Although a petite and attractive insect , the phlox bug all the same bring havoc on both savage and cultivated phlox , a plant prized for its gaudy heyday . Phlox bugs suck the saphead from the leaves , stanch , seeds and flowers of the phlox plant life , make leaves to expire back and even killing the plant . Although prevention reduces the risk of harm from the phlox hemipterous insect , pesticide treatment are sometimes postulate to eliminate it .
Identification
Although phlox bug are petite – only about .2 inches in distance , according to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service – they are distinct in appearance , unremarkably boldly patterned with carmine and dark coloration . Like the adults , the larvae are also orange or bright red , emerging from ashen eggs laid where the leaf attach to the root .
Effects
Phlox bugs attack primarily unfounded phlox flora , although they may also transmigrate to cultivated species . The bug inserts its sassing region into the works and drain the plant of water system , and wipe out its nutrients . First , the leave show discolouration , then brown or jaundiced spots . Eventually , the intact leaf withers and driblet to the dry land . Over time , phlox bugs can destroy the entire plant .
Time Frame
Phlox bug repose their egg in the fall , which overwinter in dead phlox stems . In the spring , the eggs hatching in two generations , the first appearing in May and June and the second get in July and remaining until September , when the adults lay their egg and die off for the yr .
Geography
In the United States , the phlox bug ’s range carry from Maryland and West Virginia in the Orient to South Dakota , Minnesota , Mississippi and Arkansas . Phlox bugs pasture as far north as Canada . The University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic reports them as finical pests in Ontario .
Prevention/Solution
Because phlox bug eggs overwinter in dead flora stem , gardeners should clean up and toss away of dead plant material , incorporating it into hot compost or toss away it whole . Phlox bug may also take up residence in nearby weed , so keeping weeds under ascendency help preclude plague . The University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic warns , however , that disturb weeds while in the blossoming stage may get the bugs to migrate to fresh plants . If chemical control are required , the Missouri Botanical Garden recommends pyrethrins , permethrin or acephate / orthene . The larva are also susceptible to insecticidal soap .
