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White bugs and unhealthy looking leaves

8 years ago

Hey,

I would like to use my stem rot threat for regular updates on the plants only if you are interested. As the threat got quite long I would like to address a more recent issue in this new one.

I am concerned about two of my plumerias. The first one has some living tiny white bugs all over the stem and the leaves. On the following photos you see these white dots:

Can you please give some advise what that could be and how it can be treated? Do I need to separate the plant from the others?

Another plant developed quite unhealthy looking leaves (reddish areas, dark spots on the leaves, deformation of leaves). Any ideas what to do against this? More/less water/fertilizer, fungicide of any kind...???

Hi would highly appreciate your ideas! Thanks a lot

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Comments (5)

Lisa
8 years ago
I'm surprised no one has commented yet, I'm a novice, but I would guess spider mites maybe? I just had to deal with them myself. Laura recommended 3 in 1 Bayer insecticide, and it worked really well on the spider mites. After reading the bottle and seeing all the insects and diseases it treats for, I think I will always use it "when in doubt" about what is attacking, lol. Just be sure and use it after dusk so you don't kill any honeybees with it. =)
moonie_57 (8 NC)
8 years ago
Philipp - are you sure those white spots are live bugs? Sorry to question, but it's worth asking. To me it looks like crystalized sap that is often seen on our plants.
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Are you thinking that it is a caterpillar of some sort? If so, there are many species of caterpillars that roll or sandwich the leaves, often pupating inside. The geometrids, for example, are so numerous and often so similar that it would be nearly impossible for all but a geometrid-meister to identify it for you! Anyway, investigate to see if they are (or have already) pupated inside the leaves. If they are still present, you can hand remove the critters and dispose of them. Just as the caterpillars have begun to hatch out (learn to look for moth eggs) is the best time to apply Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt. It is a highly effective biological control agent for caterpillars, but only works when they are very young. Since your plants are containerized, observation shouldn't be too challenging. Bt will ONLY work on caterpillars, by the way, so let's be determined about proper identification. If you do a search on 'leaf roller caterpillar' you will find that many of the geometrid caterpillars are white, especially when young. Here is a link that might be useful:
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Philipp B
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, yes - it is living. These white things are moving up and down the plant. I will try to catch the movements on a video.
moonie_57 (8 NC)
8 years ago
Since you're sure, if it were only the one plant, I would wash them off with a hose. "Usually", spider mites aren't a problem outside, but they certainly can be sometimes. A few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle will work wonders, and you can get it between those tight little leaves. If you've got an infestation going on, I'm with Lisa and Laura about the Bayer 3 in 1.
As far as the other plant with leaf probs, I would clip off those older ugly ones, check the moisture of your soil (are you overwatering or underwatering?) and just give it a chance to grow more and see if the problem doesn't correct its self.
Lisa
8 years ago
My other thought was aphids?

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