By Heidi Lindberg
Some crops are notorious insect magnets for certain insects, like Mandevilla is for spider mites. Every year, the pest pressure in greenhouses fluctuates with many factors. West Michigan IPM, who provides scouting services to clients in west Michigan, has put together a list of common greenhouse insects and crops on which pests are most commonly found. This list is an aggregation of observations from 2016 and is continually changing with the crops being grown, weather conditions, suppliers, crop movements and many other factors.
For example, root aphids were a problem for succulent growers last growing season, but they were not included on this list. Greenhouse scouts can use this list as a guide when scouting their crops for the 2017 growing season.
Aphids, thrips, mites and whiteflies can be found on many other types of plants grown in greenhouses, but the plants listed below are some of the favorites of each of the pests listed below.
| Common hosts for top greenhouse insect pests |
|---|
Aphids | Broad mites | Western flower thrips | Spider mites |
|---|
Peppers | Zonal geraniums | Dracaena | Tricolor ipomoea |
Celosia | New Guinea impatiens | Ivy geraniums | Dracaena |
Pansy | Thunbergia | Ipomoea | Mandevilla (other tropical) |
Dracaena | Torenia | Verbena | Herbs |
Ipomoea | Verbena | Marigold | Chrysanthemums |
Salvia | Rieger begonias | Chrysanthemums | Ivy geranium |
Sprengeri (Asparagus fern) | Scaevola | Dahlia | Hedera (ivy) |
Marigold | Angel wing begonia | Double impatiens | Marigold |
Fuchsia | Ivy geranium | Peppers | Dahlia |
Ivy and zonal geraniums | Buddleia | New Guinea impatiens | Buddleia |
Whitefly | Mealybug | Scale |
|---|
Herbs (esp. sage) | Tropical plants | Tropical plants |
Poinsettia | Hedera |
Lantana | Succulents (Sempervivum) |
Ipomoea | Sedum |
Black and blue salvia | Pothos |
Ivy geranium |
Source: msu.edu