Aphid

Small delicate pear-shaped insects with soft bodies and long legs and antennae.  Usually greenish or black, with or without transparent wings.  Found in small colonies sucking sap of tender growths or flower buds.  Often attended by ants.  Transmitters of viral diseases.

¨       Chlorpyrifos (Chlorpyrifos, Dursban) as a full cover application when necessary.

¨       Mercaptothion (Malathion, Malasol) as a full cover application when necessary.

Lilly borer

Black caterpillar with yellow bands.  Feeds on leaves and tunnels into leaves, stalks and bulbs of various lilies and amaryllids.

¨       Cypermethrin (Ripcord, garden ripcord) as a full cover application when pest is noticed.

¨       Deltamethrin (Decis) as a full cover application when pest is noticed.

Mealy bug

Small ± 3mm long oval-shaped light-pink bodied stationary insect covered by waxy threads with 2 long threads protruding.  Found on tender growth.  Heavy excretion of honeydew can cause growth of mould. Often attended by ants.  Transmitters of viral diseases.  It is a weak sucker and a systemic insecticide will not work as well as a contact insecticide.

¨       Chlorpyrifos (Chlorpyrifos, Dursban) as a full cover application when necessary.

¨       Mercaptothion (Malathion, Malasol) as a full cover application when necessary.

Red spider

Minute reddish-brown “spiders” with four pairs of legs of equal length and oval body.  Weave a web on the underside of leaves.  Eggs creamy white.  Cause yellowing and bronzing of the leaves.

¨       Mineral oil (Oleum) as a full cover-application.

¨       Chlorpyrifos (Chlorpyrifos, Dursban) as a full cover application when necessary.

¨       Tetradifon (Red spidercide) as a full cover application when pest is noticed. Kills eggs and sterilises females

Slugs and snails

Greyish-brown slimy legless soft-bodied creature.  With (snail) or without (slug) coiled shell.  Leaves a shiny trail of viscid secretion.  Feed on young succulent growth of a great variety of plants.  Active only under damp conditions.

¨       Metaldehyde (Snailbait) scatter bait around.

¨       Methiocarb (Mesurol) scatter bait around.

¨       Carbaryl/Metaldehyde (Snailflo) apply evenly as a drench over plants and pots

Thrips

Minute insects with four long narrow fringed wings.  Immature stages yellowish.  Adults dark and very active, having the habit of turning up the abdomen.  In order to feed they rasp the plant surface causing small silver blotches.  Transmitters of viral diseases.

¨       Mercaptothion (Malathion, Malasol) as a full cover application when necessary.

¨       Gamma BHC (Bexadust) as a dustable powder over plants and affected areas.

Whitefly

Small four-winged insects.  Wings and body covered by fine white powder.  Larvae minute oval-shaped and covered with short white waxy filaments.  Suck sap from underside of leaves.

¨       Cypermethrin (Ripcord, Garden Ripcord) as a full cover application when pest is noticed.

¨       Deltamethrin (Decis) as a full cover application when pest is noticed.

Snout beetle

Brownish-black weevils, with the head prolonged into a distinct snout.  Feed mainly at night and damage leaves and bracts.  Especially problematic in the Cape.

Fungal and bacterial diseases

Various pathogenic organisms externally present on the seed, plants or in the soil.  They are the causes of diseases like seed rot, root rot, damping-off, rust, leaf spots and bacterial rot.

¨       Copper oxychloride (Virikop) apply as a drench to soils – 1.5l/m²  (for bacteria and fungus)

¨       Furalaxyl (Fongarid) apply as a drench to seedlings and cuttings in pots or beds. (for fungus)

¨       Zineb (Zineb) apply as directed.  Controls various leaf spots. (for fungus)

Virus

Viruses are microscopic organisms consisting out of pieces of nucleoprotein, which have to multiply in living tissue.  Virus particles can be transmitted by seed, infected gardening equipment, soil and various insects

¨       No treatment available

¨       Suspected plants/propagating material should be destroyed.