To maintain your beautiful landscape, you’ll want to keep an eye out for any insects that can damage your plants, especially with rising temperatures providing these pests with the ideal reproductive environment to cause infestations. Keep reading for some common summertime landscaping pests to watch out for.
Spittlebugs
Spittlebugs are named for the frothy secretions they leave on plants and grass, which are juices they have sucked from the plant. They may appear as small green larvae or as adult bugs with black with two red-orange stripes across the back. They do not cause immediate damage but left untreated they can cause yellowing or restrict plant growth. A strong spray of water should remove these pests.
Scale
Scale insects are not easily detected, and by the time they are noticed, the plant they are occupying is too weak to recover. These insects are generally found on magnolias and aspen trees. Ladybeetles and wasps are natural enemies of these pests and can help in controlling infestations. However, if your problem is much worse, you can use pest control products containing neem oil.
Whiteflies
Whiteflies are found on a variety of warm-weather vegetables including sweet potatoes and tomatoes, and plants with smooth leaves, like hibiscus. These pests look like tiny white moths and suck sap from plants, weaking them. You may also notice milky oval eggs on the back of the leaves. Rosemary is a natural pest repellant against whiteflies.
Spider Mites
Spider mites look like tiny red spiders. Plants infested with these pests will look dull and may have some fine webbing on the underside of the leaves, where the mites feed on the plant’s chlorophyll, weaking the plant.
For help with all your landscaping needs trust Complete Landscaping. Find out about all our landscaping services in Tucson, from landscape maintenance to tree services, by calling (520) 323-8918.