A Detailed Guide to Identifying and Controlling Flower Pests

There are many kinds of flower pests, and they can be divided into the following categories according to the parts of the flowers they damage and the way they do it.

1. Leaf-eating pests: The mouthparts of these pests are of the chewing type. When they cause damage, they greedily devour flower leaves, causing the leaves to become damaged, and in severe cases the leaves can be eaten completely bare. Common pests include the yellow slug moth, the large geometer moth, and scarab beetles, as well as pests such as snails, slugs, and woodlice.

2. Piercing-sucking pests: The mouthparts of these pests are like needles, which can pierce into the tissues of flower plants (leaves or tender tips) and suck the nutrients from the tissues of flower plants, causing the leaves to dry up and fall off. Affected leaves often appear chlorotic and turn white or brown. These pests are relatively small and numerous in species, and are sometimes not easy to find. Common ones include aphids, scale insects, whiteflies, thrips, and spider mites. Some of these pests can secrete honeydew, and some can secrete wax, which not only contaminates flower leaves and branches, but also very easily leads to sooty mold; the mites among these pests can spin silk webs, and in severe cases the webs can stick leaves and branches together.

3. Borer pests: These pests bore into the branches and stems of flowers and cause damage by boring and feeding. They can hollow out the stems and branches, ultimately leading to the death of the plant. Examples include the chrysanthemum longhorn beetle, the dahlia stem borer moth, and the rose stem sawfly. Some bore into leaves and cause damage, and the bored tunnels can be seen in the leaves, which can cause the leaves to dry up and die.

4. Soil-dwelling pests: These pests live their entire lives in the shallow and surface layers of the soil, and often cause the affected flower plants to wilt or die. Examples include cutworms, wireworms, and mole crickets.