“It is better to prevent than to treat”… it is a saying that can be used in the “green” world: the best defence against the different insects undesired nidifications (wasps, hornets and mosquitoes) is prevention.
These little animals live all together and for one only season; the nidification begins in late spring; the preferred areas are warm, peaceful, humid. Check the house external walls, seal possible cuts, cavities near the hollow spaces communicating with the internal environments; check also the roller blind boxes, the non-used chimney; eliminate the water residuals in the pots dishes.
And what to say about aphids? The aphids or plant louses appear at the end of March and reach their maximum diffusion in May/June, they disappear then during the hot and dry summers and appear again in a huge number in September and October; in mild climates they can live also in winter, waking up during warm days.
They are little animals of a yellow, green, grey or black colour, without hairs or hairy, from 2 to 5mm long: they belong to about thirty different species, but they all cause the same symptoms. The plants parts affected deform, the plant tissue changes its colour compared to its normal one (red or brown), leaves and flowers anticipate their fall; the growth is decreased and the plant withers because they feed on the same lymph of the plants. The aphids produce a sticky substance (containing sugar) called honeydew, making dirty what is underneath the affected plant. This is the ideal substrate for a dark fungus, the sooty mould, which does not directly damage the plant, but it reduces its vital functions, spoiling it. Furthermore the sooty mould irresistibly attracts the ants, which feed on it: also a coming and going of these insects on the plant trunk should lead to think about a thick colony of aphids.
In case of “guests” do not act on your own: it is better to call a qualified expert, who is authorized to use suitable products according to the current safety rules and regulations, operating with trustful agronomists.
There will be a visit on the place to understand the kind of intervention to carry out according to the specific needs: to prevent and/or to treat.
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