Bugs That Attack Ivy Plants

Spider Mites

• The most common of ivy pests is the spider mite, an arachnid that infests several plants including ivy. Once on an ivy plant, these mites bite into the plant on leaves and in sensitive parts of the stem. They suck sap from the wound for food, stealing vital nutrients. While one or two spider mites are not large enough to cause serious damage, they propagate quickly and can ruin a plant in just a few days. Dousing the entire ivy in water removes the spider mites.

Aphids

• The aphid is common predator that attacks ivy. This small, green-or-black insect hides among the leaves, sucking sap and emitting a sweet and sticky byproduct called honeydew. This creates a double threat, since as aphids drain leaves of nutrition their honeydew also attracts mold and fungal infection. Remove aphids by cutting off infested shoots and by washing the rest in water.

Scales

• Named for their appearance on leaves, scales appear on plant leaves as waxlike buildup or mounds. They feed on sap and emit honeydew. Infested ivy can lose its leaves and experience heavy die back as the plant loses its ability to photosynthesize. Remove and prevent scales by wiping the leaves with a 70 percent alcohol solution, and then rinsing the leaves with warm water.

Mealy Bugs

• The mealy big starts out looking like small grains of rice on the leaves and stem of an ivy, mealy bug colonies can grow to cover large stretches of an ivy in cottony webbing and crawling sap suckers. These pests are removed in the same way as scales, using alcohol and warm water.

Cyclamen Mites

• Mealy bugs starts out looking like small grains of rice on the leaves and stem of ivy. Its colonies grow and cover large stretches of ivy in cottony webbing and crawling sapsuckers. These pests are removed with alcohol and warm water.