Has anyone tried, with luck, to use CPs to get rid of bugs on houseplants? A few of us have been having a discussion in the Garden Foes forum about getting rid of weird whitefly-like bugs that are sucking the life out of our houseplants and trying to steer clear of poisons (too late for me.) And we started to discuss the possiblity of controlling the infestation with CPs.
Any experience/knowledge out there?
Thanks,
Mary Ev.
Carnivorous Plants and infested houseplants
Sounds like you have fungus gnats. the mexican butterworts will work pretty well at reducing the number of gnats, but they need humidity.
At college we used goldenrod colored paper smeared with motor oil. The gnats and whiteflies are attracted to the color of the paper and get stuck in the oil (same principle as the Pinguiculas).
Pitcher plants work ok if you have an infestation of those #%^*@! Asian lady bugs. I used this method in my attic a couple of years ago, Had those darn bugs in the house even when it was well below zero in Jan. and Feb.
You can buy the cardboard traps Bogman is talking about. They are called Sticky Traps. You can also make them from bright yellow cardboard or plastic coated with Tanglefoot. It does require the bright yellow. Other insects are attracted by other colors. Jessamine
Actually, I think it's aphids. I do have a few fungus gnats flying around, too. I tried to control them with yellow index cards sprayed with cooking spray (Pam) but that isn't attracting much. And there aren't many of those around, just an occasional pest. But I looked up their description and it doesn't really fit.
In all their forms, the larvae that I have is really teeny and mostly on the underside of leaves. They seem to mature into a very small lacy white winged bug much smaller than white flies. That is why I didn't think a CP would help. They don't stray very far from the host plant and they don't fly much, though some of the mature ones can be disturbed, they sort of float down to the floor. And they are sucking the stems that they're on dry. They multiply so fast that if left undisturbed, they can take a branch of my Ming Aralia or Caliandra in a week. Also, they make honey dew - lots of it!
That sounds like cottony scale. Have you tried alcohol on a cotton swab? Jessamine
Not scale, they have legs.
Scale has legs. At least the males and juvenials do. You have to look through a microscope to see them at some stages. Jessamine
Nope, Cps won't help! You need to either do a serious cleaning job with alcohol and a cotton swab or use a good systemic insecticide. Since they produce honeydew, Merit (imidacloprid) will do a great job and be safer than most other products to use. By the way, yes it does sound like scale, mealy bugs are closely related insects (without the armor)
They look like this:
And this:
And finally, I think a lot like this, though I don't have a magnifying lense to confirm.
Maryev: The first two pictures do indeed look like aphids. The third one looks something like a parasitic wasp but the resolution is not good enough to tell for sure. If it is , it won't hurt your plants at any stage. On the other hand it looks somewhat like a sawfly but that would be a 1/4 to a half inch long. I see you are in Columbus Ohio. They should have a good Extension Office there and they will be able to ID the insects for you and tell you the correct treatment. Put a leaf with the crawling insects in a plastic bag and keep it cool until you get it to the office. For the flying insect, you should try to catch some alive in a small jar with a cover and put it in the freezer for two or three hours. Otherwise, it will curl up and the agent won't be able to to ID it at all. In any case the alcohol and Merit (if it is still sold ) would still be the correct treatment. Isotox or diazinon will work as well, but check to see if the plant is listed on the label. You should repeat the treatment at least three times every 7 to 10 days to get overlaping generations. An index card and Pam won't do the job. The yellow must be intense and the coating must be sticky. You can get a tube of tanglefoot at most any garden center. It will last forever until it is totally covered with insects. If you get some of it on you, rub a bit of shortning or cooking oil on it. Also it won't work if it is not placed correctly. It should be at soil level and preferably on its edge. I find it helpful to isolate infested plants inside a large transparent plastic bag. I prop it up with dowels or skewers so the plastic doesn't touch the leaves. Hope this is helpful, Jessamine
The third picture is an adult female aphid. If you want ID on the exact species check out: http://ppdc.osu.edu/ It's right in your backyard, and I send samples through my work (Tree/Shrub care service) on a regular basis
The Merit is available and is much less toxic to people and less odorous than the isotox or diazinon and actually with an aphid infestation spraying with a horticultural oil will work as will giving the plants a good old fashioned hosing down to knock as many off as possible making treatment a bit easier.
Here's also a fact sheet from OSU on aphids: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2031.html While it states it's for aphids of trees/shrubs the information is valid for most all species of aphids. OSU has fact sheets available for just about anything you can think of here: http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/facts.html good luck!
Bogman, Thanks for your ID. I don't think I have ever seen an adult female aphid. I don't think I even thought about wings on one. Thanks also for the info on Merit. I read just recently that it was being recalled and I'm glad it isn't so. Jessamine