Insects That Damage Bleeding Heart Flower

Tap to Read ➤ Reshma Jirage

Bleeding heart plant is popular for its beautiful, decorative flowers and leaves. The most common problem while growing these plants is insects and pests, which can affect its growth.

Bleeding Heart Flower

Scientifically known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis, bleeding heart flower is a herbaceous perennial plant. It is a gardeners’ favorite plant due to its attractive heart-shaped white and pink flowers that bloom in spring.

Since it is an easy-to-grow plant, it can be affected by many insects and pests such as aphids, scale, snails and slugs.

Aphids

They are one of the most harmful garden bugs. Commonly known as plant lice, aphids are small black or green bugs, which suck out the sweet sap and damage the plant. They are found on stems or on the back side of the leaves. These insects, in a large number, are capable to weaken and kill the plant.

Scale

It appears as waxy, pale brown bumps on the leaves and stems. These plant insects remain safe under the scale-like covering. Scale can damage the plant by sucking the sweet juices from the stems.

Slugs and Snails

These harmful garden bugs are active mostly during the night-time. They chew the leaves, making noticeable holes. They leave behind a slimy, silvery trail on the leaves.

Four-lined Plant Bug

These are the bugs that eat plant and destroy the plant within a night. The healthy plant, once attacked by these bugs, is covered with small, transparent circles. These circles, when decay, weaken the plant leaves. When many leaves are damaged, it becomes difficult for the plant to come back to life.

Controlling the Pests

Pest control is a crucial step in gardening. Aphids and Scale can be easily killed, using homemade or commercial insecticidal soap spray. They can be controlled with neem oil or horticultural oil. While hunting for snails and slugs, you should start searching them during the night, when they are active. Just catch and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.