The Oleander is Full of Lice - What to Do Now

The Oleander is Full of Lice - What to Do Now

Aphids

Aphids are not particularly picky about food choices; they take what they can get. The small animals, black, green or yellow depending on the species, colonize almost every leafy plant, including the oleander, of course. The yellow aphids in particular feel at home here. The insect pests can be found on all soft parts of the plant, ie especially on the fresh shoots and inflorescences. Since the older leaves of the oleander are quite hard, they cannot be pierced by the proboscis of the animals. Aphids themselves do not cause too much damage; their sticky-sweet excretions are particularly harmful. The so-called honeydew serves both ants and various fungi (especially the sooty fungus) as a food basis.But by the time you can identify an aphid infestation thanks to migrating ant colonies and black leaf coverings, the annoying little beasts have already proliferated. It is therefore important to regularly check the oleander for lice infestation.

also read

  • Does your oleander have lice? First aid with proven home remedies
  • What pests are common on oleanders and what you can do about them
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What you can do

Fortunately, aphids are fairly easy to control. First of all, shower your infected oleander with a powerful jet of water, this will effectively drive away the animals. Make sure, however, that the shrub can dry off quickly and well afterwards - otherwise there will be a fungal infection afterwards. Also very effective against aphids is a spray treatment with self-made nettle manure. This also offers the advantage of strengthening the plant's own defenses. If none of this helps, you will find very effective anti-aphid remedies in specialist shops.

Scale insects

Scale insects also very often settle on oleanders and, like aphids, target the nutritious sap. There are different types, but they all have the protective shield in common. This can be white, brown or also humped and black-brown. Because of their protective shield, scale insects are much more difficult to control than aphids, but they can also be effectively put to an end with simple means. You will find the animals mainly on the underside of the leaves and on the older shoots.

What you can do

Simple preparations such as soft soap (€ 17.27 at Amazon *) or rapeseed oil have proven particularly effective against scale insects. Both means ensure that the animals suffocate and are thus rendered harmless. Spray the infected areas with a mixture of water, a dash of washing-up liquid (or a little soft soap) and a dash of rapeseed oil.

Mealybug

Mealybugs are rarely found on oleander plants, but are mentioned here for the sake of completeness. You can recognize a mealybug infestation through the cotton-like, white coating that mainly appears on the leaves and soft shoots.

What you can do

The control of mealybugs is the same as for scale insects, whereby products based on neem oil are also very effective here.

Tips

If the scale or mealybug infestation is severe, it is advisable to cut back the oleander. The plant then offers less surface to attack and you are already rid of a large part of the difficult to remove, annoying animals.