11 July 2022

Customer Question – Controlling unidentified pest?

Q. “Please advise on the small white creatures infesting my Hoya and carnivorous plants, and what will get rid of them. I’ve recently given them a wipe off so there are not many to see. Thanks.” kind regards Bob Bailey

A. Thanks for the message and these are aphids – the small green insects in the 2nd picture. These are sap sucking pests and they will excrete any excess sap as sticky honeydew that coats the plant and is often the 1st sign of an attack i.e. the plant becomes sticky or surface around the plant become sticky as it drips from the plant. Sooty mold can also grow on the honeydew and is another indicator of an aphid attack. As aphids grow they shed there skins and as these dry out the become white and papery and stick to the honeydew – the white bits stuck to the leaves in the 2 pictures. These can often be mistaken for whitefly but you can tell the difference by gently shaking the plant and if they fly off they are whitefly but if they stuck tot hr plant they are the dried out shed skins of aphids. We would recommend spraying the plant with SB Invigorator natural spray as this will kill any aphids present and clear away any sticky honeydew.

Often spraying 2 or 3 times is enough to get rid of them or you can release an aphid predator like Aphidius / Ladybird Larvae / Aphid Predator Mix to clear any remaining aphids and to give on-going control.

I hope this helps. Knd regards Jon @ Green Gardener

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