Thrips are tiny and have four featherlike wings, each consisting of a thick supporting strut with fine hairs on the front and hind edges. Leaves may turn yellow and dry up, and plants may lose vigor and die when infestations are severe. Mites can easily be moved to infested plants on clothing. They feed on the undersides of leaves, giving the upper leaf surface a mottled appearance. They are light to dark green with two distinctive black spots on the abdomen. The two-spotted spider mite can cause serious and persistent problems. Mites are sap-sucking pests which attack a wide range of greenhouse plants. Females lay tiny ribbons of yellowish-white eggs in growing media. Fungus gnats are 1/8-inch black flies with long legs and antennae, tiny heads and one pair of clear wings. Plants infested with fungus gnats generally lack vigor and may begin to wilt. The larvae of some fungus gnat species will feed on root hairs, enter the roots or even attack the crown or stem of the plant. Infestations cause plants to yellow and lose their leaves prematurely, and produce large amounts of honeydew, which in turn is colonized by black sooty mold. Their entire life cycle takes about three weeks, allowing populations to build quickly. The lower surface of the leaves may be infested with all life stages of whiteflies. They feed on plant sap and flutter from the undersides of leaves when plants are disturbed. Whiteflies have powdery white wings and are about 1/12 inch long. Black sooty mold often develops on leaves with honeydew. They can cause leaves or stems to curl or pucker and they leave behind “honeydew.” Ants, which feed on honeydew, are often found in association with aphid infestations. In general, they prefer to feed on tender, young growth. ![]() They are sucking insects that insert their beaks into a leaf or stem to extract plant sap. AphidsĪphids are small, soft-bodied insects that cluster in colonies on leaves and stems. Caterpillar photo by Leanne Pundt | Others: Adobestock 1.
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