---
title: "Helppp, what are these???? 😭😭😭 They just appeared on my desert…"
description: "Helppp, what are these???? 😭😭😭 They just appeared on my desert rose today."
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/1u7uGo-FS2OYTIonx7TTFw"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Kristin"
published: "2024-05-03T15:04:04.122655Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/oyXF3Fg6DspKj2p8CmHfP1huZ7dsdRTsEExUWLgpbXA/l965WK1HSRapN2x9q5A7VA.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md)

# Helppp, what are these???? 😭😭😭 They just appeared on my desert…

_Posted by Kristin on 2024-05-03_

Helppp, what are these???? 😭😭😭  
They just appeared on my desert rose today.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/oyXF3Fg6DspKj2p8CmHfP1huZ7dsdRTsEExUWLgpbXA/l965WK1HSRapN2x9q5A7VA.webp?size=large)

## 7 comments

### daffodillo commented on 2024-05-03

Looks like you have some scale insects and ants feeding off of them

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ejQEJ4dpUXJ9XFv4uIh-EqrfGULMBGrO7X2wOW0M4H4/MOKIzFoCSbGbb2eSRYpdWw.webp?size=large)

#### Kristin replied on 2024-05-03

How can I get rid of them without killing the plant? 😓

#### daffodillo replied on 2024-05-03

You could try neem oil

### Sunny commented on 2024-05-03

It definitely looks like ants farming scales for the honeydew they excrete. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

Try several applications of insecticidal soap over the next weeks. Use isopropyl alcohol on cotton swabs to dap the hard shell scales. Use ant pesticide granules outside on the mounds, if you can trace the ants back to the mounds. Good luck!🍀🪴

#### Kristin replied on 2024-05-03

lol I love in Florida so the entire state is an ant mound 😂 I’ll try that and the neem oil. Thank you!

#### Swamp Witch replied on 2024-05-03

I live in Florida too. The whole state is just bugs hahaha!

### Claire5904 commented on 2024-05-04

Ants don’t like peppermint oil either and it’s super safe to spray. Just dilute it like you would neem oil in water with Castile soap.

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