9 Camellia Pests to Watch For: ID and Management

The evergreen shrub flourishes in part shade and prefers acidity in its soil. The main types of camellias you’ll likely find in yards and gardens are Camellia japonica and Camellia willamsii, and whatever species you plant, blooms ranging from white, pink, to red grace your garden from late fall into early spring.

Water your camellia thoroughly through the summertime so its new flower buds grow properly. With these basics, you can plant and cultivate your camellia plants into tall, striking statements for your garden. Learn more about growing and caring for camellias here.

As with any plant, it’s important to stay vigilant for any garden pests that may harm the plant and impact the overall health of your garden. Let’s dig into the pests that camellias are prone to, how to identify them, and what you can do to prevent and manage these pesky bugs and critters.

Aphids

These soft-bodied insects use their mouths—shaped as long feeding tubes—to pierce and suck the sap from the camellia plants. Aphids are small, pear-shaped, and commonly green or black, though you might spot them in red, yellow, or brown. They walk on long legs and have antennae. Also referred to as plant lice, aphids are a common pest among many plants. Unfortunately, your camellia is no exception. 

Generally, aphids don’t cause drastic or fatal harm, but that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Not only do they suck the sap from the plant, but they can also transmit diseases. Keep an eye out in the spring, or the camellia’s growing season, as aphids feed on the tender new growth. If you notice new leaves are curling in on themselves or looking shriveled, you have likely discovered aphids on your camellia.

Another sign that your camellia has aphids (or a similar pest) is if its leaves turn black. Aphids secrete a sticky liquid waste called honeydew. While honeydew is clear, sooty mold, a type of fungi, that often develops on honeydew coats leaves in a powdery, black substance.

Letting aphid colonies explode can cause a lot of damage to your camellias and your garden. The good news is that a forceful spray from your garden hose can take care of aphids. They also have a number of natural predators like lady bugs and wasps, so consider planting pollinator-friendly plants that attract helpful insects. 

Beetles

Camellia pests can be split into two broad categories: pests that pierce leaves with their mouths and suck the plant’s sap and pests that simply eat the leaves. Beetles fall into the second category. There are about 2,000 species of leaf beetle in North America but the ones affecting your shrubs are likely black or brown. The two common culprits of leaf beetle are the species Rhabdopterus deceptor and Rhabdopterus praetextus. 

They injure camellias by carving out long holes throughout the foliage. The American Camellia Society explains that nighttime is when leaf beetles eat. During the day they hide in mulch at the base of the plant. 

For the diligent gardener, take a flashlight at night to catch these nocturnal pests in the act and remove them by hand. Sticky traps are another option for catching beetles.

Caterpillars

Despite their hungry nature portrayed in children’s literature, caterpillars are not a major threat to camellias, but it’s still important to take them into account while in the garden. A couple of species to look out for: the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) and the codling moth (Cydia pomonella). The cabbage white butterfly’s larvae are lime green with black accents, while the caterpillar of the codling moth is brown and vaguely resembles a slug. 

These larvae hunt for food before entering their metamorphoses into moths and butterflies. That means your camellia foliage is on the menu. If left untreated, caterpillars can cause leaves to drop and weaken the plant’s overall health. 

You can remove the caterpillars by hand, brush or spray them off the plant, or introduce beneficial insects that can help you with removing them. Bt is a common remedy for caterpillars in the garden as well.

Deer

Insects are not the only pests affecting camellias. While deer don’t typically eat the ornamental shrubs, this gardener has seen them munch on the dark, glossy leaves in the wintertime when other food sources are scarce. If you live around wildlife, consider fencing or enclosures to protect your camellia from pests, no matter the size!

Grasshoppers

Another leaf-eating bug, the grasshopper is not a common threat to your camellia. Spotting one or two in your garden is no cause for concern but if an infestation develops, it can devastate your entire garden. For example, an unusually wet spring can prime conditions in California and other western states for large grasshopper populations to impact foothills and rangelands.

Install physical barriers like row covers to deter grasshoppers. Also, hang birdhouses around your garden to collaborate with one of the insect’s natural predators.

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are most often identified by the wads of white, cottony masses that appear on leaves. This comes from a mealy secretion that covers the insects’ bodies and their egg masses. The species of mealy bugs (which are a type of scale insect) that are most likely to attack camellias are the citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri) and the long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus). These slow-moving insects feed on the plant, causing leaves to turn yellow, wilt, or drop. Like aphids, mealy bugs also secrete honeydew that can lead to sooty mold on camellia foliage. 

According to the American Camellia Society, mealy bugs are a less common pest to camellias, but there are still steps to take if you find them. Spray the leaves to remove mealybugs. Certain oil sprays like neem oil can also help manage mealy bugs but be careful when using sprays that you don’t hurt beneficial insects in the process. In this video, learn how to get the most out of neem oil.

Scale

Camellias suffer more damage at the hands (or mouths) of scale insects. Scales are another sap-sucking, soft-bodied insect that weakens the plant and leaves behind honeydew, and therefore, leads to sooty mold. If scale insects overtake a plant without treatment, your camellia can die.

While there are many types of scales that impact plants, the camellia is most susceptible to tea scale (Fiorinia theae) and cottony camellia scale (Pulvinaria floccifera). Similarly to mealybugs, scales appear white and gauzy. They show up on the underside of leaves or on new growth. 

To manage a small infestation of scale, scrape or brush the bugs off stems. This is the most effective and environmentally mindful approach. For larger infestations, pruning ensures you’re removing insects that can hide in hard-to-reach places. If possible, try isolating your camellia from the rest of your garden to avoid scale spreading.

Spider Mites

As the name indicates, spider mites are related to spiders and are technically not insects. Many species even have the ability to produce spider webs. What makes them harmful to camellias is their size. They are often so tiny that you can’t see them until there’s a large infestation on your plants. Camellias are most susceptible to the southern red spider mite (Oligonychus ilicis), the tea red spider mite (Oligonychus coffeae), and the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). 

When they affect camellias, they can coat both sides of the leaves. They’re like many of their fellow pests in that their mouths pierce the leaves to suck the sap. They leave plants looking stippled or speckled. Watch out for yellowing leaves and even webbing. 

Even though they’re small, checking your plants routinely ensures you catch spider mites and other pests early. Often a strong spray from your garden hose can do the trick. Keep your camellias in the proper soil and moisture as a basic form of prevention.

Weevils

Similar to beetles, weevils also injure camellias by eating its foliage. One of the main types of weevils that impact camellias is the black vine weevil (Brachyrhinus ovatus). It’s also a nighttime feeder and can pose a more serious threat to camellias as the larvae eat the roots and damage trunks underground. This can kill the plant. 

The tactics to manage weevils are the same you’d use for beetles. If you don’t want to take the midnight shift and hunt for weevils when they’re feeding at night, sticky traps can help catch them. Introduce beneficial nematodes (microscopic worms integral to soil ecosystems) in your soil to eat the weevil larvae among the roots.