Pests

Aphid

Rose Aphid – Macrosiphum rosae

Description: Symptoms include distortion of new leaves and flowers, sooty mould growth on honeydew (excretion), wilting, disease spread. Often found feeding in large numbers on new shoots and young leaves.

Control: Crown 225SL at 11mL/100L, Procide 80SC at 25mL/100L.

Azalea Lace Bug

Stephanitis pyrioides

Description: Feeding causes widespread grey-whitish/silver mottling on the upper surface of leaves of azaleas and rhododendrons. Eggs deposited on underside of leaves. Nymphs and adults extracting sap cause plant injury. The insects particularly like plants in sunny, exposed conditions. Sticky brown patches (excretory patches) may also be found on the underside of leaves. Azalea Lace Bug is common throughout Australia and has at least 2 generations per year.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL
at 11-16mL/100L.

Caterpillars and Loopers

(Incl. Heliothis or Helicoverpa spp., Light brown apple moth and geranium plume moth)

Description: Heliothis will attack a wide range of ornamentals. Grubs feed on the reproductive parts of the plants. Eggs are usually laid in flowers but may be found in growing points and young, tender leaves.

Control: Apply Procide at 25mL/100L.

Citrus Mealy Bug

Planococcus citri

Description: Generally active from early spring until late autumn. The bugs suck sap and exude honeydew, on which sooty mould grows. Ants are often found ‘farming’ them, protecting colonies and harvesting honeydew.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at
22-44mL/100L or Procide 80SC
at 25mL/100L.

Cutworm

Agrotis spp.

Description: The grub chews through plant parts,
often cutting the plant at ground level. Two or three
large grubs could seriously damage a square metre of plants. Larvae are generally nocturnal, hiding under the surface during the day.

Control: Apply MaxGuard 2G at 0.6kg/100m2, MaxGuard 80SC at 15mL/100m2, Procide 80SC at 15mL/100m2 or 7.5mL/100L as a drench or MaxGuard NPK at 1.4kg/100m2 (for turf).

Fungus Gnat (fly)

Bradysia spp.

Description: Larvae tunnel and chew roots and stems causing wilt, leaf drop, stunting and ultimately plant
death. Adults leave unsightly ‘frass’ spots (droppings) on foliage. Both can spread secondary fungal root infections.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL.
For lighter peat based soils: 5-10mL/10m2 of pots.
For heavier potting mixes: 10-20mL/10m2 of pots.

Greenhouse Thrips

Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis

Description: Greenhouse thrips feeding creates coarse stippling and a dirty spotted appearance on leaves as
well as causing distortion and stunting growth. Thrips also attack flowers causing marginal petal necrosis and pale or dark discolouring. They reproduce rapidly and hide in tight places and therefore can be difficult to control.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 11-16mL/100L.

Leafhoppers

Austroasca viridigrisea, Zygina zealandicus

Description: Feeding creates course, pale mottling, leaf yellowing and leaf burn. Both nymphs and adults suck sap from the leaves and some species inject toxic saliva, which causes the leaf burn.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 11-22mL/100L.

Lilly Pilly Psyllid

Trioza eugeniae

Description: Immature psyllids (nymphs) feed on the plant causing ‘pimpling’ distortion of the leaf surface. Psyllid nymphs construct a waxy, scale-like covering (lerp) under which they shelter and feed.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 11-22mL/100L. Control usually requires a systemic spray as the insects hide inside the leaves.

Plague Thrips

Thrips imaginis

Description: Plague thrips are most numerous in early summer. Both adult and larval thrips damage soft, recent growth and flowers. Petals and anthers turn brown and shrivel and ‘shot holes’ can appear in leaves where eggs were laid. Faecal deposits can also reduce crop value.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 22mL/100L or Procide at 25mL/100L.

Scale Insects

(Soft scale incl. Pulvinaria, Coffee & Nigra scales)

Description: Scale insects suck the sap from plants. Heavy infestations can significantly weaken plants.
They also secrete honeydew on which sooty mould grows. Mature female scale are immobile but the young scale insects (crawlers) are tiny oval yellow
or orange insects that are mobile.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 11-22mL/100L (not white wax scale).

Two-Spotted Mite

Tetranychus urticae

Description: Both nymphs and adults cause plant
damage as they feed, including fine silvery mottling
and flecking of upper leaf surface and flower and leaf bud distortion. They also produce large amounts of fine webbing. These mites are most damaging in hot,
dry weather. Over wintering females turn red-orange.

Control: Apply Procide 80SC at 35-50mL/100L.

Whitefly

Greenhouse whitefly – Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Silver leaf whitefly – Bemisia tabaci

Description: Whitefly causes stunting, poor growth, bleaching of leaves and sooty mould growth on honeydew (excretion). Feeds voraciously and can spread disease. Populations grow quickly.

Control: Apply Crown 225SL at 11-22mL/100L or Procide 80SC at 25-50mL/100L.