Many people, especially the fair sex, are fond of flowers and even plant them at home and care for them. But there is one serious threat in the face of scale insects. This pest has a carapace that provides it with reliable protection, and is able to adapt to a variety of poisons in a short time. Fortunately, it is easy to notice it - a sticky coating appears on the leaves, resembling a sweet syrup. It is this insect that secrets it, which serves as a favorable environment for fungal microorganisms. You can learn about how to get rid of scale insects from this article.
At present, floriculture has become a kind of hobby, and quite useful. There are plants that are pleasant to admire, others have healing properties, and they are able to replace a home medicine cabinet (aloe). And geranium, chlorophytum, myrtle, asparagus purify the air of impurities and heavy metals. For this reason, it is important to detect the presence of scale insects as early as possible and take the necessary measures in a timely manner.
Scaffolds and its imitators
In nature, there are both the pests themselves - scale insects, and its imitators - false shields. The first are insects, which belong to the family of Hemoptera and the superfamily of worms. In nature, you can find a variety of types of scale insects (there are about 2400 in all):
- cactus;
- laurel;
- brown;
- ivy;
- pink;
- palm;
- oleander.
Among false shields, such varieties are common:
- hawthorn;
- hemispherical;
- olive trees;
- soft.
They are also called coccids, and they do not have a dense wax shell, like the original pests.
How to get rid of scale insects on indoor plants? The enemy needs to know in person!
Insects have an oval body shape. Because of their wax shell, which they are completely closed, scale insects got such a nickname. These parasites can be of different colors: red-brown, dark yellow, light gray or just gray. On the leaves of indoor plants, pests resemble a speck or a small plaque. Mostly settle on the lower surface of the foliage.
As for the dimensions, adult individuals reach a length of 2 to 5 mm, but larger female specimens can also be found. In addition to their direct responsibilities (egg laying), they also protect them until the appearance of larvae. Perhaps that is why their life expectancy is much longer than that of males: 4 months (no more) versus 3 days. At least males can fly. For this reason, if you decide to get rid of the scabbard on indoor flowers, then you should not put it in the long drawer.
The appeared larvae immediately begin to search for food - the whole point of their existence at this age is devoted to this. And finding a suitable plant, they are fixed on it to absorb life-giving juice. After some time, a wax coating appears on their body, which serves as reliable protection against external influences.
The diet of scale insects includes not only indoor, but also garden plants. Particular preference is given to citrus fruits: lemon, dracene, dwarf tangerines and many others.
Symptoms of lesion
The main threat from scale insects is that they are able to completely deprive the plant of juice, which actually leads to the death of flowers. How can it be determined that houseplants are at risk? In this case, their appearance changes: first of all, you can notice brown spots, and after that some parts of the plant disappear.
Before analyzing the methods that will help get rid of scale insects on indoor plants, it is worth knowing the characteristic signs of damage by these insects:
- during a visual inspection, you can notice a slight plaque, which upon closer inspection looks like brown tubercles. This is actually a pest colony.
- The flowers begin to turn yellow, and after a while they fall. In this case, this suggests that the plant is "dehydrated" to a large extent - some parts do not receive the juice in full.
If you do not take everything into account, then in a short time, parasites can destroy all available indoor plants! For this reason, it is necessary to deal with their destruction in a timely manner.
Causes of Pests
Many flower growers, upon detection of characteristic signs of infection, unwittingly think about where these parasites came from? Often this is facilitated by a new plant acquired in a flower shop.
How to get rid of scabies at home? What is characteristic, adult scale insects do not migrate from place to place, but having chosen suitable conditions for themselves, they become fixed and remain here all their lives. What can not be said about young parasites - they are more active in seeking food. And so the infection spreads at a high speed.
In this regard, any new plant after purchase should be washed without fail with warm water, and then quarantined. It should last several weeks. This time is enough to identify parasites. And only after the grower is convinced of the complete absence of pests, the plant can be placed among the other flowers.
How to get rid of scale insects on flowers?
If an enemy is detected on indoor plants, it is worth preparing for a very laborious process. Especially when their whole colony, and all the flowers in the room are affected. Scaffolds are not just equipped with a durable carapace that provides them with reliable protection against chemical and mechanical effects. How to get rid of an unsolicited and dangerous guest?
As a rule, many gardeners use ordinary household tools, wiping them with every part of the plants. In addition, insecticides are highly effective, but this can already be considered the most extreme measure. The specific method of control depends on the severity of the infection.
We get rid mechanically
This technique is the most environmentally friendly, safe not only for plants, but also for residents, pets. All that is required is warm water (45 ° C), a bar of soap (any one, household also suits), cotton pads, gloves. Also just can not do without a lot of enthusiasm and great desire.
How to get rid of scale insects on an orchid or any other flowers? All work consists of several stages:
- First you need to prepare a concentrated soap solution at the rate of: 10 grams of soap per 400 ml of water. Having moistened cotton pads in it, you should wipe the whole plant. As a result, the sticky secretion secreted by the parasites is removed. During the procedure, it is necessary to cover the ground with a plastic bag.
- Now you can take a cloth with a rough texture (for example, a waffle towel) and use it to walk through all parts of the affected plant, previously also moistening it in a soap solution. In this case, special attention should be paid to the stems. Insects can also be here, and here they are much more difficult to detect.
- In the third step, plants need to be washed from the remnants of the soapy solution with running water. To do this, they should be transferred to the bathroom.
- Now the plants need to be allowed to dry, and after (preferably the next day) treatment should be carried out using special preparations. Leaves should not be wiped!
It is not so important how to get rid of the scale shield in room conditions, as the correctness of the work. Such machining for greater efficiency must be performed at least 4 times within a month. If it is limited to only one session, then a relapse of infection can not be avoided.
Folk remedies to help
When processing plants, you can use not only a soap solution, but also compositions that include other components (kerosene, alcohol). Cleaning with a soft toothbrush will allow you to quickly remove parasites from the plant.
Combined methods are effective. For example, first onion gruel is applied to the leaves of plants, after which insects are mechanically removed. Then the affected flowers should be treated with a soap solution.
Another remedy that contains green (25 g.) And tar (100 g.) Soap, a liter of water, kerosene (5 drops) will also help get rid of the scabbard on home flowers. Pour the solution into the spray gun, with which it is necessary to spray all the plants. After some time, the flowers should be washed with soapy water, and then with running water. Other equally effective recipes are given below.
Soap with alcohol
The solution should be prepared on the basis of: in one liter of hot water you need to mix 15 ml of liquid soap and 10 ml of alcohol. The mixture is thoroughly mixed until a foam appears and is applied to the insect shields and the area around them. Only the product is not suitable for plants with thin leaves. It is worth doing a little experiment - apply the mixture on a separate leaf and wait 30 minutes. If it remains intact, then the product is safe to use.
Soap with oil
How to get rid of scale insects? It is necessary to combine liquid soap (10 g), water (30 ml) and a small amount of machine oil. The composition is effective against insects, but can harm the soil and therefore, the soil should be covered with polyethylene for the duration of the treatment.
The mixture is applied to the leaves and stems of the affected plants, after which it is necessary to wait 12 hours. Then the plants need to be washed under running water, and after a week the procedure should be repeated.
Burdock Powder
To prepare this product, you need to mix a good washing powder with burdock oil in equal proportions (10 g and 10 ml, respectively) per liter of water. Before use, the solution should be allowed to infuse for 4 hours. As a preventative measure, it is enough to wipe the leaves once a month with this product.
Tar soap with a decoction of wood ash
10 g of soap is taken per liter of water. To prepare the product from ash, you need to take 300 g of the desired material and pour a liter of water, then boil for 30 minutes. Before use, this mixture should be diluted with cold water (10 liters) - process leaves, plant stems. The earth also needs to be protected by covering with polyethylene. If you can’t get rid of the scale shield using the above methods, then you will have to use a more effective way.
Extreme measure
If absolutely all plants in the house or apartment are captured by scabs, then insecticides cannot be dispensed with. Such an extreme measure is recommended in cases where other methods are ineffective against a dangerous pest. After all, these drugs are very powerful tools and pose a danger to the environment. For this reason, specialty insecticides must be selected.
Good results can be achieved using such drugs:
- "Akarin" - is inexpensive, contains avertin. The tool is less harmful to humans and beneficial insects.
- "Actara" - contains the substance thiamethoxam, is sold in ampoules, the agent is expensive and therefore effective. Danger to humans in moderation.
- "Actellik" - contains an organophosphorus insecticide pyrimifos-methyl. It is quite expensive and more dangerous for people.
- "Bankol" - the composition includes a bensultap, which is why it is moderately dangerous for the human body.
- "Vertimek" - is made using abamectin. It is not only highly effective in terms of pest eradication, but it can also have a negative effect on humans.
- "Karbofos" - has a specific and pungent odor, a danger to humans within reasonable limits, but care must be taken when processing plants.
- "Fitoverm" is as safe as possible for humans, but at the same time poses a serious danger to parasites.
You can easily get rid of scale insects on plants if insecticides are used. But, since most of these drugs nevertheless have a negative effect on the human body, the procedure is recommended to be performed outdoors. If this is not possible, then open all the windows in the room.
Before applying the drug, the leaves of the plants should be wiped with a soapy solution, and then washed in running water. Only then can an insecticide be used. It can be washed off no earlier than after 30 minutes. The plant at this time is better to cover with polyethylene. It is also worth removing the top layer of soil from the pots, where the eggs of the insects may be.
Preventive measures
It is worth regularly ventilating the room with indoor plants and spraying them with water. Always keep new flowers in quarantine for a month, no less! From time to time, conduct a visual inspection to timely identify the presence of uninvited guests.
If an insect is detected in a timely manner, it is much easier to deal with this pest using simple home methods. The colony can be defeated, but it requires a lot of effort and the use of rather dangerous means.
Now, after reading this material, the question of how to get rid of the scale shield will no longer arise. The main thing is to prevent the appearance of the pest, otherwise the chores will be provided!