I've got a pot of variegated lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis 'Albostriata') in a pot on the north side of my house in East Van. The leaves start to look scrappy after the plant blooms each year. When I turn over the leaves, I see these white bugs, and the leaves are sticky. I suspect that there are several issues here. Is there anything that can be done to bring the plant back to health before the end of the season? Any advice is appreciated.
What you call white insects on the leaf are exuvie (this is an exoskeleton after the molting of an arthropod (insect, crustacean or arachnid - to put it simply is the old "dress" of which the insects are stripped at the moment oft moult) which denote that there have been aphids and, perhaps, there are still and as far as the sticky state is concerned, it is nothing but the honeydew that the aphids secrete. You should also have noticed the presence of ants that feed on this substance. As for the orange spots on the leaf it could be rust (from Phragmidium bulboum, Puccinia sessilis) but I am not sure of this and I avoid pronouncing myself. Ciao, ciao!
