What are these on the plants leaves?
- Thread starter Haze367
- Start date
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
I think they might be aphids. I'd get that plant out of your cham's cage if it's still in there. I'm not sure what you use to kill them - for mites I use rubbing alcohol with a Q-tip, so I'm guessing that might work in this case as well. Good luck!
Haze367
Member
will they hurt the cham? i cant exactly pull it out that easy. its mixed up in there pretty good.
i'd be afraid he will eat the mantis before the mantis could eat them all.. i didn't see any of these the last few days. i rinsed the plant real good and put new soil before putting in the cage last week.
where can i get mantis at?
Haze367
Member
i hope you are right! but with my luck.. I seen them pretty heavy on 2 separate leaves i'll have to check more tomorrow when the lights are back on. i just did a quick search and they are 100% aphids. i will be removing the plant in the next day or 2 and rinsing the plant with water and maybe even spray down with either soapy water OR spray with rubbing alcohol and then rinse.
CamrynTheCham22
Avid Member
I know that aphids need to be gotten rid of very thoroughly. They clone themselves, and their young actually hatch inside of their bodies and they give a live birth. They can produce without two aphids, so you need to get rid of every last one of them. I agree that the mantids should eat the aphids, and the aphids do not usually stray from their source of food (they are herbivores) so just keep in mind, even if you think they are gone, make 100% sure that every last one of them is gone. Good luck
Watch out that you don't end up with ants...they like to milk aphids to get the Honey dew they produce.
You could try putting another plant nearby that they would like more something will transfer to it.
Just make sure you wash the soap off if you go that way.
Good luck!
You could try putting another plant nearby that they would like more something will transfer to it.
Just make sure you wash the soap off if you go that way.
Good luck!
CamrynTheCham22
Avid Member
You may not even have to use soap. Once aphids are eradicated from a plant, they usually do not attack the plant again. Instead of using soap that could potentially be too strong for a chameleon/reptile/small animal, just take the plant outside and spray it with a very strong jet of water. Then, if you think some aphids may be still on (which there probably will be on the base of the stems) you should dunk the plant leaves in water to drown out and flush the rest of the aphids out. If this doesnt work, you may have to try other methods. You could also use @kinyonga 's method of finding a more attractive plant for the aphids to transfer to. Though I do not know if they all would transfer to the new plant, they might just reproduce and spread to both. This is just speculation, and it is absolutely worth a try. Hopefully the pests leave you alone!
@CamrynTheCham22 said "Though I do not know if they all would transfer to the new plant, they might just reproduce and spread to both"..that thought crossed my mind too. Olive oil might work too...but it might make a big mess.
CamrynTheCham22
Avid Member
I agree, the olive oil would probably work. It isn't as harsh as soap. All these methods are great, and I hope that one of them works for you. Good luck
