What to Do When Succulent Plants Get White Bugs? Effective Prevention and Treatment Methods

Succulent plants are a type of plant we often care for, with a wide variety of species and diverse flower colors; there is no shape you cannot imagine that they do not have. Whether in streets and alleys or at flower and bird markets, they are always present. So what should you do when succulent plants get white bugs?

1. Pests and Prevention of Succulent Plants

Although succulent plants are easy to grow and care for, under some conditions they can still suffer from pests and diseases. Their main pests include red spiders, scale insects, whiteflies, aphids, etc. After pests occur on succulent plants, the type of pest should be identified promptly so that treatment can be targeted.

Red spiders mainly harm succulent plants of the Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, and Liliaceae families. They damage plants by piercing their mouthparts into the leaves and sucking out sap, destroying chlorophyll, causing the leaves to show grayish-yellow spots or patches, turn orange-yellow, and fall off, or even drop completely. The main treatment methods are scraping the bark and then whitewashing the trunk (with limewater) to kill most overwintering eggs, or evenly spraying with Mite Danger at 4000-5000 times dilution (each 100 ml bottle mixed with 800-1000 jin of water), 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1500 times dilution, 20% Miteside wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, and other such chemicals.

Scale insects have a very wide range of damage and often harm succulent plants with tightly packed leaves, such as Agave and Haworthia. They live permanently on branches, leaves, or fruits, feeding on sap, which easily causes leaves to yellow, branch tips to wither, tree vigor to decline, and can easily induce sooty mold. Measures such as pulling out plants, pruning branches, scraping bark, or brushing them off can be taken promptly for treatment. You can also spray 40% omethoate at 1000 times dilution, or 50% malathion at 1500 times dilution, or 255 phosmet at 1000 times dilution, and other such chemicals for treatment.

Whiteflies do not have a very wide range of damage and occur more often on shrub-like succulent plants of the Euphorbiaceae family such as Euphorbia tirucalli, Euphorbia milii, Euphorbia lactea, and Euphorbia neriifolia. They pierce and suck sap on the underside of leaves, causing leaves to yellow and fall off and directly affecting the ornamental value of the plant. You can choose abamectin, insect chitinase inhibitors, buprofezin, imidacloprid, fipronil, and other pesticides for treatment. At the same time, improve the growing environment of the succulent plants by increasing light and ventilation.

Aphids mainly harm succulent plants of the Crassulaceae and Asteraceae families. They often suck the sap from the young, tender parts of the plant, causing weakened growth, and their secretions also attract ant infestations. When their numbers are small, you can manually capture and kill them. At the same time, promptly clean up residual branches and fallen leaves to reduce eggs. You can also spray 50% malathion emulsion at 1000 times dilution, or 50% fenitrothion emulsion at 1000 times dilution, or 50% pirimicarb wettable powder at 3000 times dilution, and other such chemicals.

The above are the treatment methods for after succulent plants get pests. When caring for succulents, be sure to observe them more, and when abnormal phenomena appear, promptly carry out targeted treatment.