The most common pests in bonsai and their treatment – Macrobonsai®

Caring for a bonsai is not only watering, pruning or transplanting, it is also knowing what problems can affect them, since bonsai are plants, and as such, they also have the risk of suffering pests and diseases. However, bonsai play with a factor against it: size.

If a caterpillar is present in a tree it will damage its leaves, but can you imagine what it could do in a bonsai?

Therefore, we must pay close attention to the care and protection of our small tree since any insect could seriously damage its health.

We must keep in mind that we do not need to buy special products to eliminate pests in a bonsai, since the same insect will damage plants of greater or lesser size, even if the impact is different, and therefore we can use the same product, just remember Follow the instructions for use to apply the appropriate dose to get rid of the pest and not damage the plant.

Aphid

The lanígero aphid is very similar to cochineal, is brown in color and covers itself with a layer of cochineal-like wax and can be a serious threat to a bonsai. It feeds on the most tender shoots, the smallest and thinnest branches and the new leaves. This aphid attacks mostly bonsai that have fruit and flower and usually appears mostly during spring and summer. The branches affected by the aphid have a progressive death, since the effect of this parasite on the bonsai is the paralysis of its growth and the deformation of the shoots.
To eliminate it you must use a systemic insecticide, by spraying. You can also try to eliminate it with a cotton soaked in mineral turpentine. You can also use homemade insecticides to end this pest, the most suitable are based on tobacco or even with soap and water.

Whitefly

When the highest temperatures arrive, the whitefly also arrives, a small insect that at first glance may look like a small white butterfly. It is usually located on the underside or underside of the leaves, along with their larvae.

It affects the bonsai producing a paralysis of the growth and segregation of molasses in the leaves, it is eliminated with a specific insecticide for the whitefly. In addition, it is important that in order to eliminate this pest altogether, we remove the leaves where the larvae are.

Mites

These small parasites are located in adult leaves and cause widespread defoliation. They appear in the period from late spring to mid-fall. The best way to treat them is with the use of synthetic acaricides, that is, special products to eliminate mites that we can find in stores specializing in plants. Although, we can also opt for home remedies created from nettles.

The cottony mealybug

Cottony mealybug is an insect that is characterized by creating a white wax wrap and attacking bonsai by weakening them quickly. Without a doubt, it is one of the most dangerous pests because it affects the entire bonsai.

It is located in the trunk and branches, occasionally it can affect the roots. It usually reproduces and deposits its larvae during the summer, these feed on the finest branches, which causes great damage to the growth of the tree and even its death.

Because of its high risk, we must act as soon as possible, as soon as we detect the first symptom. If the mealybugs reach adulthood, it will be very difficult to eliminate them with a conventional insecticide.

For its elimination you should apply methyl alcohol with a little cotton. Also, if you have more than one copy, you should isolate the sick bonsai so that it does not infect the other specimens.

Red spider

The red spider is a small mite that attacks bonsai of various types, indoor and outdoor. They cover the leaves with an extremely fine silk, only visible in light, causing the leaves to change color, weaken and die.

Capsids

The capsids are insects of very small size and yellow and green colors, devour new flowers and leaves and attack especially in winter. You can find their eggs in the thinnest parts of your bonsai.
To eliminate them, the best option is to dip a cotton ball in methyl alcohol and remove the insects and their eggs. But it is not advisable to do it if the bonsai is in the flowering season.

The ants

Ants usually appear only if there are aphids in the bonsai because they feed on the sweet substance they produce. Although they can attack the tree in several ways, they do not create direct severe damage. They make tunnels and nests in the ground and take small seeds.

To eliminate them, you will have to find and destroy the nests they have created that are usually near the tree trunk. If you have the bonsai in a pot and there are the nests, it is best to transplant it.