Protecting green spaces: aphids, leaf beetles, mites and other pests

What damages trees and shrubs

• Aphids suck sap from young shoots: leaves curl and a sticky coating (honeydew) appears, on which sooty mould grows.
• Leaf beetles and caterpillars eat leaves: holes, lace-like leaves, bare branches. For example, the elm leaf beetle can strip much of an elm’s foliage in one season.
• Spider mites cause tiny pale dots, yellowing and fine webbing, especially in heat and drought.
• Scale insects form immobile bumps on bark and branches and weaken the tree.
• Beetles and their larvae damage leaves, shoots and roots.

Why timing matters

Aphids produce many generations per season, and spider mites multiply very quickly in the heat. If treatment starts after the foliage is gone, the tree weakens and the pests move to neighbouring plants. The best time is early: as leaves open and larvae hatch.

Protection methods

1. Survey — we identify the pest and the extent of damage.
2. Spraying crowns and shrubs — timed to the pest’s stage, in the morning or evening, in calm weather.
3. Lawn and flower-bed treatment — against pests of grass and flowers.
4. Ant control — ants guard and spread aphids.
5. Follow-up — a repeat inspection and, if needed, a repeat treatment.

Safety

• We work in calm weather and restrict access during treatment.
• We take nearby apiaries, water and playgrounds into account when choosing the product and time.
• We use officially approved products according to the manufacturer’s rules.

What helps plants

• Pruning dead and diseased branches.
• Clearing fallen leaves — many pests overwinter in them.
• Watering in drought: weakened trees suffer more from pests.