RANGE REVIEW
have not particularly dabbled in horticulture before, and this could come with a certain inexperience around indoor pests, and what something as small as an aphid could actually grow into a much larger problem for home owners. Liam says: “Aphids eat your houseplants, and the spider population grows to feed on the aphids. Mice arrive and they will eat anything, so the spiders are a tasty treat for them. If a mouse dies inside the walls, perhaps from poisoning, the rotting carcass attracts flies, which lay eggs,
producing maggots, and another whole cycle of pest problems begins.”
Liam also believes that a ‘green’ mind-set is essential for success. “Retailers tell me that customers don’t want to just throw chemicals at a problem anymore”, he says. A growing number of people are coming to the realisation that we all share the same planet, and they would rather encourage animals to move out of their homes, than simply kill them.
The PestClear company uses a
technological approach to reducing pests in the home, a zoologist is employed with expertise in climate change and how it effects animal behaviour, and its products are designed to exploit the natural behavioural patterns of specific pests, and then the products use advanced electromagnetic and ultrasound signals to trick the pests into believing that the home is actually a dangerous place for them to be.
Liam continues: “High sales of pest repellers that have specific
settings for pests, such as spiders, suggest that customers are moving towards a highly- targeted approach to dealing with pests, especially if that approach doesn’t actually involve killing anything.” But for aphids and red spider mites on plants, Liam has a simple low tech solution. “Soapy water, wiped on both sides of the leaves, and rinsed off with a mister”, he laughs. “It’s cheap, effective, and it makes your plants shine.” The supplier Acana is also
COMMON HOUSEPLANT PESTS AND HOW TO KEEP THEM UNDER CONTROL
Mealybugs
Like Aphids these pests cause damage by sucking sap from plants. They’re reasonably large as far as pests go, resembling furry white woodlice. Control can be achieved by dislodging the pests. As they’re quite large you can normally get them all in this way.
Aphids
Aphids suck sap from new plant growth, such as leaves, stems or flowers, They’re normally green, but can also be black or grey. Control with a spray filled with one part washing up liquid to 20 parts water and spray the plant liberally.
Scale Insects
These small insects have a hard outer brown shell that locks them in place a bit like barnacles on a beach at low tide. They tend to hide under leaves and can look like simple leaf blemishes. Control can be obtained by dabbing the individual insects with an earbud soaked in alcohol. Small infestations can be also picked or rubbed off the plant.
Red Spider Mites
Fungus gnats These are tiny black flies that hover near the plant. They don’t bite or make noise, but their presence can be irritating. Control is normally not needed as the lifecycle of these flies is quite short. However large or persistence infestations are effectively removed by using nematodes.
22 DIY WEEK 9 FEBRUARY 2018 *information and images from
ourhouseplants.co.uk
Like their name suggests they are arachnids and related to normal spiders, however although they spin webs all over your plants they don’t feed on flies, instead they eat the liquids found within plants. Control is usually through a combination of increasing humidity (these pests hate water and humid conditions). Very stubborn colonies can be removed by purchasing the predatory mite Phytosieulus persimilis.
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