Pest

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 If you own houseplants chances are at some point your going to deal with pest. Most often pest come from newly purchased plants or from plants that were outside for the summer. To help prevent pest problems isolate any newly bought plants away from all your other plants. Keep them isolated for 6 weeks and check them for best frequently before moving them near any other plant. Check your plants thoroughly before bring them inside from outside. 

Common pest

Mealy Bugs are a common pest that I hear a lot about. Over watering houseplants especially succulents can lead to a mealy bug problem. Over fertilizing can cause mealy bugs as well. Mealy bugs are small white bugs and appear fuzzy. Mealy bugs can cause damage to your plants including causing leaves to wilt. Once you see mealy bugs isolate the infested plant and treat immediately. Neem oil is a common way of treating a mealy bug problem. You can make neem oil spray and spray it directly onto the plant to kill mealy bugs. Rubbing alcohol is also a popular method. Dip a q tip in rubbing alcohol and rub it on any part of the plant where you see mealy bugs. Make sure to get into all the creases. 

Aphids are another common pest. Aphids are a small green insect. Some have wings and others don't. Aphids will weaken and stunt the growth of your plant. They can cause leaves to wilt.  Aphids can be killed with a dish soap and water mixture. Spray a mixture of 1 quart water and 1 teaspoon dish soap directly onto your plant. You can also use a q tip with rubbing alcohol. Rub the q tip anywhere you see aphids. Spraying neem oil will also help with aphids. Most methods will need to be repeated a few times to make sure the infestation is truly gone. 

Fungus gnats will be seen flying near the soil of your plant. They do not feed on your plants, but can be bothersome. Some species of fungus gnats will feed on the roots of plants. Allow plants to dry out between watering to help prevent fungus gnats. Plant sticky traps are a good way to treat fungus gnats. Remove the top 1" of soil to get rid of eggs. 

Scales are usually found on stems or the bottom of leaves. Early infestation of scales can be removed by scraping the scales off. Neem oil can be sprayed for larger infestations it will suffocate adult scales. Scales come from plants bought and brought into your home most commonly. They also come from reusing and unsterilized pot or keeping your plants outside during the summer. If left untreated scales will kill your plant.