Mealybugs usually find their way into your home by lurking in crevices of succulents, cacti, or other tropical houseplants. They overwinter themselves as nymphs and eggs and spreads through previously infested plants when the temperature warms up. In time, a heavy bug infestation will literally suck the life out of plants. Mealybugs are a nightmare for any gardener, apart from being extremely unpleasant to look at, they are also very harmful for the health of plants. They do not typically chew up leaves, but a large infestation can cause visible signs of yellowing. Discover how to get rid of bugs in houseplants (including identification and pictures). Mealybugs can also come from the fresh produce from the store. Yellowish-orange in coloration, the coconut mealybug is found on a wide variety of palm trees, avocados, and some flowering tropical plants. Using Neem Oil for Potted or Shaded Plants Mix together water, liquid dish soap, and neem oil in a … They will die out in a couple of days from starvation. Home » Mealybugs: Making Pseudococcidae Pests Go Away For Good. They are quite mobile compared to adults and later nymph stages. While crawlers may be able to go back up the plants, the adults will not. As a general rule, you should always check new houseplants for signs of pests. Spraying a neem oil solution is an excellent natural pesticide to kill mealybugs and other indoor plant pests. With one of these options, you should be able to eradicate the mealybugs on your prized plants and keep them from coming back. Others merely secrete extra protective wax and live openly on cactus pads or leaves where they are more exposed. Spray the plant as often as necessary until your plant is pest-free. Discard the indoor plant if it is heavily infested with the mealybugs. Also, they like to lurk under leaves, between fruit, in stem joins, or on stems near the soil. They of course also go after citrus, as their name would imply. The easiest way to identify mealybugs is by their fuzzy white appearance. Visually similar to the obscure mealybug (mentioned below), it is best identified by the color of its defensive excretions, which are a reddish-orange in hue. Falling under the larger category of scale insects, mealybugs are part of the family Pseudococcidae. If you touch or treat this plant, make sure to wash your hands before touching any other plants. Check out my post on ant control tips for good ways to get rid of them! Mealybugs can cause extensive damage to houseplants. They’re also quite fond of fig and citrus trees, grapes, and a number of other ornamentals. Thoroughly wash the container with warm soapy water. I created Epic Gardening to help teach 10,000,000 people how to grow anything, no matter where they live in the world. This long, oval-bodied mealybug has small filament protrusions from its sides. Where Do Mealy Bugs Come From? When excreted, the wax forms a series of triangular, pyramid-like spikes that protrude from their bodies. There is also scientific evidence for the effectiveness of using neem oil solutions to eradicate mealybugs. Then very quickly, clumps of white furry stuff suddenly appear on plant leaves and stems. It’s best to completely change the soil, rather than just the top one or two inches. A common greenhouse pest or nursery pest. Similar in many ways to the citrus mealybug, it has a pair of medium-length spines protruding from its rear. Stone fruits such as apricot or peach are at risk from gill mealybugs, as are some nuts like pistachio or almond. Because mealybugs feed on sugary plant juices (photosynthates), their waste contains a high sugar content and is referred to as honeydew. Ferrisia gilli, ‘Gill Mealybugs’, ‘Gill’s Mealybug’. This waxy appearance can become powdery, which gives the bugs a furry appearance. Once the adult female has laid all of her eggs, she will die off. Consistent application will beat them, even if it takes a little time. Sometimes it may be virtually … Mealybugs look like fuzzy tiny white bugs crawling on plant leaves and stems. Closely related to the grape mealybug, the obscure mealybug does not originate in California. A mycoinsecticide can handle the larger-scale infestations, too. With some patience, you can soon get these pesky fuzzy bugs under control. Plants that are too nutrient-dense tend to be high targets, as are ones which are saturated with lots of plant juices. Pseudococcus viberni, ‘Pseudococcus affinis’, ‘Obscure mealybug’, ‘Tuber mealybug’. Wash your hands after you come into contact with them to be sure you don’t have a problem. The pink hibiscus mealybug poses the greatest hibiscus threat because of its toxic, leaf-curling plant-stunting saliva, but all mealybugs disfigure and weaken the plants. The classic sign of a mealybug infestation is tiny white bugs on plants.   Organic gardeners can control this pest in several ways without resorting to toxic pesticides. Mealybugs are common indoor pests. (1). Rubbing alcohol, insecticidal soap, mycoinsecticides, neem oil, and a variety of beneficial insects including ladybugs, lacewings, and the mealybug destroyer. Phenacoccus solenopsis, ‘Solenopsis mealybug’. Dysmicoccus brevipes, ‘Pseudococcus brevipes’, ‘Dactylopius brevipes’, ‘Pineapple mealybug’. Individual mealybugs are tiny oval-shaped and hard to spot. Among those are many different food crops like tomatoes, potatoes, melons, and eggplant. Mealybugs use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to withdraw plant fluids. Culinary herbs such as rosemary and sage are also susceptible to mealybugs. Simply dip the tip of the swab into the alcohol and dot the pests. Only a tenth to a quarter of an inch long, tiny mealybugs don’t look particularly dangerous. Mealybugs need to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Mealybugs suck sap from plant phloem, reducing plant vigor, and they excrete sticky honeydew and wax, which reduces plant and fruit quality, especially when black sooty mold grows on the honeydew. Grapes and deciduous ornamentals may also be at risk. A large enough infestation will cause plant death. While feeding, mealybugs may inject toxic saliva into plant tissue, and excrete copious amounts of honeydew that serves as an excellent growing medium for black sooty mold fungi. The little white bugs develop a powdery, waxy layer, which gives them a fuzzy look. Maconellicoccus hirsutus, ‘Pink hibiscus mealybug’. You may also notice black sooty mold fungus if you’ve got mealybugs on plants. It takes between seven and fourteen days for nymphs to emerge from eggs. Although a few mealybugs won’t stress a plant too much, it’s only a matter of time before you’ve got a full-blown infestation. Typically does not impact grasses. In these cases, the only way to identify mealybugs is by the plant damage such as yellowing leaves and wilting growth. In addition, the oil coats any eggs or crawlers and will smother them. This highly common mealybug is found on a wide variety of crops. Making sure the plants that tend to be targets of mealybug infestations are not overwatered or overfertilized is a key step in making sure the plant is unappealing to these bugs. Options for getting rid of the insects vary with the severity of the infestation. But, looking up close, you’ll identify tiny white insects with a soft, oval body. The white cottony mealybug eggs stick to leaves, bark, or twigs. Before they reach maturity, mealybugs have a tan or cream color. You can also use alcohol to disinfect the inside of the pot before adding a new potting mix. A mealybug infestation will cause leaves to lose color and wilt. You can also prevent mealybugs by creating a healthy environment for plants to grow well. Researchers found that neem oil can kill mealybugs on contact. Before planting the houseplant in fresh sterile soil also sterilize the container. These mealybugs have a long, oval-shaped body which is dark in coloration, but covered in a white waxy secretion. These are unusual in that the wax they produce is a bright yellow color. Check under leaves, in new leaf folds, and around the growing tips for signs of infestation. Too much can harm the leaves. Because mealybugs feed on sugary plant juices (photosynthates), their waste contains a high sugar content and is referred to as honeydew. Listen to this post on the Epic Gardening Podcast, Subscribe to the Epic Gardening Podcast on iTunes. However, it can be found there now, as well as South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Iran among others. Mealybugs, a cousin to other garden pests like scale and whiteflies, can damage many flowering and ornamental plants by direct feeding and by introducing diseases into the garden. If you get recurring mealybug problems, you may need to change the potting mix. Pseudococcus longispinus, ‘Longtailed Mealybug’, ‘Long-Tailed Mealybug’. If you coat all plant surfaces, the neem oil will slow or stop feeding on your plants by a wide variety of pests. Water will also help wash away any unsightly cottony residue from foliage. If there are only a few mealybugs on valuable ornamental plants it may be possible to remove them physically by rubbing or washing. Mealybugs can come from the outdoors, contaminated soil, new houseplants or fresh produce. It can be found on the leaves, fruit, or base of the host plants. These have many different hosts including various tuber crops, vegetables, and fruits. Keeping the ants at bay reduces the chance that they’ll be protected and cared for, which makes it easier to eliminate them entirely. Unfortunately, by the time you identify mealybugs by the white furry cotton, the infestation is already extensive. Also, the residual effect of neem oil helps control mealybug populations. These are often confused with the obscure mealybug, and are best identified by the excretions and their preferred foodstuff. What are the best natural mealybug treatment methods to get rid of them for good? Some forms of scale insects build up at the joint of leaf and stem, where they can have some shelter from the elements. Source: Rinaldo R, Ants tending citrus mealybugs and nymphs. A lack of humidity is one of the main reasons why this parasite appears, which absorbs nutrients from plants. Pseudococcus comstocki, ‘Comstock mealybug’. The alcohol helps to dissolve the protective layer of the mealybugs and their eggs and kill them. They bite into plant tissue to feed off their sap – yikes! Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Depending on the species of mealybug, you will find them on an ever-increasing number of food crops, tropical plants, and other ornamentals. These unarmored scale insects lack the semi-rigid or rigid shell that many other scale insects have. You’ll find out about the life cycle of mealybugs and natural ways to rid your houseplants of these tiny critters. This crawler phase will last for 6-9 weeks, during which time they mature. They usually grow naturally in warm and humid climate. Alcohol sprays sometimes are recommended as insecticides, especially for the elimination of mealybugs, which can prove resistant to other treatments. The cycle continues as the next series of adult mealybug females lays their eggs (or live young, for longtailed mealy bugs), and then die off. Mealybugs look like small oval white bugs. Males do not feed after pupation, and so they will live for only a couple days, mating with any females they might find before expiring. Photograph: Gap. Thoroughly inspect all parts of the plant—around leaf joints, under leaves, and in the top layer of soil around the stem. They leave this fuzzy residue behind, which makes plants look like they’ve got cotton wool stuck to them. However, these voracious plant-suckers can literally suck the life out of your plants if you’re not careful. You can also identify mealybugs by the damage they do to plant foliage. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Looking at close-up pictures of mealybugs, you’ll notice microscopic spines sticking out from their oval bodies. The second step should be eradication of the little white bugs by spraying or washing them with natural mealybug killer products. The force of water should be enough to dislodge the majority of the tiny white plant bugs. However, mealybugs thrive in nitrogen-rich soil, and too much of it creates the perfect environment for little white plant bugs to multiply. Both nymphs (referred to as crawlers) and adults feed on plants and cause stunting, leaf yellowing, and distortion of plant parts. Mealybugs only tend to be serious pests in the presence of ants because the ants protect them from predators and parasites. Isolating plants prevents the bugs from spreading to other plants. The most serious pests are mealybugs that feed on citrus; other species damage sugarcane, grapes, pineapple (Jahn et al. These small beetles were originally transported to the US from Australia in the 1890’s to help clear up citrus mealybug infestations. Adult mealybug (left) start its life cycle as a nymph emerging from white fuzzy egg sac (right). Source: Dis da fi we, Ants tending pink hibiscus mealybugs and crawlers. However, there are variations of mealybugs that prefer ornamentals or other trees. And, yard soil can contain several types of parasites that are detrimental to houseplants. 3. Finding safe, non-toxic pesticides for the garden that actually work can be a challenge. Mealybugs often come from new houseplants you bring home. Have tips I haven’t mentioned here? Fighting the mealybug and eliminating it from plants is not easy… Fruit may drop prematurely, and stunted plants may not be able to produce new leaves. The females can look like small patches of cotton, especially when laying eggs. They will die out in a couple of days from starvation. Light to moderate mealybugs infestation can be easily and successfully treated. This makes eradicating the plant pests so much more difficult. Neem oil is also excellent for preventing mealybugs. Isopropyl alcohol kills many houseplant pests, including mealybugs on contact. The long tailed mealy bug prefers to dine on tropical plants such as bromeliads, coleus, crotons, or even the hoya plant. With the exception of the longtailed mealybug, the mealy bug life cycle consists of an egg stage, a nymphal stage sometimes referred to as the “crawlers” stage, and the adult mealybug. Mealybugs are a sucking pest that can slowly kill plants. Because mealybugs can reside in soil, it may be a good idea to repot your plant in fresh, sterile soil. A fresh, sterile potting soil helps ensure that there is no trace of mealybugs. Mealybugs like plants with high nitrogen levels and soft growth, so avoiding the mealybug-approved environments is important. Except for neem oil. Inclement weather may cause the hatching to be delayed so that the egg sac can protect the young insects. Mealybugs on plants look like small white bugs or they may appear as white fuzzy stuff on plant leaves and stems. There can be multiple generations of mealy bugs in a given year. We're always looking to improve our articles to help you become an even better gardener. Female mealybugs can lay between 100 and 200 eggs in a 20-day period. The nymphs look almost like a mealy wax patch in their young form. This helps to ensure that you get rid of all traces of these pesky bugs for good. A cotton bud dipped in alcohol does a great job. When left unchecked, mealybugs can eventually kill a plant. To keep mealybugs at bay, spray your plants once a week with a solution of neem oil in water. These pests are regularly farmed by ants who provide them shelter and protection and keep them clean. Mealybugs can ruin the appearance of your indoor and outdoor plants and can cause a significant amount of damage. Once you’ve read the information below, you should know everything you need to get rid of these little pests and keep them out! I recommend Safer Soap, which works on a wide number of sucking pests. For instance, the cypress tree has a mealybug that will hide in the crevices and just underneath its patchy bark. On succulents, you may find it easier to use a light mist of pure rubbing alcohol in a sprayer, but be careful with how much you use. In farm situations where multiple plants of the same species are close together, it’s common to see initial damage on the outer plants of a field. Mealybugs can go unnoticed in the early stages of infestation. It’s easy to mistake them for white plant fungus. Hatched nymphs, or “crawlers”, have vestigal legs and will move around. These pests tend to live in and around what they eat. 2003), coffee trees, cassava, ferns, cacti, gardenias, papaya, mulberry, sunflower and orchids. Cottony, glassy filaments of wax and cotton-like egg pouches may also be noticed on the plant. The pink hibiscus mealybug doesn’t limit itself to just hibiscus plants. The citrus mealy bugs have short filaments of equal length distributed around their bodies, and can occasionally have a dark stripe running down the back. These scale insects can also look like white fuzzy bugs on plant leaves and stems. They’re quite useful in greenhouses as well as outdoors and will happily eat all life stages of mealy bug. This article contains incorrect information, This article is missing information that I need. It’s best not to use soil from your garden. Along with the well-known aphids, the mealybug is one of the most common and harmful pests for our plants. They can be quite active and quickly infest nearby plants, so the first action is to isolate the affected plant and keep a keen eye on others that were near it. As infestation spreads, the pests work their way inward. This organic method of mealybug control works surprisingly well. The short-lived adult male mealybug resembles a two-winged fly and are rarely seen. However, the average adult female can lay 300-600 eggs, making population growth startlingly fast. The challenge with identifying mealybugs on houseplants is that the eggs and nymphs are so tiny. 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