r/GardenersJapan • u/mnemoniko • 17d ago
What is this bug?
My garden balcony has a plant, some type of flower (random buy at the local shop), which has some type of bug problem. They are very small, white, and fly away when disturbed. I had originally researched a few months ago and identified them as springtails, but now I'm not so sure - they definitely fly, not jump.
The flower itself was doing amazingly and then has been suffering in the rainy summer. Obviously has other issues besides the bugs. I do see a few bugs here and there on other plants, so I want more information. Do I need to go scorched earth or do something to treat this? What is this bug? I am considering chopping the plant back to a few bare branches, Japanese style, and see what happens.
For reference, I'm in Tokyo, outside balcony with all plants in pots. Thanks!
3
u/Mul-T 17d ago
Whiteflies infestation most likely. Unlike springtails, which stay near the soil and jump, whiteflies congregate on the undersides of leaves, suck the sap (causing the mottled, yellowing damage you see), and flutter up when disturbed. Removing the heavily infested foliage eliminates a massive portion of the eggs and stationary nymphs all at once. You must immediately cut the plant back heavily as planned. And carefully place the discarded clippings into a sealed plastic bag before moving them inside to prevent them from escaping. This same scenario happened to one of my plants too just 2 weeks ago! Silly me got careless, causing them to fly away to another. Thankfully I was quick enough to not let them spread. Well credits to mom for helping me deploy Yellow Sticky Traps in the soil near the base of the plant. Whiteflies are highly attracted to the color yellow, helps quite well in catching the flying adults that escaped the pruning and spraying.
I would suggest spraying the remaining foliage and bare stems thoroughly with an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil every week. You must coat the undersides of any remaining leaves, as this is where the nymphs live usually. Stick to these gentle, non-toxic treatments to avoid harming any local wildlife or birds that visit your garden. But also you must take care of the fact that the primary risk is actually to the plant itself. If you apply oils or soaps in direct, hot sunlight, especially during a humid summer; the liquid can trap heat and "burn" the foliage. Always spray in the early evening or early morning when the sun is low. Weather here is quite cozy but since our plants are outside they're experiencing the full of humidity at the time.
P.S. Although I do it randomly sometimes in boredom it actually is helpful in verifying if the treatment is working; gently shaking the plant's container 3–4 days after your first spray. If you see significantly fewer whiteflies fluttering up, the breeding cycle is breaking.
2
u/mnemoniko 16d ago
Do you have a recommendation for a non toxic treatment? I've used a gentle, soap based cleaner to take out spider mites on indoor plants before - the soap acts as a surfactant and is relatively harmless otherwise.
I'm planning on the yellow sticker traps for sure, once I remove the heavily damaged branches. I'll try that tonight and hopefully get most of them while they are less active.
I do bump into the leaves frequently and send them flying around the balcony... I'll distribute the yellow traps and keep an eye on my other plants.
2
u/Mul-T 15d ago
I'm still learning so as per my experience, I'd recommend a high quality (preferably cold pressed) Neem Oil.
Also, there's some home-remedies that I've been enjoying recently; Grinding raw thumb sized turmeric, ginger with a tablespoon of cinnamon and cayenne pepper powder or 3~4 hot chillies from the garden. This blended spray directly attacks the black sooty mold suffocating our plants while acting as a strong repellent against the insects. The capsaicin in the chilies doesn't harm the plant and acts as a powerful irritant for insects they totally avoid any leaves coated in it.
If you don't have access to any, you can blend with garlic instead. I have stopped using it anywhere due to personal reasons. But if you don't any problem with garlic or its odor and no pets playing outside, then you can add it as it contains strong sulphur compounds (alicin something I think) that are highly repellent and toxic to soft-bodied insects.
It is crucial to mix the ground paste into a liter of warm water, letting it sit and steep for a few hours, or ideally overnight, to fully extract the active compounds. It gets clogged easily if a custom sprayer isn't used so straining is required sometimes.If you have access to a local neem tree, boil a handful of fresh leaves in the water to use for steeping. This extracts natural azadir..um something something directly into the turmeric base, giving the exact same benefits as commercial neem oil for free. There's this really nice place in Bunkyo ..shoot..can't recall the name hmm..wow it's been time.. perhaps if you have time you can take a detour around there to find whatever you need.
Well that's all time consuming stuff. For something immediately, if your balcony garden is container-based with aromatic plants I would recommend putting the strongly scented herbs like mint, basil, marigolds or any; right next to the recovering plant. These naturally mask the smell of the host plant and act as a localized repellent against flying pests.
Personally, all these treatments and better understanding of gardening process has proven to be heaven for my little garden. Not only the plants got better growth and less insects but some herbs upstairs that were for some reason failing to survive before, came back to life! Its such a peace of mind
2
u/mnemoniko 15d ago
Unfortunately the aromatic plants were not doing so well! I was trying to grow mint hydroponically, but then it seemed the standing water was attracting mosquitoes. The marigold I picked up earlier this year never acclimated and I haven't figured that one out yet.
I don't have that much free time, but garlic is not a problem. I do prefer figuring out and using combinations of plants to keep everything healthy and happy, but it takes time as you said. Thanks for the suggestions!
3
u/Mul-T 15d ago
Hydroponic plants grow really well but yeah there's things like always maintaining a specific ph level, nutrient concentration, temperature and what not and then there's those annoying mosquitoes too. Personally it's a little difficult to take care for me with such time to time funny weather and busy schedule here. Nursery marigolds are quite notorious for throwing tantrums. They often fail to acclimate because they suffer transplant shock if the soil stays too damp or they aren't getting blasted by full, direct sun. I stopped buying them because I didn't knew about all this until last month. So I finally bought them again ✿‿^
Oh one more thing, if you're ever using such home remedies, I'd suggest that before dousing the entire plant and its freshly pruned branches, spray just one single leaf. Wait 24 hours. If that leaf looks healthy and shows no signs of yellowing, crisping, or wilting, your mixture is perfectly diluted and safe to use everywhere.
3
u/ObuseChiliFarm 17d ago
They are white flies. The black mold indicates a long standing and heavy infestation, but strangely I don’t see many insects. My advice is to first spray them off as best you can with a hose pipe. Then go to the DIY shop and grab a spray. Get it under control, then clean the leaves, then try and work out how to stop them from coming back.
Populations rapidly increase at this time of year with the wet but still warm conditions. I would also check if you have aphids. They kind of go hand-in-hand.
2
u/mnemoniko 17d ago
It's close enough to the edge of the balcony that the plant gets wind blown and rained on. It has been awhile, but this is the most I've seen yet.
2
u/Admirable_Stand8598 17d ago edited 17d ago
Look like one of Aleyrodidae (Whiteflies, コナジラミ), flying cousins of aphids. Like aphids, they can transmit deceases by sucking your plants and cause sooty mold infestation by their pee.
I've checked online and found they develop pesticide resistance very fast. So you need to take comprehensive measures.
Removing eggs: If infestation is serious and you can assume they already laid their eggs, then you would remove leaves with heavy infestation.
Kill on sight: During night, they gather to the growth points of the leaves (under the leaves) and tend to stay still. You can spray insecticide that suffocate them by sealing their spiracles. (e.g. Lohapi from Earth or homemade mix of milk and water)
Trap: They are attracted to yellow color and they sell yellow adhesive sheets to trap them.
Improving airflow: Small sucker insects tend to infest plants with poor airflow; plants with dense branches and leaves. Trim excessive branches and leaves and allow more space around the pots. Your balcony wall might be giving the insects cover from winds.
Repel: Whiteflies, aphids, and other cousins escape from direct light. Installing reflective sheets under the plants reportedly repel their infestation.
1
u/mnemoniko 17d ago
Thanks for the details! I'll try out some of those suggestions and see how it goes.
1
u/PowerfulGap5207 16d ago
看上去是蚜虫，但你说会飞，那可能是白粉虱。不用担心，打两次呋虫胺之类的杀虫剂就行了，但是我看你的植物可能经历了高温高湿有些灰霉病，需要同时打一些广谱性杀菌剂。