The aloe vera is a fellow member of the Lily family Liliaceae . Aloes are relate to lilies and asparagus ; about 250 species exist . The aloe vera is a succulent leafy plant aboriginal to the southerly and eastern parts of Africa and parts of the Mediterranean . The aloe vera plant can be susceptible to a routine of insect under certain conditions .
Characteristics of Aloe Vera
The aloe vera is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones 10 to 12 . It is an herbaceous perennial also cite to as a leafy succulent . It can produce 1 to 2 feet grandiloquent and blossom yellow flower . It prefers full sun , juiceless weather condition and sandy , well - drained potting soils . The leaves are lush and grow in a rosette manner . They are acknowledge to make two type of juices . As young leaves they are spot but work a green color with maturity .
Uses for Aloe Vera
The aloe vera is most commonly grown indoors as a houseplant . However , aloe vera has been used for 1000 of years for its medicinal function . The succus in the leaves is harvested by slicing the leaves to remove the medicinal chemical compound called aloin . It is used on the skin to relieve sunburn , itching , minor burns , insect bites , cuts and scratches .
Types of Bugs
The aloe vera is bothered by a number of unlike insects : the aloe mite , Eriophytes aloinis ; the mealy germ , from the family Pseudococcidae ; and red spider mites , not debate true insects but rather arachnid , like spiders . Each insect does unlike types of damage and want dissimilar control management cadence , including chemical substance control to keep down infestations .
Symptoms
Aloe mites are midget and are spread by blowing in the wind . Aloe touch cause unusual , uncontrolled growth of leave and peak . They can also damage the plant and go away galls , or abnormal growths , on some species .
Mealy bugs are also very small and very common to succulent works . The first sign of mealy germ is livid hair around the plant base or on the rim of a pot . This fuzz is where the female are building nests . Other symptom are from the literal feeding of the bug that leave honeydew melon on the leaves . finally this turns to black mold .
The red spider mite is another very small feeder on the aloe vera . They first produce brown dots on the outermost layers of the leave . These acid merge into one spate of scarring or webbing on the industrial plant .
Control
The galls from aloe mites are a result of a hormonelike substance secrete to protect the gall . The scathe already done can not be reversed , but it can be kept from get on with a miticide . In increase , some aloe species that are frost hardy can be exposed to freeze temperatures as another way to down the mite . The most recommended methods of control admit quarantining infected plants , providing in effect works hygiene and toss out septic plant fabric or whole plant to keep the mites from spread .
If a mealy bug infestation is small , the hemipteran can be removed with a PIN number . Methylated spirit , which lie in of industrial alcohol and denature alcohol , stretch to a ratio of 1:3 , can be cautiously patted on to kill the bug . However , this liquid is toxic and extremely inflammable . It could also get harm to the outer layer of the works . If infestation is bad , regular app of insecticidal spray can be used . sample to knock off as many germ as possible with a in high spirits power water spray before applying an insect powder such as malathion .
Biological ascendancy is an option with red wanderer mites . A predator , Phytoseiulus persimilis , is hard to find but can ensure modest infestations . Other control methods let in overhead watering and spraying the mites , as they opt spicy dry conditions and the water may deter blast . Otherwise , some insect powder can control plague .
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