Expert: Long Island Gardener - 7/1/2008

Question
QUESTION: My Dasie's just planted last year, and was doing well last year and as well as this year until just a week ago i notice some black spots on the white petals. and i think i can see some tiny little things moving around i think it's some kind of bug. can some ome help please.(these Dasie's live in Quebec Canada)
thanks
marina

ANSWER: There are about 100 pages of different plants that someone in the world refers to as Daisies, and that doesn't count my Dog, or the comic strip girlfriend of L'il Abner.

We can almost certainly assume that the moving spots are insects and they are not up to any good on the petals of your Daisies.  Your description sounds like you are looking at the Flea Beetle -- a common pest found around many flowering plants.  A closeup of a leaf with this bug would look like this:

vegipm.tamu.edu/chewing2/fleabeetle.html

Note they measure a mere 1/16th of an inch in size.  There are LOTS of different kinds of bugs named Flea Beetles, but they do basically the same thing and look identical unless you get up close and personal.

Get yourself a spray bottle and fill it with water, then mix in some dish soap (carefully to minimize bubbles) and spray.  Odds are the bugs will head for the hills.

Alternate this treatment with another spray bottle every few days, this filled with garlic water.  Blend a few cloves of garlic in a blender and add water; strain through a few cheesecloth (to get out all the pieces of garlic, which will clog the spray), and fill spray bottle.

Ladybugs eat the larvae.  Praying Mantids eat everything in sight, except maybe spiders.  Although I'm not sure.

Keep me posted.  Your followups invited.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER

If finances allow, purchase or order some Ladybugs, Lacewings or Praying Mantids.  



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi Again, theses Dasies are also attract flies.i have never seen flies on flowers.can tell me why?

Answer
Depends on the fly.  If you are referring to Thrips or Gnats, this could be a problem with the Soil.  Use of unaged Manure would attract Flies to the area.  But somehow I think you are saying these are landing right on the blooms.  Large Flies?  The kinds you find in a Barn?  The ones you catch with Flypaper?  Yikes!

No idea.  Flies pollinate certain species of Orchids and other flowers, which attract them with foul-smelling odors that repel us mammals.

Something funny going on there in your garden.  Please elaborate if possible.  What kinds of flies are we talking here?

L.I.G.