Wow, that looks like a few of my plants (not semps, and not aphids).

I seem to have a near biblical swarm of tiny baby grasshoppers around here. Walking through the grass and they are flying everywhere. It's been so dry in the past couple years that I have never seen anything like this since I started outside gardening.

This is the first actual spring we've had in quite a while.

Wow, sure hope you aren't going to have a plague of grasshoppers?

Just got home, so going out to take an up close photo of the above semp. See if I can get a detailed photo of the critters.

Yeah, me too.
Guess I have to just wait and see... (like so many other things)

I've seen brown bumps like that in the past on some of my semps and just assumed it was insect damage. They seemed to grow out of it.

Sorry to hear about all the aphid infestations all over. What a bummer. Every year it seems like there is some kind of critter problem for some of us. You'll have to invite a bunch of ladybugs over for lunch - they love aphids!

Great idea Chris. I think I saw bags of them at the garden center.

I have bought ladybugs but they never stay with me. Put a bunch of them in my greenhouse a few years ago, was fun to watch them get the aphids.

msrockwood said: Ok I tried my best keeping mind about the fuzzies but I do not own a tripod. Perhaps I should get a tiny one today. I hope these are better....

To me, it looks like two things, the raised brown one is like a scale..while the other blackish smaller spots seems like fungal ones.
I would try an alcohol swab to remove those scales, it just depends if that is a soft armored or hard armored one. Sometimes takes several applications.

I wonder if that will work on the aphids?

valleylynn said:I wonder if that will work on the aphids?

Yes it does, I read on another website to mix rubbing alcohol and water 50/50 ratio and spray them. They curl up and die immediately and it doesn't hurt the plant. I did it all the time on my Japanese maple tree and it worked wonderfully. Doesn't hurt the succulents either. My son loves to catch lady bugs so we get a bunch and put them directly on the plants. Between the two, the aphids don't like to hang out on our patio.

tarev said:

To me, it looks like two things, the raised brown one is like a scale..while the other blackish smaller spots seems like fungal ones.
I would try an alcohol swab to remove those scales, it just depends if that is a soft armored or hard armored one. Sometimes takes several applications.

I'm going to try that, thank you!

Thank you Jennifer. Good to know, will give it a try tomorrow.

Greenfly attacking my semps


Whilst I was washing them off this guy crawled casually out from the base ...The dreaded Vine Weevil. All out war has been declared




One of his antlers got knocked off in the ensuing battle.

Lol! If I had found him more than one thing would be missing!

Just ask that toad that invaded Chris's plants.

Hope that weevil is dead Paddy.

I'm a bit late jumping on this thread, but I spray diluted washing up liquid when I get aphids on my roses, its very quick and effective.