Does your honeysuckle have discolored and wrinkled leaves?
Does your honeysuckle have yellow leaves and stems and leaves are covered with small bumps?
Does your honeysuckle have rolled and chewed leaves?
Does your honeysuckle have leaves with sunken, discolored spots?
Is your honeysuckle plant defoliated?
Wrinkled and discolored leaves on honeysuckles usually indicate aphids. These tiny insects can vary in color, green, pink, black, gray and white. Leaves become distorted and later drop from the plant. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Introducing ladybugs will keep their number low. Insecticidal soap or neem oil should be used with severe infestations.
Your plant is attacked by scales. These tiny, shelled insects often feed on the undersides of the leaves, causing an unhealthy appearance with yellowish blotches on the upper leaf surfaces. Scrape off minor infestations with your fingernail. Prune out badly infested growth, or use a soft brush and soapy water to gently scrub the scales off the stems. Control scales by spraying dormant oil just before the growing season.
Rolled leaves are caused by leafrollers. These green caterpillars with brown heads feed on the enclosed leaves and buds. If the infestation isn't severe, handpick the rolled leaves with caterpillars. For severe infestations, using insecticides is the only way to control.
Sunken and discolored spots on leaves are caused by Four-lined plant bugs. These small yellow bugs have 4 black stripes on their wings. They are active in early summer. Control them by handpicking. Use pyrethrin on leaves for severe infestations.
Honeysuckle sawflies' gray-and-yellow caterpillar-like larvae, feed on honeysuckle foliage and often leave the plant completely defoliated. Control them by handpicking or spraying shoots with insecticidal soap. Pyrethrin spray should be the last resort.
If there are yellow flecks on honeysuckle leaves and the foliage is webbed the culprits are spider mites. These tiny, spider-like pests feed by sucking sap from the underside of the plants leaves causing yellow flecking on the upper leaf surfaces. You can control spider mites by spraying plants thoroughly with water 2-3 times a day for several days. For severe infestations, spray plants with insecticidal soap, or pyrethrin as a last resort.
Ellis, B. W., Bradley, F. M., & Atthowe, H. (1996). The Organic gardener's handbook of natural insect and disease control: a complete problem-solving guide to keeping your garden & yard healthy without chemicals. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press.
Sreten null
Hi! I’m Sreten Filipović. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade, with a master's degree in Environmental Protection in Agricultural Systems. I’ve worked as a researcher at Finland's Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) on a project aimed at adapting south-western Finland to drought episodes. I founded a consulting agency in the field of environment and agriculture to help farmers who want to implement the principles of sustainability on their farms. I’m also a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ecogenesis from Belgrade whose main goal is non-formal education on the environment and ecology. In my spare time, I like to write blog posts about sustainability, the environment, animal farming, horticulture, and plant protection. I’ve also published several science-fiction short stories.
You can find me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreten-filipovi%C4%87-515aa5158/
