10 Insects That Eat Flowers And How You Get Rid Of Them

It ’s such a bummer when you ’ve nurtured your blooms all time of year — tended soil , provided perfect sun and water — only to hear ragged petals and stripped flower head ! I know how frustrating it is to see your carefully chosen perennial and yearly reduced to skeletons by tiny invaders . From ravening beetles to sneaky sap - chump , many insect view flower as a banquet , and without fleet action , they can decimate your display in days .

In this guide , I ’m share ten of the most usual flower - eating insects — presented in a surprise Holy Order — to help you spot them early on , read their behaviors ( including nesting drug abuse ) , and implement effective ascendency measures . We ’ll cover each pest ’s aboriginal blood , whether it poses an invasive threat , and both organic and schematic strategies to reclaim your blooms . Let ’s dig in and protect those petal !

Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis)

thrip are tiny , slight insects — about 1–2 mm long — that rasp flower tissue paper and suck out juices , leaving silvery streaks and distorted petals . They ’re especially fond of tubular blossoms like petunias and snapdragon , hide in bud during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . former first light inspections often reveal their black specks and moment , shimmering bodies !

Originally from western North America , western flower thrips now occur worldwide but typically do n’t propagate beyond cultivate gardens . To control them , dress and ruin heavily infested blooms , then apply insecticidal soap or spinosad spray directly to flowers . Introducing predatory mites ( e.g. ,Amblyseius cucumeris ) and second pirate bugs bring home the bacon ongoing biological command , as these beneficials nest in primer back and predate thrips larvae .

Asiatic Garden Beetles (Maladera castanea)

These dark-brown , fuzzy beetles come forth at dusk in midsummer to junket on flower petals — specially roses , zinnias , and chrysanthemum — leaving ragged edge . They fly badly , so you ’ll often find them cringe up stems . paw - picking at night with a flashlight can dramatically deoxidize population !

Native to Japan , Asiatic garden beetles became invasive in easterly North America in the 1920s . Once detected , put on milky spore disease to turf around your bed ; grubs in the soil will ingest the spore , curbing next spring ’s adults . For immediate dominance , use neem oil colour sprays on leaf and petal — beetles avoid treated plant and wo n’t develop on sprayed surfaces .

Spider Mites (Tetranychus urticae)

Though technically arachnids , spider mites are usual prime predators . They puncture cells on petals and leaves , causing stippling and webbing under intense plague . Flowers wait discolorize and brittle as mites spin out fine webs across bud !

wanderer mites fly high in red-hot , juiceless condition and are not consider invading , but they multiply explosively if unchecked . Increase humidness with regular misting and apply horticultural vegetable oil or insecticidal soap to smother eggs and nymph . Introducing predatory mites ( Phytoseiulus persimilis)—which nest in the filth and attempt out wanderer mites — furnish free burning control .

Budworms (Heliothis zea and Spodoptera spp.)

Budworm caterpillars manducate through petals and have entire prime bud of hibiscus , hollyhocks , and butterfly bush . Often green or chocolate-brown , about 2–3 cm long , they shroud inside buds during the day , emerging at dark to flow !

Native across much of North America , these caterpillars are n’t invading in home gardens . Hand - inspect buds and take any wormy centers . For larger infestation , applyBacillus thuringiensis(Bt ) spraying to flower ; the caterpillars ingest the toxin and stop feeding within hours , preserving good pollinators that visit the flowers .

Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica)

Metallic green and copper beetles , about 1 centimeter retentive , Nipponese beetles skeletonize petal and leaves , leaving lacing - like damage . They pull together in hordes on roses , daylilies , and crepe Vinca minor , often clustering and hover to attract better half !

Introduced from Japan in the early 1900s , they ’re extremely invasive across much of North America . Trap cropping with Nipponese beetle – resistant plant can entice them by , but mind trap often worsen infestations . Instead , spray blooms with kaolin clay ( environs WP)—a physical roadblock that deters feeding — and peck off any survivors in the dawn when they ’re sluggish .

Leafcutter Bees (Megachile spp.)

Unlike the others , leafcutter bee are pollinator — but they ’ll neatly rationalize circular musical composition from flower petal and leaves to run along their nest in empty stem . Roses , zinnias , and cosmos often show these semitrailer - circles !

aboriginal and non - invasive , leafcutter bee are valuable pollinator despite ornamental damage . To protect prized efflorescence , provide alternative nesting sites : bundle reed tubes or newspaper publisher husk nearby , in full stock up with leaf disc , so they take from the provided materials rather than your flowers . This win - profits consecrate you pollenation benefit with minimal petal red ink !

Aphids (Myzus persicae and Aphis spp.)

Aphids clustering on bid buds and flower petal , blow muggins and make bud distortion , glutinous honeydew , and jet mold maturation on flush like impatiens and Dahlia pinnata . Their speedy reproduction — be nascency of nymph — can overwhelm flower overnight !

aphid are n’t loosely invasive but hitchhike on unexampled plants , so scrutinise greenhouse descent closely . Blast them off with a jet of water or coat them with neem oil to disrupt eating . Introduce or pull in ladybugs and lacewings by planting madwort and dill nearby ; these predators nuzzle in the garden and devour hundreds of aphids daily .

Rose Chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosus)

These tan - colourise beetles , about 1 centimetre long , sib of Nipponese beetles , chew ragged holes in petals of pink wine , peonies , and phlox . They feed in the dayspring sunshine , often banquet until midday before hiding in refinement .

aboriginal to eastern North America , rise up chafers are n’t trespassing but can defoliate salad days if legion . deal - pick and drop into unctuous water , or hold permethrin atomizer now to efflorescence for quick knockdown . Encouraging parasitic wasps in nearby inflorescence herb gives foresightful - term quelling , as wasp larvae develop inside rose chafer larvae in the ground .

Tarnished Plant Bugs (Lygus lineolaris)

Also call lygus bugs , these mottled brownish - green insects puncture buds and petals of snapdragon , asters , and chrysanthemums , causing true cat - facing and deformed flower . Nymphs cluster privileged blossoms , feeding unseen !

Native across North America , they fee on a wide ambit of crops but rarely establish beyond field edges . Remove sess like sowthistle and shepherd ’s pocketbook to cut summertime brood . If needed , use insecticidal soap or pyrethrin directly into buds , necessitate care to keep up pollinator active on loose flowers .

Sawfly Larvae (Cladius spp., “Rose Slugs”)

Sawfly larvae resemble small caterpillars but feed voraciously on peak flower petal and leaves of roses , lilies , and hydrangea . The most notorious—“rose slug ” sawfly — skeletonize petals , get out lacy frameworks !

Sawflies are not invasive , but repeat bike can defoliate blooms wholly . Knock larvae off with body of water nebulizer or hired man - beak them into smarmy water . For larger outbreaks , use spinosad or neem oil color applications targeting the undersides of petals and leaves where larvae hide . Encouraging razzing and ground beetles — both natural sawfly predators — provides ongoing control as they nest in garden mulch .

tortoise beetle