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Bug on kalanchoe
Berkley
Posts: 431
I have been aware for some time that something was causing a problem on my kalanchoe......it is just about to flower again and today I discovered this little creature. Is the photo good enough for someone to identify it for me please?
0
Posts
It looks like an empty pupa from which an insect has emerged. It could have been anything.
What you have there is almost certainly the empty pupal case of a moth form the Tortricidae family (probably the Light Brown Apple Moth, the caterpillar of which eats just about anything.):
http://davehubbleecology.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/from-down-under-it-devours.html
Amazing what 5 minutes and Google reverse image search will find.
Have you checked it for scale insects? - they can be a pest. They hide under the leaves and along the veins and look like tiny brown spots. If you find any you can gently wipe them off or dislodge them with a thumb nail and then wash them off. Check again in a bit for any you may have missed or that have grown in the meantime.
Thank you so much for your replies. I was fascinated by the website, Bob TheGardiner- and am sure you are right! Thank you for your interest.