Bugs Are Attacking the Bottoms of Leaves

Inspection

• An important first step in addressing bugs attacking leaves is inspection. Gather a pair of tweezers, a pair of scissors, a lidded jar with a white paper towel in it and a magnifying glass. Open the jar, clip a leaf with insects on it, drop it into the jar and close the lid. Take the magnifying glass and use it to look at the undersides of leaves on the affected plant. Pick up an insect with the tweezers and hold it under the magnifying glass to see it in better detail. Try to identify the type of insect and the kind of damage it is causing to the plant. Knowing what insect is attacking the plant enables you to find out about its life cycle, its predators, the ways it uses plants and how much damage it is able to do.

Removal

• Insects clustering on plant leaves and stems can damage and kill a plant, and the damage and stress they cause can introduce bacteria, fungus and other diseases. If you see insects on plant leaves, prepare to remove them. It is easier to remove insects from a single potted plant than from plants outside in a garden. For individual plants, washing insects off leaves with a strong stream of water is an effective method. Other ways to remove insects include brushing them off with an old toothbrush and soapy water, plucking them off with tweezers and drowning them in a cup of water or spraying them with a vinegar and water mixture in a spray bottle.

Prevention

• After removing bugs from plants, prevent them from returning and re-infesting plants again. Use a fork or small trowel to gently scratch the soil around the plants and look for signs of insect eggs or larvae, spraying any that you see with vinegar. Put a layer of mulch around plants to keep moisture in the soil and make it difficult for insects to dig down into the soil. Observe plants regularly after insect removal to see if they return. If possible, isolate the plant that was infested to prevent bugs from spreading to other plants.

Insect Resistant Varieties

• If you experience bug infestations, plant resistant varieties next season. Many flowers and vegetables are susceptible to insects, but hybrids are developed to resist the most common pests. For example, Knockout roses are hardy, disease and insect resistant plants that are not as susceptible to slug and spider mites as most roses are.