What Bugs Attack Geraniums

 What pests attack garden plants and how to control them

Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) is one of the most popular gardens and container plants in the United States today as an annual or perennial plant. Often, healthy geraniums are devoid of pests.

Geranium BudWorms

Four-Lined Plant Bugs

Fall Cankerworms

Cabbage Loopers

Whiteflies

Aphids

Scale

Slugs

Snails

In this article, we are going to share information that will help you identify these common geranium pests and protect them.

How to protect your garden plant species against common garden pests

When protecting your geranium plants from all kinds of pests, it is advisable to inspect the plants and leaves frequently. Better defense is a good offense, so be sure to inspect your plants regularly so that pests and diseases can be detected early. If you start treatment as soon as you find a problem, the chances of overcoming it are high. Once you have diagnosed your geranium pest problem, here are five basic treatment techniques you may want to use.

Introduce nature hunters

Ladybugs do an excellent job of keeping aphids and other small, soft, sap-sucking insects at bay. Beneficial wasps do a good job of dealing with large insects such as caterpillars.

Predatory bile wasps

Minute pirate errors

Predatory insects

Parasitic wasps

Parasitic flies

Insects with big eyes

Flower flies

Lacewings

Ants

Birds, lizards, frogs, and toads also hunt excellent natural insects. If you take steps to create a strong population of natural predators in your garden, you are less likely to be bothered by pests on your plants. Check with your local garden center, horticultural clubs, your district agent, or online for sources of live nature hunters to add to your garden.

Spray large infections with insecticide soap

If you do not notice it until the insects get bigger, you can deal with it by spraying insecticide soap every two days until the insect presence is reduced. Insecticide soap is effective against a variety of small, soft-bodied insects. It is not effective against large insects such as four-cornered plant bugs and caterpillars, nor does it work against snails and snails. For these large creatures, you have to pick them up when you see them and take a series of steps to bring about their extinction.

Spray with horticultural oil

Horticultural oil like neem oil is a good alternative to pesticide soap. It has the advantage of having a little staying power, which helps in treating and preventing pest infestation. Apply gardening oil spray twice a week, early in the morning or at dusk. Be sure to coat all surfaces of the plant well, such as stems and leaves. Do not use the oil on the hot, sunny days of the day as it will magnify the sun's rays and cause damage to your plants. Use Bacillus Thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Bt) to fight caterpillars Once you find insect caterpillars on your plants, such as geranium borer or tobacco borer, fall bugs, and cabbage loopers, take everything you can find and drop them in a bucket of soapy water.

Follow the application of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Know that Bacillus thuringiensis does not kill caterpillars immediately. Takes time to work. When caterpillars feed on Bacillus thuringiensis, they swell and die, but this may take a few days. This is especially true for large caterpillars. Small caterpillars are easy prey for treatment, so some gardeners use the preventative treatment of Bacillus thuringiensis to catch them when they are small at the beginning of the growing season. Keep in mind that you should re-use Bacillus thuringiensis after heavy rains as it will wash away from your plants.

Keep in mind that Bacillus thuringiensis kills all types of caterpillars, so take some time to identify your caterpillars before using them. Geranium budworm caterpillars are usually brown with green markings. Butterfly caterpillars come in a variety of colors and shapes. If you find butterfly caterpillars, remove them and place them in your butterfly garden. Switch to a more appropriate setting such as.

Install a good slug and snail control program

It takes a combination of methods to effectively control snails and snails. Start by removing stones and boards and areas where they may be hidden, such as debris and wet floor coverings. Like caterpillars, monitor snails, locate them and drop a bucket of soap into the water as soon as they are spotted. You can attract them to the “collection points” by watering an area and then pulling them off the loose boards or melon skin. Will hide underneath.

Snails and snails can be attracted to beer, which is poured into a container with smooth, vertical sides. To impress them, you can do the following: Bury the container in the ground so that the top of the beer is level with the soil surface. Pour Beer an inch or two below. Snails go inside to get a beer. Once they get inside, they can’t get out, and they drown.

You can install copper barriers around the flowers and wrap copper tape or foil around the gardeners to keep the snails out. When slim snails come in contact with copper, they experience an electric shock. This will work until the copper is stained. When this happens, you need to change it. Pour a food-grade Diatomaceous earth (DE) thick rings around the flowers to keep the snails and snails out. It was painful for this rough object to move across them. Remember to fill your DE barrier after each rain. Domestic hens such as chickens, ducks, guinea fowls, and ducks also enjoy eating snails and snails.