Pest identification
What's eating my spilanthes?
Aphids
Signs: Colonies on soft shoot tips and around flower buds; distorted new growth and sticky honeydew deposits on upper leaves.
Control: Hand-crush or spray with insecticidal soap; encourage beneficial insects; rarely serious enough to need chemical treatment.
Slugs and snails
Signs: Seedlings and young transplants are most vulnerable; irregular holes and collapsed stems at soil level after wet nights.
Control: Ferric phosphate bait; copper tape around pots; hand-picking after dark; transplant larger, more established plugs to reduce risk.
Whitefly
Signs: White-winged adults on leaf undersides; nymphs cause yellowing; problem mainly under glass or in warm sheltered growing environments.
Control: Yellow sticky traps; introduce Encarsia formosa (glasshouse whitefly parasitoid); insecticidal soap spray on leaf undersides.
Keep spilanthes pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Spilanthes pests — FAQ
What is eating my spilanthes?
Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea, toothache plant) is a fast-growing tender annual with notable natural insecticidal properties — spilanthol in the flowers deters many pests. Aphids remain the most common issue on soft growth. Slugs attack seedlings. Whitefly can colonise plants grown under glass. Spider mites appear in hot, dry conditions. Generally very low pest pressure outdoors.
How do I get rid of aphids on spilanthes?
Colonies on soft shoot tips and around flower buds; distorted new growth and sticky honeydew deposits on upper leaves. Hand-crush or spray with insecticidal soap; encourage beneficial insects; rarely serious enough to need chemical treatment.
How do I get rid of slugs and snails on spilanthes?
Seedlings and young transplants are most vulnerable; irregular holes and collapsed stems at soil level after wet nights. Ferric phosphate bait; copper tape around pots; hand-picking after dark; transplant larger, more established plugs to reduce risk.
How do I get rid of whitefly on spilanthes?
White-winged adults on leaf undersides; nymphs cause yellowing; problem mainly under glass or in warm sheltered growing environments. Yellow sticky traps; introduce Encarsia formosa (glasshouse whitefly parasitoid); insecticidal soap spray on leaf undersides.