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African Violets

Little black bugs

15 years ago

A few days ago I notice that the bottom leaves of my Violet had died, I figured it was because we moved the plant to a different location. Yesterday I noticed that the were tiny black bugs on the plant and scattered around the surface under the plant. I am not sure if they are Aphids or Fruit Flies. A friend suggested Fruit Flies when she noticed that they had wings. I cleaned them off of the surface and inspected the plant for others, which I picked off. Well they are BACK!! Can anyone tell me what they are and how to treat them? It's upsetting to watch this happen to my plant, I bought it at Lowes almost two years ago for 30 cents. It had only one tiny green leaf, all the others were brown and dried.

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Comments (5)

fred_hill
15 years ago
Hi,
I wonder if they could be fungus gnats. Try putting out a no pest strip to see if that will help. Some people put out dishes which are yellow filled with water. Yellow seems too attract bugs and they dive in and die.
Fred in NJ
lilsmurfie
Original Author
15 years ago
Sounds gross! I noticed they are also by the kitchen window, but no where near the peaches that I have out on the counter. I'm thinking that they definitely not fruit flies because they would be all over the peaches too. I'm not sure what a no pest strip is so I think I might have luck with a yellow dish. Will that kill all, or just some of them?
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Probably army worms or cut worms. If so there will be lots more, and you can usually find their black poop around. They will attack with a vengeance and destroy stuff quickly.... Often they will eat away the leaf but leave the co ering, making it look clear or greasy. The best thing for them is BT spray. (bacillus thurengensis). You can get it at home depot. Follow th directions and get it on there ASAP or they will eat everything, The beetle might be unrelated.
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I actually did see the Mary above and Dustin above mentioned the same thing I am referring to. It is a fungi with lots of "co-infections" which is why noone can figure out quickly what's going on because there are so many symptoms and so much craziness. When youtry to even explain one little thing uyou sound crazy. Let alone trying to describe all of the crazy things that you are feeling and seeing. I mean, when you try to tell people your vacuum hose acts possessed or that your shower curtain now moves in an strange way and that it almost acts like it's coming towards you and/or the strings on the blinds on your windows seem to move by themselves or that lights will start blinking on and off when you walk in the room or that bizarre stuff is happening in your bathtub or shower and there are these strings and lint and white "specs of dust" all over your clothes, and you literally feel like you are growing a second skin and you can feel your hair moving around and you are certain that your hair isn't yours anymore. Sounds pretty crazy, right? Had you not seen it with your own eyes for months and years on end, you would have a hard time believing it , too. It's in your car, it's in your clothes (undergarments included), it's in and on your skin, it's in the toilet paper and the napkins and cotton balls, and it's in the food and drinks that you buy even if you go to the gas station and buy a coke by the time you get out of the gas station you feel like there is something moving around in your coke. We sound certifiable. It's all true and it's a nightmare. Many think that this has been bestowed up on the population on purpose by man and others think that it was put here on purpose but it took on a life of it's own and now they don't know how to make it stop. I don't know what the truth is, and I'm not even sure who THEY are........"they" are evil, though. Someone will have to answer to this at some point. i have to believe that is true,.
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fred_hill
15 years ago
HI,
A no pest strip is a piece of sticky material (paper or cardboard) which attracts bugs and gnats. They land on the strip and cant get off. If you can't find a no pest strip you might also look for an old fashioned fly paper strip that comes in a cylinder that you pull out and hang up.
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larius
15 years ago
I hate fungus gnats! Don't believe the myth that they are harmless to your plants. The adult gnats are harmless, but I have lost many young violets to fungus gnat larva. The larva will eat the roots.

Any insect spray will kill the adult gnats. Gnatrol (can buy from amazon.com) will kill the larva.

The larva need the top half inch of soil to be wet, so let the top dry out between waterings. Don't leave water in plant trays. A small fan near your plants helps too.

Another thing, there is often an outdoor source that attracted the fungus gnats. Check for rotting leaves or other composting materials especially near windows. In my case they came in from potted plants I have outdoors.

I hope this isn't too much!
Adam in NH
robitaillenancy1
15 years ago
I have three Pinguicula, insect-eating plants. These have attractive light green leaves, a tall 6 inch stem and pretty lavender single flower. Every part of the plant is sticky. It exudes a scent that insects can smell but that we humans are not capable of smelling. The scent attracts any flying insect, they go to inspect it and get stuck.

And this is not like the ugly yellow cards that get full of dead bugs. The plants absorb the insect in some way. All of a sudden there is nothing left on the plant. Don't know how this works but these plants are amazing. They are in the Sun Dew family of carniverous plants. I bought mine from a local carniverous plant club.

Reproduction is like violets, by leaf.

Nancy

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