol (1: 1), or tobacco infusion.
5. Rinse the solution (infusion), put the plant to dry. When the leaves dry out, spray the plant and the soil under it with an insecticide.
6. Cover the plant for half an hour with a plastic bag. During this time, the remaining pests should die.
7. Take off the package. Rinse off the insecticide (can be used in the shower). Some insecticides do not need to be washed off, this should be mentioned in the instructions for their use.
8. Repeat treatment once a week until the scutellum is completely destroyed.

Ventilate the room after insecticide treatment!

Pest Management Methods

With a scab, you can fight with insecticides as well as folk remedies. Both methods have their advantages, but also their disadvantages.

Insecticide against scale insects sometimes have to be selected individually, since the pest may be resistant to this drug. It is also useful to change or alternate preparations from processing to processing.

Preparations

1. The preparation 30 against shield aphids. This is a white or gray vaseline emulsion, available in various packaging. It is used in the dilution of 200-400 g per 10 liters of water.

   Pros:

   • Pests practically do not adapt to the drug.
   • The drug 30 has low toxicity for humans and domestic animals.

   Less: intended mainly for the processing of crops.

2. Aktara. Aktara is a very effective systemic insecticide. Its active principle is thiamethoxam. The drug is applicable for the treatment of indoor plants.

   Preparation of the preparation for spraying: 1 gram per 1.25 liters of water, for irrigation - 1 gram per 10 liters of water. This amount is enough for processing an average of 25-30 plants.

   Processing plants (spraying and watering) is carried out 2-4 times in 10-12 days. Rinse off the drug after spraying is not necessary.

   Pros:

   • Destroys eggs and larvae.
   • Effective in a wide range of temperatures, resistant to sunlight.
3. Bankol - One of the most effective drugs against scale insects. The active principle is bensultap (an insecticide of contact and intestinal action).

   Preparation of the drug for the treatment of indoor plants - 0.5 g of the product per 1 liter of water. Method of application - spraying. Pests die in 2-3 days.

   Pros:

   • Low toxicity to humans and pets, no odor.
   • Very effective at high temperatures (above +30⁰FROM).
4. Mospilan. Highly effective systemic insecticide. The active principle is acetamipride.

   Preparation of the drug for the treatment of indoor plants: 2.5 g is diluted in 1 liter of water (mother liquor), then another 10 liters of water is added. Method of application - spraying.

   The drug penetrates into the plant and spreads through it, so it reaches sucking pests that did not directly come under treatment. The death of pests occurs in a day. The protective effect of the drug lasts up to three weeks.

   Pros:

   • It goes well with other preparations for the treatment of plants.
   • It does not cause an addictive effect in the pest.
   • Low toxicity to humans and animals.
5. Etisso Blattlaus-Sticks. The product refers to fertilizers of combined action, while protecting a houseplant from all types of pests. The active substance is dimethoate.

   Available in the form of sticks. Sticks must be placed in a pot with a plant and sprinkled with earth. Water in the usual way. Dissolving, the agent is absorbed by the roots and spreads throughout the plant.

   Pros:

   • Versatility, extremely low toxicity to humans.
   • Valid for 1.5-2 months (until completely dissolved).

   Minus:

   • The tool is effective only during active growth or flowering.
   • The drug is not effective when the plant is at rest, and sap flow practically does not occur in it.

Other means

1. Actellik (the disadvantage is a pungent smell).
2. Intravir.
3. Decis.
4. Fitoverm (based on biological components, harmless to warm-blooded).
5. Biktosibacillin (bacterial preparation), etc.

All chemicals are used exactly in accordance with the instructions for their use!

When using insecticides, it is necessary to remember precautions - work with gloves, a respirator, and if the drug gets into your eyes, rinse immediately with water.

Keep all chemicals in a dry place out of the reach of children. Do not store them in the refrigerator with food!

Folk remedies

The positive side of folk remedies is their complete harmlessness. Negative - rather poor performance. It makes sense to use them only with a slight damage to plants, when they are not yet weakened by the parasite.

1. Hydrogen peroxide and alcohol against shield aphids:
   • 3% hydrogen peroxide - 50 ml;
   • alcohol 96% - 2 tbsp;
   • liquid soap or dishwashing detergent - 2-3 drops;
   • water - up to 1 liter.

   Plants are sprayed with a freshly prepared solution. Do not store the solution!

2. Garlic tincture:
   • Grind 1 head of garlic, pour 1 liter of water.
   • To sustain 1 week.

   Tincture not only acts on the scab, but also is microfertilizer. Celandine tincture 700 g of fresh or 300 g of dry herb celandine infuse for 5 days in 5 liters of water. The resulting infusion is regularly (until the result) watered and sprayed.

   Tincture stimulates the plant’s immune system. A significant drawback of the product is a pungent smell.

3. Pepper tincture for spraying:
   • Fresh chilli peppers (50 g) boil in 0.5 l of water for 3-5 minutes.
   • Cool, insist for a day, then strain.

   Spray regularly, for several months, with intervals of 1-2 weeks.

4. Onion tincture:
   • Chop the medium-sized onion, pour a glass of warm water.
   • Insist 5-7 hours.

   Infusion to wipe the leaves.

5. Tobacco tincture. Makhorka or tobacco leaves are brewed with boiling water in a ratio of 1:10, insist day. Before use, dilute with water (infusion and water in a ratio of 2: 1). Plants are watered and sprayed until the pest disappears completely.

Now you know how to destroy the pest.

Prevention

You can reduce the risk of infection with scabies, if you follow simple rules.:

1. Quarantine the new plant for about a week.
2. Wipe the leaves regularly with a damp cloth, observe the correct watering regime.
3. Inspect plants regularly.

Scabies multiply intensively at elevated temperatures in a dry microclimate. Therefore, as an additional preventive measure, it is recommended to purchase a household air humidifier in the apartment.

The scabbard is a very dangerous and difficultly eradicated pest. But for the successful fight against it, the necessary techniques have now been developed and highly effective chemicals have been synthesized. The main thing is not to miss the first signs of infection and take the necessary measures in time. We wish you success!

Watch the video: Plant Pests: Scale & Thrips & How To Control Them Joy Us Garden (April 2024).