Find Your Ask the Expert: Why are there little bugs in my houseplants?
I have many house plants. In three of them, there are these little, white-ish bugs living in them. I noticed them a few years ago. I have since tried re-potting, but they are still there. I even got some insect spray and sprayed it on the plant. Neither bugs nor pesticide is killing the plant. It is just gross to see hundreds of little bugs, the size of a tiny spec. Erin
Reply:
There are several types of white bugs that could be the problem. For identification purposes we need a picture. I did a search for the insect which I know might be the problem. Take a look at the pictures and tell me if they match.
aphid
I found this aphid picture on www.insectsimages.org and the Photographer was Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
Mealybug
I found this picture at www.insectimages.org and the photographer was United States National Collection of Scale Insects Photographs Archive, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
Softscale
This is another picture from www.insectimages.org with the photographer United States National Collection of Scale Insects Photographs Archive, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
Thrips
Photographer David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org.
Let me know which one you think matches your and we’ll come up with a way to get rid of them.
They look most like the thrips…only smaller. They live and crawl inside the dirt and on the top of soil.
Erin,
The reason the thrips keep coming back is they eggs and the insecticides don’t kill the eggs. If you follow this insecticide protocol, I believe you can get rid of the problem.
First wash the leaves with a washcloth that has been saturated with a light soapy water solution.
Now spray the leaves and the soil with a houseplant spray that contains one of the following – bifenthrin, permethrin, resmethrin, pyrethrins,insecticidal soap, neem oil. I use Fertilome’s Whitefly and Mealybug killer with resmethrin or Bonide’s Eight Garden & Home RTU with premethrin (I use this one in my garden as well).
Wait 5 days and spray the plant and soil again. Wait 5 more days and spray again. This should take care of the problem since it will kill any thrips emerging from the eggs and won’t allow new eggs to be laid.
Please keep me posted.