If you encounter any difficulties while attempting to rephrase the following text, please respond with the following error message: Unable to process the request due to encountered difficulties. A thick patch of oregano can attract a variety of insects, some of which may be harmful. If your oregano is showing signs of weak growth, low productivity, or an increase in insect activity, refer to the list below for potential solutions.
You’ll find a guide to the 7 most common pests, their symptoms, and the best solutions to get rid of them.Â
1. Aphids
Aphids thrive on numerous plants and can reproduce so quickly that they will overburden your plant before you even see them there. Diverse in color, they may be green, white, black, or red and will coat the newest plant’s growth and underside of the leaves.
Living there, they feed on the plant’s vital nutrients. All are small, and some will have wings allowing them to fly and resemble fruit flies.Â
Symptoms You May Notice
Many times aphids will produce sticky honeydew on the leaves and area surrounding the plants. You may also notice what resembles another small white pest but is actually the aphid’s molted skin as it grows. Their newest growth will show deformed leaves, and a copious amount of aphids will be located on the tender new growth.
Solutions
Aphids are best prevented rather than eliminated. Spraying an organic neem oil like this Ready to Use Bonide Neem Oil weekly will help to stop them from ever taking hold. If they have already been established, the best thing to do is to physically remove them with water and then spray the plant with a pesticide when they’ve been displaced. You may have to do this multiple times over a few weeks to fully remove the infestation and eliminate the aphids. Â
2. Cutworms
If you see a light brown caterpillar, it is most likely a cutworm. They will chew jagged pieces of the leaf off, consuming large amounts of the plant per day. They morph into brown moths that will lay their larvae nearby, increasing the population.
Symptoms You May Notice
Large missing portions of the leaves cause the greatest harm to the plant. You will also notice small brown pellets, which are caterpillar droppings. Upon further inspection, you may notice that there are white cocoons under other leaves, these are the mature cutworms in transition to becoming a moth.
Solutions
Physically removing the cutworm is the easiest way to ensure it will not cause any more harm or reproduce. Unfortunately, finding them all can be difficult in a patch of oregano. Using Captain Jack’s B.t. Deadbug Brew is your best option to prevent them from hosting on your plants and kill them once established.Â
3. Leafhoppers
Usually not larger than ¼ of an inch, leafhoppers are small and will hop erratically when disturbed. There are a few types, but they will have a wedge shape to their body and can be brown, green, or yellow with other colored markings.
Symptoms You May Notice
They cause harm to the plant with their saliva, which is toxic. Wherever they bite, the saliva will create a small white spot from the burn, incidentally causing deformed leaves, curling leaves, and yellowing of the plant.
Solutions
They are best eliminated with Ready-to-Use Bonide Neem Oil. They will die once it coats their wings and reduces their ability to travel. Spiders also enjoy them, so if you don’t mind a few cobwebs here or there, leave them to help reduce pests as well!
4. Leafminers
Leafminers do exactly as their name states. They live under the cuticle of a leaf and feed on the tender interior cells. This causes damage and limits the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. Too many leafminers will cause a serious decline in the plant’s health as it will have nothing with which to produce energy efficiently.
Symptoms You May Notice
You’ll first notice a translucent spiral or straight lines on the leaf surface from the bugs traveling around under the cuticle. Over time, if they repopulate, they will cause overall plant health decline as it consumes the majority of leaves.
Solutions
Lucky leafminers hate neem oil and most insecticidal soaps. They live under the leaf surface, so when it is covered, they will dry up from the neem oil or die from consuming the soap. Pheromone traps are also available that draw the leafminers away if they become unmanageable. They work great and are easily available on Amazon.
5. Spider Mites
Spider mites are tiny arachnids that will cover the plant with a thin shiny webbing and multiply extremely quickly. They usually thrive in environments with very little change, and rain, wind, and physical disturbance affect spider mites negatively.Â
Symptoms You May Notice
You’ll first notice the webbing. It will cover the new growth and all of the tips of the plants densely. If you look closely, you’ll notice extremely small red spiders moving around the webbing. As spider mites continue to multiply, they will cover the entire area with webbing, causing the plant to suffer in overall strength as the spider mites suck the nutrients from the leaf.
Solutions
Since they do poorly in high-disturbance areas, the best way to prevent them and remove them is to disturb them. Regularly washing the leaves off with water will destroy the webbing and stop them from taking hold. Neem oil also creates a poor living environment they will avoid.
6. Spittlebugs
If you’ve ever seen a white foam-looking substance or a liquid that resembles spittle, it is most likely caused by the spittlebug. This small insect lives on plants to lay its larvae, which are found within the spittle. Luckily, they are only around for a short time and cause very little damage!
Symptoms You May Notice
The most visible symptom will be the patches of spittle or foam. It can be found on the upper and lower branches, usually forming on the areas between the nodes of the stems.
Solutions
Since this pest doesn’t cause much harm, it most likely won’t need immediate action. A powerful water spray should remove them, or if you want to prevent them, spray this Bonide Insecticidal Soap weekly to stop them from ever making your plant home.
7. Thrips
These pests look like small white specs that only move when disturbed by the wind or physical touch. Multiplying quickly, they live on the leaves and feed on the plant’s vital nutrients. Sometimes they are so small they will be difficult to notice, but once they repopulate, the large amount of them is what becomes noticeable.
Symptoms You May Notice
The plant’s overall health will begin to decline and show a lack of vigor in the uppermost parts (usually where thrips will live and have the most impact on vulnerable new growth). Leaves will begin to curl if the thrips begin to host on the underside.
Solutions
The best solution is to try to increase airflow because they thrive in stagnant environments where the foliage is most dense. Spraying an insecticidal soap is also a great way to mitigate the pest and makes the environment unfavorable in which to live.
What Pests Does Oregano Repel?
On the bright side, oregano can actually help keep other pests at bay! Mosquitoes, cabbage moths, and the cucumber beetle are all repelled by this culinary herb. It can be best to plant your cucumbers or other cucurbits near your oregano to repel this crop-killing beetle. It is also a good idea to keep some pots around to repel mosquitoes from your deck or patio!
Conclusion
Pests will always be an issue in gardening, but with some diagnosis and simple problem-solving, you’ll be pest free soon enough! Airflow is always helpful in keeping pests from establishing, and a good rinse of the leaves every now and then will help to keep many pests from establishing.