Hibiscus leaves have tiny bugs

Tank & Scooter · Sep 15, 2018

Should I be worried ? I planted 4 hibiscus trees and feed them about 3 flowers a day. On the bottom of the flower they have these tiny green bugs just stuck on there. I know they're not spider mites because there is no webs. I don't like washing them off becuae then torts won't eat flowers. They like them dry and fresh. Should I keep washing these bugs off? Is it a danger ? Anything I can spray on plant to kill them?

Yvonne G · Sep 15, 2018

A large enough infestation eventually kills the plant. I had the same problem a couple years ago. I had to make the plants off limits. First I sprayed with dish soap and water, top of the leaves and bottom of the leaves. When that didn't work, I tried this recipe:

You can make a plant spray with 1qt water, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp Dawn dish soap. Other organic bug sprays for plants are Bacillus thuringiensis, neem oil, mineral oil and hot pepper spray.

When that didn't work, I got down and dirty and dug some systemic bug killer (poison) into the earth around the roots. This finally did the job. But now my plant is one big toxic warehouse. So I watered and groomed the plant for the whole rest of that year and through the winter in the greenhouse, and this spring I felt it was finally safe to allow the tortoises to eat the flowers. Just remember, if you use a systemic, that means the poison is drawn up into the plant via the root system and distributes the poison all through the leaves and flowers so when bugs bite the plant they die. This also means when tortoises bite the plant they die. So you have to wait a year or so for the plant to clean out its system.

Dying hibiscus full of sucking insects:

The hibiscus today - they're on either side of the door on the inside of the greenhouse:

Reptilony · Sep 15, 2018

Hi my friend, those are aphids, put 70% alcohol and dish soap (about 5-10% of the bottle)in a spray bottle. Apply every couple of days for 2 weeks. Goodbye bugs! It worked for me.

Tank & Scooter · Sep 15, 2018

Yvonne G said:
A large enough infestation eventually kills the plant. I had the same problem a couple years ago. I had to make the plants off limits. First I sprayed with dish soap and water, top of the leaves and bottom of the leaves. When that didn't work, I tried this recipe:

You can make a plant spray with 1qt water, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp Dawn dish soap. Other organic bug sprays for plants are Bacillus thuringiensis, neem oil, mineral oil and hot pepper spray.

When that didn't work, I got down and dirty and dug some systemic bug killer (poison) into the earth around the roots. This finally did the job. But now my plant is one big toxic warehouse. So I watered and groomed the plant for the whole rest of that year and through the winter in the greenhouse, and this spring I felt it was finally safe to allow the tortoises to eat the flowers. Just remember, if you use a systemic, that means the poison is drawn up into the plant via the root system and distributes the poison all through the leaves and flowers so when bugs bite the plant they die. This also means when tortoises bite the plant they die. So you have to wait a year or so for the plant to clean out its system.

Dying hibiscus full of sucking insects:

View attachment 251607

The hibiscus today - they're on either side of the door on the inside of the greenhouse:
View attachment 251609 View attachment 251610

Thanks for your reply. I will try your solution. Can you recommend me any other hearty bushes I can get that are like hibiscus? I have 3 sulcatas. There is a lady in East LA who sells weeds, bushes and plants all for 1$ but I dont know what to get. I asked her for name of her plants but they were all Mexican names that dont pop up on Google to confirm if they are safe

Tank & Scooter · Sep 15, 2018

Reptilony said:
Hi my friend, those are aphids, put 70% alcohol and dish soap (about 5-10% of the bottle)in a spray bottle. Apply every couple of days for 2 weeks. Goodbye bugs! It worked for me.

Can you reply again. I dont understand the alcohol and soap ratio

Reptilony · Sep 15, 2018

Tank & Scooter said:
Can you reply again. I dont understand the alcohol and soap ratio

I can't help you much with plants as I don't know their names in english most of the time. Other members will help for sure tho. You put 5 to 10% of wathever spray bottle you have with dish soap then fill the rest with regular 70% alcohol from the dollar store. Very cheap and efficient. However I don't recommend feeding right after. Once the treatment is done I would wash well and wait for new leaves and flowers. I you let aphids on your plant they will weaken it so it's good to remove them. They are very common and comes in many colors and sizes. They reproduce quickly and suck the juice outa your plant. Almost forgot, if you want a natural solution without having to wait for the treatment, release a bunch of ladybugs in there it will be their pleasure!

orv · Sep 15, 2018

For a number of years I've rid my roses and hibiscus plants with lady bugs. I can purchase a container of them for less than ten dollars at my local nursury. They have done an admirable job, so that some years I don't even need to agument my supply. This is a completely safe, as well as thorough method of riding the garden of nasty pests.

Yvonne G · Sep 15, 2018

Mulberry is a good one. The tortoises love it. You can keep trimming it back to shape it like a bush rather than a tree.

Reptilony · Sep 15, 2018

Yvonne G said:
Mulberry is a good one. The tortoises love it. You can keep trimming it back to shape it like a bush rather than a tree.

Sorry Yvonne I didn't see you responded already, if I had seen your response I wouldn't have replied! Beautiful greenhouse btw : )

Tank & Scooter · Sep 15, 2018

Thanks for everybody's input. I will be looking into buying lady bugs and mulberry trees. I just installed grass in their outdoor area. They have closed chamber but I bring them here to get sun. Ps I hope lady bugs dont eat baby Caterpillars. I always find babies on the leaves and flowers and I gently put them back on the leaves. Baby Caterpillars can eat all the leaves they want but not those little bugs lol

Ps that concrete pic, it's his choice. I put hides everywhere outside and he likes the concrete becuae it stays hot from sun. He has high humidity, no worries

Yvonne G · Sep 15, 2018

Reptilony said:
Sorry Yvonne I didn't see you responded already, if I had seen your response I wouldn't have replied! Beautiful greenhouse btw : )

We can never have too many responses. Please don't feel that way. If you have something to say, say it.

Tom · Sep 16, 2018

In addition to the lady bugs, I also use lace wings and praying mantids. You just never know which insect is going to settle into which niche in which area, so I go all out with all three. These do an effective job with the aphids and white flies and now I need something that gets the big grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Other things to plant for them to eat that work well in our area:
Blue hibiscus
Lavatera
The fruitless mulberry that Yvonne mentioned
Spineless opuntia
Arugula
Pansies
Gazania
Hollyhock
Cape honeysuckle
Any type of squash like cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, summer or winter squash, etc... Leaves and flowers are good tortoise food.
Grape vines for the leaves
Broadleaf plantain is easy to cultivate too. I've got seeds if you want to come and get some.
Clover
Alfalfa
The Testudo seed mix from https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix is top notch and easy to grow.
Roses only if they are not treated with chemicals. Most of them are...
Then there are lots and lots of weeds that grow here in winter when it rains: Mallow, sow thistle, thistle, dandelion, prickly lettuce, plantain and so many others...

Reptilony · Sep 16, 2018

Tom said:
In addition to the lady bugs, I also use lace wings and praying mantids. You just never know which insect is going to settle into which niche in which area, so I go all out with all three. These do an effective job with the aphids and white flies and now I need something that gets the big grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Other things to plant for them to eat that work well in our area:
Blue hibiscus
Lavatera
The fruitless mulberry that Yvonne mentioned
Spineless opuntia
Arugula
Pansies
Gazania
Hollyhock
Cape honeysuckle
Any type of squash like cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, summer or winter squash, etc... Leaves and flowers are good tortoise food.
Grape vines for the leaves
Broadleaf plantain is easy to cultivate too. I've got seeds if you want to come and get some.
Clover
Alfalfa
The Testudo seed mix from https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix is top notch and easy to grow.
Roses only if they are not treated with chemicals. Most of them are...
Then there are lots and lots of weeds that grow here in winter when it rains: Mallow, sow thistle, thistle, dandelion, prickly lettuce, plantain and so many others...

Wow, you can buy a bunch of praying mantis?

Tom · Sep 16, 2018

Reptilony said:
Wow, you can buy a bunch of praying mantis?

They sell the egg cases. You stick the cases into your bushes and they hatch out. Several hundred of them. They are ravenous and eat up every aphid in sight.

Reptilony · Sep 16, 2018

Tom said:
They sell the egg cases. You stick the cases into your bushes and they hatch out. Several hundred of them. They are ravenous and eat up every aphid in sight.

So cool, I wish I lived south...

Tom · Sep 16, 2018

Reptilony said:
So cool, I wish I lived south...

I think this would work where you are in summer. I just don't think the eggs would survive winter, but maybe they would...

Reptilony · Sep 16, 2018

Tom said:
I think this would work where you are in summer. I just don't think the eggs would survive winter, but maybe they would...

Well we're supposed to have 3 species that live in Can now. Idk how it work tho. For my situation right now I don't think I would want many praying mantis in my appartment lol. I've only seen one wild mantis in my life, I was 7 year, I put it in a ziploc and someone sat on it. Very sad

Big Charlie · Sep 19, 2018

I often dip my tortoise's hibiscus flowers in water before I feed him. He doesn't have any problem eating them wet.

Cathie G · Sep 24, 2018

Tank & Scooter said:
Thanks for your reply. I will try your solution. Can you recommend me any other hearty bushes I can get that are like hibiscus? I have 3 sulcatas. There is a lady in East LA who sells weeds, bushes and plants all for 1$ but I dont know what to get. I asked her for name of her plants but they were all Mexican names that dont pop up on Google to confirm if they are safe

I kept a hibiscus in my house. They don't get aphids. Does it have to be a bush to be edible? It was a beautiful plant and flower.

Hibiscus leaves have tiny bugs

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