Be alert for early warning signs and inspect plants thoroughly – greenfly and blackfly can be hard to spot as they nestle in leaf joints and on the undersides of leaves, and often the first warning sign on indoor and greenhouse plants is the sticky honeydew on the leaves beneath the initial cluster.”.
They like to feed on the upper surfaces of leaves and flowers and you may need a magnifying glass to spot them – but a sure sign they’re present is that they leave plants looking dull, mottled and streaked.
In large numbers, they can debilitate plants and their sticky sugary secretion can also lead to the growth of sooty mould.
Also known as greenflies and blackflies, aphids are small sap-sucking bugs that are particularly drawn to green, young plants.
Alternatively, you can try using pesticides containing the insect-killer deltamethrin for more ornamental plants, or a less harsh organic fatty acid spray on fruit brushes and trees.
