5 Types of Plant Pests And How To Get Rid Of Them

5 Types of Plant Pests And How To Get Rid Of Them

For those of you who enjoy cultivating plants at home, be it ornamental plants or food plants, the figure of plant pests can be a frightening specter for the survival of the plants that are kept. Its presence in addition to being able to damage the plants that are maintained, but also can disrupt the health of the members of the house if not immediately eradicated. What exactly are plant pests? Starting from the word pests, pests are all forms of disturbance to humans, livestock and plants. When associated with plants, plant pests attack body parts of plants such as stems, roots, leaves, and so on.

So that you are better prepared to deal with attacks of various types of pests that infect plants, we have summarized 5 types of plant pests and how to eradicate them that you can apply.

1. Caterpillar Pest

There are many types of caterpillar pests that must be faced in caring for plants at home. For the cultivation of ornamental plants, you need to be aware of two types of caterpillar pests, namely Spodoptera sp. which attacks the leaves and Noctuidae which attacks the stems. The signs when a plant has been attacked by a plant pest can be seen from the leaves turning discolored and cracked or the stems becoming stretched and easily broken. The solution to dealing with pest caterpillars is to remove them from the infested plants. If you want to use an effective method, you can use pesticides, both natural ones like garlic and systemic insecticides at least once a week as protection.

2. Spider Mite

This type of plant pest is quite dangerous because it attacks the leaves by absorbing fluids and plant pest elements. Spider mite attacks are also usually intense and fast on a large scale. So no wonder plants can die in a short period of time. Spider mites or spider mites are more resistant to insecticides. Therefore, it is recommended to eradicate it using acaricide, which is a toxic chemical compound that is effective in killing the mite family clump.

3. Plant lice

There are various types of plant lice that are quite feared, including mealybugs and shield lice. The mealybug is a plant pest that often attacks ornamental plants. The shape is small and white, can be seen clustered on the stems or leaves of plants. The shield lice generally only attack the leaves, especially the bones of the leaves. To get rid of plant lice, use a mixture of liquid detergent with water to remove the waxy coating on the mealybugs. Continue with systemic insecticides and the active ingredient acephate to completely eradicate.

4. Grasshopper

The presence of grasshoppers on plants should not be underestimated, it might damage existing plant cultivation. Grasshoppers are leaf eaters similar to caterpillars. How to get rid of grasshoppers can be by catching or spraying with water using a plant sprinkler so that these pests are difficult to fly and can be removed. Organic pesticide liquid or natural concoction is also able to repel grasshoppers.

5. Mites

Mites are a type of small lice that often attack homes, including the leaves of ornamental plants. Mites are quite difficult to detect because they are almost invisible. But you can see the effects of mites perching on plants, such as causing spots on the leaves of plants and the leaves suddenly turn yellow and fall for no reason.

To eradicate this pest mite attack, immediately cut the infected part of the mite and then burn the collection of leaves. Continue with the use of insecticides to eradicate these pests until they are completely gone. Various types of plant pests can inhibit the growth of the plant cultivation that you have. For that, learn more about pests that infect plants and what equipment is suitable for eradicating them. If necessary, routinely watering pesticides such as insecticides or organic pesticides, so that plants are maintained and protected from harmful chemicals.

The topic of plant pests is an interesting discussion in the Crop Cultivation and Protection Course at the Ma’soem University Agribusiness Study Program. The student is provided with introductory knowledge in caring for and protecting plant cultivation as the flow of agribusiness. In addition, they are also equipped with other knowledge about agribusiness, which is hoped that the graduates will be able to become qualified industrial practitioners or build their own businesses.