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Home: Protecting the BonsaiLife is full of bugs, disease, unpredictable weather, uncaring humans, etc. The elements of life lead us to take caution in everything we do, including protecting the bonsai. Bonsais' are not obsolete from disease, pests, uncaring humans, or unpredictable weather; therefore, you will need to learn how to protect your plants, as well as spot potential hazards. In previous articles, I have discussed brief details on the subject, protecting your bonsai from red spider mites, tetranychus, glasshouse mites, caterpillars, etc. In this article, I feel the need to continue the topic while discussing goat moth, leopard moth, small ermine moths, mealy bugs, scale insects, and so on. While I may not finish the entire group of pests and disease, I will attempt to help you protect your bonsais' by providing you as much detail as possible on many species. How to protect your bonsai from the goat and leopard moths: (Red and/or Yellow caterpillars) Bugs of the night are known as the nocturnal. The goat and leopard moths will feast on tree bark, trunks, and branches, and will continue feasting until someone steps in with cutters, wire, cotton wool, and carbon disulphide. The moths will feast on trunks, bark, branches, etc puncturing holes and using the holes as a passageway to channel their way up the parts. At the passageway particles of wood start to develop, i.e. sawdust. To treat your bonsai use carbon disulphide. Carbon disulphide is non-metallic chemical elements that exist in two main forms, such as graphite and diamonds. The chemicals have ability to form huge numbers of macrobiotic compounds that allow living organisms to survive. First, you will need to cut and destroy the parasite, or infested sections. At the passageway, pull some wire through the holes preferably use iron wire. Use the cotton wool along with the wire, wrapping the wire about the cotton wool. The cotton wool should be emerged in the non-metallic chemical elements, i.e. the carbon disulphide. The minute size ermine moths leave trails of webs around the foliage. The silky threads of web often start at the cleavage of leaves. Ermines leave sheaths, or egg covering, which is the cocoon, is marked on the tree. You will spot ermines, which is a type of caterpillar beneath the leaves. The leaves will fall off the bonsai if treatment is not provided. Treatment should include cutting, "organophosphate contact insecticides," etc. Organophosphate is a macrobiotic compound that contains phosphate groups. Mealy-bugs can eventually kill your bonsai if you do not treat the problem. The mealy-bugs resemble a blob of unprocessed white cotton. The bugs will expel waste from their bodies, such as honeydew. The sweet, sticky substance can cause damage, since insects deposit the honeydew on leaves of plants, as well as other bugs, spinning-off the juices the bugs suck from plants. The honeydew breeds grimy mildew. Mildew will kill the plant, since it drops the photosynthesis process. In short, the active bugs will turn your leaves yellow and cause them to fall from the plant. Use organophosphate to eliminate the problem. Tetranychus during the early parts of the 80s nearly destroyed millions of acres of Illinois soybeans. In the last parts of the 80s, the infestation increased to several million more infestations. The soybeans were sprayed with insecticides, yet had it not been treated, the soybeans would have died. Tetranychus red spiders are kin to the family of arachnid. The spiders are often spotted in temperate districts, as well as in greenhouses. Tetranychus red will weave fine webs beneath plant leaves while targeting the host. Tomatoes are the favorite plant that these spiders will target, which the spiders will lay eggs. The spider will drain plant cells, sucking the juice and potentially causing viruses to swell. The red Tetranychus mites are only one unit of length, which equals at one thousandth of a single meter. As you see the spider is small, yet this critter can cause major harm to your bonsai. To treat the problem sprays the foliage generously, especially near the base. Acaricides should be sprayed immediately when symptoms come into view.
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