Let’s talk about Root Aphids.

By Rincon-Vitova Insectary

Root aphids feed on the root system, sucking so much sap that the plants do not receive proper sustenance. Leaves turn yellow and little new growth occurs. They can move from plant to plant via the drainage holes in pots, or through irrigation water that drains from one pot to another. Root aphids tend to congregate on the outer edges of the root ball.  

Some best practices for fighting White Flies.

by Rincon-Vitova Insectary

Whiteflies 

Whiteflies are not flies but are related to honeydew producing pests like aphids, scales, mealybugs. They have piercing, needlelike mouthparts to suck sap from plants. Large populations can cause plant distortion, discoloration, yellow or silvering of leaves, leaves to fall off plants, and serious crop losses. Some whiteflies transmit viruses to certain vegetable crops. Most common species, Greenhouse and sweet potato (=tobacco/bemesia tabaci) Silverleaf (Bemesia agentifolii) whitefly, have a wide host range. Whiteflies breed all year round in warmer parts of California, moving from one host to another as plants are harvested or dry up. 

Identification 

Adults are 1/16 inch long moth-like insects with yellowish bodies, short antennae, and white wings.  

Nymphs are wingless, flat, oval-shaped and almost resemble scale insects.  

All stages feed by sucking plant juices from leaves and excrete honeydew, which often attracts ants.  

Get the upper hand on Ants in your garden.

by Rincon-Vitova Insectary

Ants 

There are more than 12,400 species of ants throughout the world. In California, there are about 270 species, but fewer than a dozen are important pests. Ants interfere with biological control.  Honeydew-secreting pests, like aphids, supply sweet food to the ants. In turn, ants protect the pests from beneficial insects that try to eat them. Controlling ants is important when attempting to control these honeydew producing pests. Baiting is a low risk approach that interrupts ants’ interference. Once they have found an adequate food source, they create a pheromone trail, a chemically marked highway, to and from the ant nest. More bait stations are not necessarily the answer, but strategic placement is important. 

Identification 

Ants are close relatives of bees and wasps.  

Common wingless adult forms, known as workers.  

Winged forms, which leave the nest in large numbers in warm weather to mate and establish new colonies, are often mistaken for winged termites.