March 24, 2021 Some of these yard pests pose only an inconvenience, but others can do some real damage to the plants and tree life in your yards. Here are several tree bugs to watch out for and how to get rid of them. As spring rears its head, many take to the outdoors to enjoy the beautiful weather that comes with this time of year. Along with great weather, spring also brings greener life, more daylight, and sunnier days. However, while all of these things sound great, not everything that comes with spring is welcomed with open arms. The warmer weather of spring also means the return of many bugs and arachnids, such as spiders, beetles, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and so many more. Some of these yard pests pose only an inconvenience, but others can do some real damage to the plants and tree life in your yards. Here are several tree bugs to watch out for and how to get rid of them. Aphids These little bugs are small, green, and have a pear-like shape. They usually like to hang around the undersides of leaves, on fruit, on vegetables, flowers, and pretty much most plant life. While they look small and harmless, they cause substantial damage to plant life if not eradicated. When you see a group of aphids hanging out underneath a leaf, it’s not because they’re all trying to catch a breather. Aphids eat away at whatever plant surface they hang out on. This causes leaves to rot away and other plant life to die and rot. Eradication of these little guys is quite simple. One of the easiest things you can do to make sure these bugs don’t stay around is to wash your plants. If they have the strength to handle it, give your plant-life a hose down with a strong spray of water. This will wash away those pesky aphids and keep your plant life safe during spring and summer. Colorado Potato Beetle The Colorado potato beetle is exactly what it sounds like. They look like ladybugs, but they have ten black and white stripes on their shells instead of spots. They can often be found in Colorado and love to feed on potato leaves. However, this bug’s characteristics aren’t limited to just its name. While it bears Colorado and potato in its title, this beetle can be found throughout several states in the southwest. It also hangs out in more places than just potato leaves. Colorado beetles love to hang out underneath tree leaves, on plants, and on flowers. If left unattended, they can kill young plants, and flowers, and cause serious damage to trees. To get rid of these pests, try applying neem oil to your plants. This is an organic option that will not harm your plants and even works better than some conventional options. Even after applying this oil, check the leaves of your plants and trees when you water them. If you find any beetles on the leaves even after having applied oil, you can pluck them with your hand. Put them in a bucket with water and soap to kill the bugs off. Ladybugs are also a common enemy of the bug, so if you see them around, let them be. They’ll do some of the heavy liftings for you. Mexican Bean Beetle This beetle also looks like a ladybug and bears a place and food in its name. However, instead of red with black spots, it has a brown shell with black spots. It can also be found in the southwest region, with Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and Utah being prime states. Just like their Colorado potato cousin, these beetles love to hang around the food in their name. These beetles cause chaos to lima beans, snap beans, soybeans, and cowpeas. In addition to these foods, they also like to hang out on flowers and leaves, eating away at both whenever they can. They cause damage to large plant life and can even kill small plants if left unattended. To get rid of these pests, check the leaves of your plants and trees regularly every time you water them. If you find Mexican bean beetles hanging out on them, hand pluck them off and place them into a bucket of water and soap to kill them. If any of the above methods don’t work and your pest problems continue to grow, consider using a safer soap. These types of soaps are organic and don’t harm plant life. They do, however, kill pests, keep them away, and give you peace of mind. Out of Your Hands into Ours We at Front Range Arborists know the troubles and stresses that come with yard and plant maintenance. If bugs, beetles, and yard pests aren’t something you want to deal with this coming spring, contact us! We have helped countless customers get their yards into shape. We also treat your trees and plant life with the utmost professional care.
