Beech hedges are very robust and cause few problems in a favorable location. Occasionally, pest infestation can occur in humid or too dry summers. This is how you can tell which pests have infested your red beech hedge. Combat tips.

A healthy, strong beech hedge can cope with a pest infestation on its own

These pests haunt beech hedges

  • Beech mealybugs, also called beech ornamental lice
  • white flies
  • spider mites
  • gall mosquitoes

Basically, it can be said that older, healthy beech hedges cope well with a pest infestation. Combating the pests is particularly necessary for young beech trees and newly planted beech hedges.

However, if the beech trees are already ailing, you must also remove pests from older hedges.

You should also ensure that the plants have sufficient nutrients available and that they are neither too wet nor too dry. Regular pruning is also a good preventive measure against pest infestation.

Recognizing and treating bookworms

The beech wool lice or beech ornamental lice can become a real problem. The lice coat the leaves with a sticky coating called honeydew. You can often find ants on the leaves.

Cut off infected plant parts and discard them. If possible, do not use any chemical agents, since the honeydew is also ingested by bees. Introduce the natural enemies of aphids, lacewings, ladybugs and hoverflies to the garden.

How to get rid of whiteflies and spider mites

Whiteflies are mainly found on the underside of leaves, while spider mites stretch a web of fine threads over the leaves.

Cutting out affected parts of the plant is the first step. You also need to rake up and clear away any fallen leaves. This is where the pests hibernate.

The plant parts do not belong in the compost, but must be disposed of with household waste.

The Gall Gnat does no damage

If there are small bumps on the leaves, gelatinous or solid depending on the species, then these are gall midges. They do not damage the beech hedge and disappear by themselves with the leaf fall in winter.

tips

A harmless method of combating pests and diseases on the beech hedge is a self-made broth made from stinging nettle or field horsetail. The non-flowering herb is collected and soaked in water for 24 hours. After straining, the brew is diluted and the beech hedge is sprayed several times with it.

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Garden design