5 Garden Pests That May be Eating Your African Violets

African Violets infected with cyclamen mites will show obvious signs of distress. Unfortunately, you won’t see the mites themselves, just the effects of their presence. By the time mites have caused enough damage to be obvious, your plants will already be severely infected.

Cyclamen mites first attack the youngest and most tender leaves at the center of the plant. The first sign of cyclamen mites is usually damage to the smallest central leaves.

Outer leaves may appear normal, while the innermost leaves seem crumpled, deformed, withered, and brown. At this phase, plants will also stop blooming. You will know that something is amiss because the plant will look truly sick.

If you notice anything suspicious with your plant’s health, do not ignore it. At the first sign of deformed leaves or deteriorating health, isolate any plants that show obvious signs of infestation to prevent further spread to nearby healthy plants. Mites can be very difficult to fully control, so be prepared with time and patience.

A cyclamen mite infestation can sometimes be controlled naturally by spraying infected plants with neem oil. Another fairly safe control you can try is spraying with an insecticidal soap. There are other more chemical-based products, such as miticides, that can safely be used on houseplants.

Always be sure to carefully follow the directions on whichever product you choose. Keep your plant isolated until you can verify that the mites are gone, usually by observing that new leaves are growing in normally.

Because mealybugs are both visible to the naked eye and unique in appearance, they can be easily identified. They appear as small, soft, cottony ovals. Sometimes they appear still, but you can also see them moving around if disturbed.

Mealybugs can be found feeding on all above-ground parts of the plant, but often congregate in tight places. Keep an eye out for both the insects themselves and their sticky wet-looking secretions on leaf surfaces.

First, isolate any plants that have mealybugs to prevent them spreading to nearby plants. A small infestation is much easier to control than a large infestation. If your African Violet has a light infestation of mealybugs, you can use a cotton-tipped swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Inspect the plant carefully and remove any visible bugs with the alcohol swab. Wipe down the pot with rubbing alcohol as well to kill any eggs that may be present. Repeat this process daily for a couple of weeks.

For a heavier infestation, you may need to use an insecticidal soap or other spray. Choose a product that claims to target mealybugs and follow the directions carefully.

You will need to be diligent about spraying, however, and keep your plants isolated until you are reasonably sure all the adults, nymphs, and eggs have been removed. Be patient because this process may take a couple of weeks.

Scale insects are about ⅛ inch long and appear as flat, waxy-looking ovals. They are extremely slow-moving and don’t appear to look alive or move at all, yet they are actually insects.

If you look carefully at your violets on a regular basis, you will notice either the scale insects themselves or their sticky secretions. Aphids and mealybugs also leave behind secretions, but these pests all look distinctly different from each other.

Scale insects are challenging, though not impossible, to remove. The first thing you will want to do is isolate any infected plants from healthy plants to prevent spread. Be sure to wash your hands after handling infected plants so you don’t accidentally transfer pests from one plant to another.

For a minor infestation, you can use a small, soft brush, such as a toothbrush, to gently scrub off any scales you see. Dip the brush in a solution of insecticidal soap or rubbing alcohol to help kill the insects.

For a more severe infestation or if many plants are infected, you may want to consider using an insecticidal spray speficiallly for houseplants. Follow the directions on the label to ensure you are using the product properly.

Aphids appear as tiny greenish, pinkish, or brownish insects. They are oblong and have 6 tiny legs. You will see them scattered loosely on leaves and stems, but also congregated in larger clusters. They will move when prodded and may occasionally be seen wandering around the edges of the pot as well as on the plant itself.

Aphids leave behind a sticky secretion on leaves which appears as shiny-looking wet spots. Mealybugs and scale insects also leave sticky secretions, but aphids look distinctly different, like tiny smooth-bodied insects, usually gathered in fairly large numbers.

At the first sign of aphids, isolate any infected plants. Aphids are highly mobile, so it’s entirely likely that if you have one infected plant, you probably have multiple infected plants.

For a minor infestation, dip a cotton-tipped swab in either insecticidal soap or rubbing alcohol. Use this swab to dab at each insect you see. You can also use insecticidal soap or other houseplant insecticide to spray infected plants.

Continue a daily inspection for a couple of weeks. Each day, remove any insects you see and wipe down the pots with rubbing alcohol to remove any eggs. You will want to be sure that each stage of the aphid life-cycle is disrupted to prevent them from immediately reinfecting your plants.

The American cockroach reaches an adult body length of about 4 cm long. They have 6 legs and are typically a rusty brownish color. An adult American cockroach has wings and can fly short distances, but is more likely to scuttle across the floor, hiding in dark corners, behind boxes, and other reclusive locations. When disturbed, they run quickly to a new hiding place.

Cockroaches nibble directly on tender parts of the plant, but it’s unlikely you will ever see one in action. Cockroaches are active mostly at night and will run away when disturbed by bright lights and movement.

You will, however, see evidence that roaches have been around. There may be visible black nuggets of cockroach frass (excrament) around your plants. You will also notice that it appears something has been nibbling around the flowers and leaves of your plants.

If you have cockroaches eating your plants, you also have cockroaches living in the dark corners of your home. There are a variety of traps and poisons that are designed to rid cockroaches from the interior of a house.

You will most likely want to try ridding your entire house of roaches, which means you will need to place many traps throughout your home.

If you prefer a more targeted approach, you can add sticky traps and poison bait to the tray or area around your houseplants. If you know the roaches are frequenting that area already, adding traps nearby is likely to attract them to the traps as well. Sticky traps will physically capture roaches on site, and poison bait traps will kill them more slowly after they have left your plant area.