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Until a few years ago, bamboo pests were hardly known in Central Europe. Bamboo pests are on the rise due to plant imports and climate change. Here you can find out what these are and how you can effectively combat the pests.

Bamboo can be attacked by a variety of pests

Experience has shown that pests on the robust bamboo plants are rarely a problem. Provided they are disturbed in good time and combated effectively. You should know these bamboo killers:

  • lice and mites
  • Whiteflies and thrips
  • voles

Lice, mites and their natural opponents

Mealybugs or mealybugs hide under the stalks of bamboo plants. Fargesia infest them particularly often. Aphids appear on bamboo plants from the beginning of March. Their sucking deforms leaves, causing yellow leaves or brown leaves. With the lice, sooty mold fungi also infest the damaged leaves. This can lead to more serious damage, in which particularly young bamboo plants die.

At the latest when the black, sticky coating is visible on the leaves, the bamboo should be sprayed with horsetail broth or commercially available aphid-free products. When buying, pay attention to products that are gentle on beneficial insects. Collecting infested leaves is also helpful.

The Asian bamboo mite, Schizotetranychus celarius, was introduced with bamboo imports from China in the 1990s. It prefers hard-leaved bamboo species such as Phyllostachys. Gall mites, on the other hand, only appear in extremely dry weather.

Dense bamboo hedges with a rhizome barrier that is too dry and bamboo plants in tubs are particularly susceptible. First indication of mites: light, narrowly defined spots spread out on the upper surface of the leaf. The mites sit protected in their webs on the underside. Remove and burn affected leaves and stalks or treat with potash soap, nettle powder or acaricide. Preventive measure: Water bamboo more often, shower and ensure higher humidity.

What to do when infested with whiteflies or thrips?

Whiteflies (Phyllostachys) and thrips (Thrips) are small but dangerous insects. They appear in late May and burrow their eggs directly into plant tissue or lay them on shoots and leaves. Unlike whiteflies, thrips do not have wings. They can be transported by the wind and are called air plankton. The larvae are light or yellow-green. Their sucking activity creates silvery-light cells on the upper side of the leaves. The thrips and their larvae sit in the black droppings on the underside of the leaves.
Both insects do not tolerate moisture. Therefore rinse the bamboo and pack it in foil for a few days.
Preventive measure: Blue glue boards. Support the natural insect killers in your garden. Such as:

  • ants
  • ladybug
  • ground beetle
  • predatory mites
  • hoverflies and lacewings
  • be crazy
  • wasps

tips and tricks

In China, the homeland of bamboo, panda bears can also be dangerous to bamboo. However, the animals can only be observed in our zoo.

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