Whether growingfernsindoors , in a greenhouse or outside , pest can infest the plants and devastate the fronds . Some insects even kill ferns if left untreated . The most unwashed pests that come along as white insects on fern include mealybugs , fern scale , thrips and whiteflies . identify the accurate insect on your ferns is crucial to properly control the infestation .

Mealybugs

Mealybugs infest fern , appearing as bantam white dots on the leaf axils and undersurface of the frond , accord to the University of Florida . mealy bug appear cottony and can also overrun the root area . You might see a sticky , clear liquid called honeydew on the fern frond . It is a substance that mealybugs excrete . The honeydew is often a host for a lowly disease like black coal-black mold . The flora may look stunted or is dying . To treat a mealybug infestation , use a systemic insect powder on your fern or a ground - drench insecticide if the mealybugs are around the beginning area .

Scales

The male fern scale louse are white , tiny , double - winged and gnat - like , according to the University of Minnesota . The Male are only 1 mm long and have white armour with three ridges . The female are promiscuous - brownish , huitre shell - shape and 1-½ to 2-½ millimetre in length . If fern scale leaf infest your ferns , you ’ll remark that the plants are deface or have chicken spot on the frond . Control fern scales with horticultural oils applied to the foliage in two freestanding treatments about two weeks aside .

Thrips

Depending on the species , thrip come in a variety of color . Some look white or yellowish . thripid are bantam insect with double dyad of wings that have long fringes of hair around the wing edges , reports the University of Florida . Using a magnifying field glass , you could also see the thrips ' chewing mouthparts . thripid are most draw to plants with blue foliage , such as ferns , cause the fronds to curl and distort . You may also see slivery - gray scars on the fern fronds from where the thripid were feed . assure thrips with pesticides label for the specific insect .

Whiteflies

Adult whiteflies sometimes bear bands or markings of different gloss on their wings , and the nymph and adult may have white waxy down payment on their bodies , according to the University of California . You ’ll notice whiteflies clustered in groups on the undersides of the fern frond , sucking the plant sap . whitefly excrete honeydew melon . If whiteflies invade your ferns , the frond turn yellow and die . The honeydew can also make a black sooty molding contagion . Whitefly infestations are hard to control using insect powder . Introduce natural predatory insect that vote out the whiteflies to check the population . Lady beetles , minute pirate bug , bigeyed bug and lacewings all fertilise on whitefly .

References

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