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469-333-TURFBougainvilleas love Texas and Texas loves them back, especially for their high tolerance to heat and their amazing colors. But no matter if you cultivate bougainvilleas as potted plants, vines, or trees; they can get attacked by some nasty pests you should keep an eye on. Today our pest control Mansfield TX experts are here to present you with the most common bougainvillea pests you are likely to encounter this summer and what you can do to save your gorgeous ornamentals.
These two aphids can become dangerous for bougainvilleas if temperatures go higher than 65 F. These two aphids feed on the leaves of the vines, leaving sticky, clear honeydew behind. An aphid attack on bougainvilleas is easy to identify if you look at the tops and bottoms of the leaves and stems. If you see the tiny insects or the sticky residue, it’s time to call for your local pest control Mansfield TX specialists, as you will soon also have an ant infestation to deal with. Ants are attracted by the aphids’ honeydew and they will defend the aphids from their natural predators.
These loopers are leaves-eating inchworms. The worms are one-inch long and yellow-green in color, so they are not very hard to spot. They turn into brown moths and you should prevent this from happening. The loopers feed on the bougainvillea leaves, thus leaving the leaves with chewed edges and yellow, dead spots. An infestation is visible if you look closely at the leaves and notice dark gray or black fecal matter. While birds are the natural predators of the loopers, you need to call your pest control Mansfield TX specialists as a severe infestation can go easily out of control.
These pests can lie on bougainvilleas for years in a row in the shape of cottony masses placed at branch crotches and leaf stems. They can be overlooked and ignored easily, but their damage is tremendous: they cause bougainvilleas leaves to drop massively. New plantings can grow a lot slower and this may compel you to move them around to sunnier areas only to achieve little to no results. Besides leaves droppings, you can also identify a mealybugs infestation by looking closely at the leaves. Just like aphids, mealybugs leave behind clear, sticky honeydew which can turn into a black sooty mold. And just like aphids, mealybugs attract ants as protectors – and then troubles ensue. Mealybugs need the same control as aphids, so it is better to have your pest control Mansfield TX team by your side.
These tiny bugs attach themselves to the bougainvillea branches and can sit there year-long depleting the vine from its nutrients and juices. The signs of infestations are visible: honeydew (similar to the one produced by aphids or mealybugs), wilted or yellow leaves dropping massively from the vine and curled leaves. The scales also attract ants that protect them from their natural predators. Ant control is the first step to take, but our pest control Mansfield TX experts recommend the use of systemic insecticides, as scales are resilient to milder, organic forms of pest control.
