A potted plant is an excellent addition to any home or office. Researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the Chungnam National University in Korea found that interacting with houseplants reduced stress in study participants. They can also be beneficial because some species aerate a room or be useful herbs for cooking. What's more, taking care of potted plants may simply represent a hobby.
Unfortunately, plants may also attract insects to your home. The leaves and dirt can provide food and shelter and may even encourage some bugs to breed. Not only may unwanted pests damage your prized houseplants, but they can also spread to the rest of your home. Here are some of the most common bugs you may be facing and a few ideas for getting rid of them:
Common pests that are attracted to houseplants
Whether your plants become infested - and the severity of the problem - depends on many factors. If you are prone to keeping your windows open, bugs may more easily colonize your home, and more plants gives invading insects greater opportunities to get settled.
Gardening Know How stated that aphids are some of the most common bugs you may find among your potted plants. Known colloquially as "plant lice," these little creatures feed on fresh plant growth and sap. This predation is detrimental to a plant's health but aphids carry another risk. A substance contained in the insects' saliva is known to attract mold, causing black patches to form and blocking photosynthesis.
Aphids aren't the only insect that can cause harm to your houseplants. Caterpillars are larger and more noticeable, so it may be harder for them to stay in your home undetected. That said, if given the chance, these bugs will make quick work of your favorite potted plant. And because caterpillars can give way to moths and butterflies, this is an especially difficult pest problem.
Several other species can colonize a potted plant and happily survive in your home. Gardening Know How found that mites, mealy bugs, weevils, and several types of flies might seek out plants in your home or business.
Home remedies
It can be difficult to keep bugs from entering your home or office indefinitely. Even if you keep all doors and windows firmly shut, your pets, shoes or even your groceries can provide opportunistic insects a way inside. Happily, the San Francisco Gate reported that there are a few home remedies that will eliminate any pests without damaging your plants.
One of the simplest ideas is to give your plant a good bath. Take it outside and rinse it thoroughly with a hose, washing away any insects. If you do this a few times over several days you can get rid of unwanted insects. Adding even a few tablespoons of soap to the water will further eradicate any bugs without damaging your plant.
Angie's List recommends a few other homemade remedies to try . Items like lemon juice and garlic seem to dissuade insects, and even alcohol can do the trick. A saucer of beer is an easy way to catch flying insects, while a spritz of a vodka and water mix is an easy insecticide.
Overall, monitor your plants closely when you water them or prune them. Pests may either feed on plants or cause them to become sick, both of which will be obvious upon closer inspection. If your problem continues, it's best to call a pest removal professional. This makes it possible to try a slightly more aggressive approach without inadvertently damaging your plants or causing other problems around the home or office.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
