Solutions: Caution: fire ants are venomous and cause painful bites which can be fatal in the case of a rare but significant allergy. Fire ants can be a painful pest to have around for you and your plants. Keeping them under control will ensure comfortable gardening for all. For less severe cases: Physically remove mounds. Dig out and remove entire mounds (remember, they go deeper than they seem). Use citrus oil. Pour citrus oil, which is toxic to fire ants, down their holes. For severe cases: Use ant bait. For a chemical solution, broadcast insecticide bait formulated for fire ants in the area around a mound. Apply the bait during a dry evening so the ants can forage for it at night. Look for products that contain Indoxacarb. Release phorid flies. Introduce or promote beneficial phorid flies to gardens. These parasitic flies attack invasive fire ants. Hire a professional. Some ant baits are only available to professional exterminators. For serious cases of fire ants, consider hiring a professional.

Solutions: Some longhorn beetles species are native insects, and they cause little damage. Therefore, these don't warrant control. Other longhorn beetles species are invasive pests that were recently introduced from other areas. These species can cause a great deal of damage to hardwood trees. Apply an insecticide containing imidacloprid as a soil injection or trunk injection following product instructions. This will enter into new grow and kill adults who feed on foliage. This will not help save trees that are already infested with large amounts of larvae, but it will save trees located near an infested tree. Contact an arborist for best control practices regarding infected trees. To properly control longhorn beetles, all host plants in a given area must be treated. Contact a local extension agent or state agency. Tracking the spread of longhorn beetles is a key component of their control.

Solutions: The first step in treating the plant is to eradicate the insects that secrete the honeydew substance. Visually inspect the plant for insects, making sure to look on the underside of leaves and in the crotch of branches. Insects that may be present are as follows: Aphids are minuscule pear-shaped bugs. Most are green in color. Whiteflies are pale in color, almost translucent, and are covered with a powdery whitish wax. They may look like tiny white moths. Scale appears as small brown bumps attached to the leaves and branches, with either a soft or armored coating. Mealybugs are small white insects that look like cotton wool. To treat insect infestation, follow these steps: Handpick insects off if the infestation is minor. Wipe plant leaves gently with a clean, damp cloth or spray with a jet of water from the hose to dislodge them. Treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil for serious infestations. The fatty acids in insecticidal soaps suffocate small-bodied insects. Neem oil is a common botanical pesticide that blocks the hormones that transition insects from larva to pupa to adult, halting the insect’s life cycle. Once the insect infestation has been treated, remove as much mold from the leaves as possible. The remaining mold will dry out due to the lack of honeydew and will fall off the plant. Wash with insecticidal or very dilute dishwashing soap. Apply a couple of hours before rain is predicted, if possible. The soap will help soften the soot, making it easier to rinse it away. Spray plants with a steady stream of water.

Solutions: Aphids can be controlled with physical, biological, and chemical methods. For less severe cases: Dip a cloth in soap water and use it to wipe/rub off all the aphids from plants. Use a hose with a good stream of water to spray them off. Introduce beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings. For severe cases: Spray plants with a diluted mix of neem oil and insecticidal soap (follow label instructions). Apply in the evening or on a cloudy day to avoid burning plants. Remove and dispose of infected plants or plant parts. Surrounding plants should also be treated to fully control the problem.