Ficus Plants and Bug Infestations

Healthy ficus plant

Ficus plants are widely used plants for growing inside and out of the house because they require little maintenance. However, like most plants, ficus plants can also become infested with insects.

Types

There are numerous types of pests that can infest your ficus tree. These insects include scale bugs, mealy bugs, aphids, thrips and white flies. Damage and symptoms will vary from bug to bug.

Identification

Mealy bugs crawl from the soil and attach themselves to the branches of your ficus, sucking its moisture. Scale bugs are similar but also excrete a sticky substance while they drink from the tree. Spider mites are hard to see, but weave a white web and feed from the tree's leaves. White flies are an increasing problem to ficus owners in the South. They drink moisture from the tree while thrips are brown winged insects that cause leaves to curl up.

Prevention/Solution

The use of insecticides and insecticidal soaps can prevent insect infestations on your ficus. Also, moving your plant inside can also stop future infestations.

References

• Sun Sentinel: Whiteflies Bugging Your Ficus? Act Quickly!
• Purdue: Spider Mites on Houseplants
• Live Journal: Pests and Disease: Scale Insects on Ficus benjamina (Weeping fig)
• University of Florida: Cuban Laurel Thrips