The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-12-27
HOUSE PLANT PESTS.
INSECTS WHICH DESTROY YOUR
INDOOR GARDEN.
Three Enemies that Attack Then and
spoil Their Beautys Aph ., Scale and
Red Gpiders-some EHectual 4eans
for Their Destruction.

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den Is the insect pest They spoil.
plants good looks and lower IT. vital
lity until it either dies outright or ceases
to bloom or make active growth. Prob
ably not one woman in twenty taxes
her plants through a winter without
having them attacked sooner or later
by insects. Once on the spot AMI un'
mOlested, they increase like the hordes
of Egypt, eating the leaves and suck.
ing the sap until they quite ruin the
little garden.
The reason insects are worse on
house plants than in the garden Is be-
cause the first are grown under high
" artificial conditions. Living-roOms
are unhealthfully hot; the pOtted plants
are cramped in root and subject to
water gorge or thirst starvation IL the
watering pot is in careless hands.
Moreover, the atmosphere Is sur
charged with dust and coal smoke.
And as insects always attack first
weak or dirty foliage there is q special
attraction to them in every struggling
house plant.
The common house insects are aphis.
or green plant louise, the scale and the
red spider. The aphis il the most COM
mon. The usual recommended kero-
sene emulsion will kill them readily
enough, but the trouble is that at the
first sprinkle they drop OF and fall to
the earth. Here they hide. ready az
soon as the furry is over to climb up
the stems and go sucking the plants
juices again. To avoid this lift the
plant from the shelf with great care.
80 as not to jar or dislodge them. Wrap
q cloth around the top Of the pot and
close to the plants stems, so the earth
In the pot can neither tumble out nor
the insects tumble In. Then quickly
invert the. plants top into pan of
water. and IL the water is quite warm
20 much the better. Lift the plant out
and shake vigorously. Dip again in the
water, then again shake and so con-
tinue until every tiny louise has been
dislodged.,4 Rinse the top well in clean
water and return to the window. Ii q
thorough job has been done there will
be no more trouble, but the plant
should be examined again in a couple
Of days and, If need be, the treatment
repeated.
Scale insects stick to the bark or
leaves as though they were glued there.
witt n
pick, keeping close lookout fof them,
and finish by washing the plant well
in soapy water. This must be repeated
every few days until no more scale can
be found. They are not over common.
but peculiarly stubborn pest.
Red spider is almost as common as
aphis, but so tiny that few know that
this Is what Is the matter with their
plants. When without any apparent
reason leaves turn a sickly color OF
show little yellow specks all oyer them,
or begin to curl at the edges, we may
suspect Mr.. Red Spider, no bigger than
grain of red pepper and camping with
his wife and babies. hisparents. grand
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the under side of tie plants leaves.
Too hot and too dusty air Is the cause
of the red spider. There is one sure
and simple remedy for him and his. It
is water. Have it warm and plenty of
1t, and see that the under side of the
leaves get as much wetting as the
upper, and this foe is soon vanqulshed.
A plant can be dipped In water as hot
as the hand can be borne In, and 1t will
not hurt 1t In the least, IL no; kept
longer at time beneath the water than
two or three seconds. That degree of
heat kills the red spider quickly. Din
half dozen times In the hot water In
quick succession and the work is done.
Wash all plant leaves often. A clean
plant Is not inviting to insects. Kill the
first foe that makes his appearance and
you have solved the secret Of keeping
house plants free from insect pests OF
all washington Star