Help! I Love Houseplants but Not Bugs

People are spending more time at home, and the desire to turn our home environment into a retreat has renewed a love for indoor gardening. Aside from the beauty of plants, there’s another reason for bringing them into the home: plants improve our health and wellbeing.

But there’s a downside to houseplants that no plant owner enjoys, and that’s the bugs they sometimes bring.

Houseplant Pests

Common plant pests — including mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, and thrips — are unlike common house pests such as ants or spiders. They have no desire to migrate to your desk or kitchen counter. While plant pests are surely a menace, they are mostly a menace to plants and stay put on them.

In addition, pests are usually attracted to poorly cared for plants. So, if you bring plants into your home or office, make a commitment to tend to their wellbeing.

Tips for Discouraging Houseplant Pests

• Shop for plants at a well-respected nursery instead of a department store. You might need to spend a bit more money, but the plants will have received better care.
• Carefully check any plant you’re interested in purchasing for bugs while still at the store. Take a close look at the stems and under the leaves, where many bugs like to hide.
• Keep newly purchased plants away from well-established plants in your home for a few days until you are certain they are pest-free.
• Take care of your plants. When plants experience duress due to poor lighting or watering, they become susceptible to a pest infestation.

Filling your home or office with houseplants has been proven to improve one’s mood, increase creativity, and even eliminate air impurities. Should you suspect you have a houseplant bug problem, never hesitate to give Ecola a call for some advice or to schedule a free pest inspection. Just call (800) 471-BUGS (2847). We’re always happy to help.