Have you noticed those fluffy cotton like stuff on your plants lately and it feels waxy when you touch?
Do not ignore and brush it off assuming these are some kind of fungus; you are dealing with Mealybugs here.
Read on to know more about this pests and how to save your plants from its infestation.
What are Mealybugs?
Mealybugs are very soft-bodied and create white wax like cottony material.
They are often confused with another similar insect scale, but while the scale has hard-coated shell mealybugs is soft-bodied.
These bugs feed on the plant juice and excrete honeydew. This honeydew attracts ants. So when you find ants around your plants, it is a sign that your plant has been infested.
How Mealybugs grow?
Mealybugs generally thrive in warm climatic conditions, on indoor plants as well as plants outside.
As they feed on plant juices, they are attracted to plants that are rich in juice such as citrus trees. They can infest almost all popular houseplants, hibiscus plants, orchids, coleus, begonia, and vegetable plants.
Since these are warm-weather insects, they can infest almost all outdoor plants if the weather is warm. They thrive most at temperatures between 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
These bugs also thrive on plants with high nitrogen levels. Over-watering, as well as over-fertilization, may increase the chances of infestation.
Female mealybugs can lay up to 600 eggs that hatch within no time. Those hatched eggs will be ready to lay their own eggs within the next few weeks. So they spread super quickly if left unchecked.
How Mealybugs damage plants?
Mealybugs feed on plant juices and excrete a waxy secretion known as honeydew. That attracts ants and also encourages the formation of sooty mold.
They love to feed more on the new growth and secrete honeydew.
Over time, this causes the leaves to turn yellow and finally drop off. This can also make the fruits, flower buds, and vegetables drop off prematurely.
The population of bugs can be visible clearly on plants once the infestation reaches an advanced stage and from there the growth of the insect will be exponential.
If left unchecked, they can seriously damage the plant and eventually kill it.
Let’s find out ways to eliminate and get rid of this menace from your plants.
How to get rid of Mealybugs
Removal with isopropyl alcohol
Make a solution with 70% alcohol and dip a cotton swab in it. Carefully rub alcohol on the leaves where you find mealybug infestation. Rub the leaves gently until the mealybugs die or go away.
Before applying the alcholic solution to the entire plant, you can test it on some leaves to make sure that leaves don’t burn.
This method works well if infestation is mild and is limited to few leaves.
Washing mealybugs out
Use of a pressurized water hose to the infested area can dislodge the mealybugs. This cannot make the plant get rid of the insect 100%.
The pressurized water hose might damage the plant as well. This method is very effective if the infestation is at preliminary stage.
This method can be used in combination with few other methods mentioned here.
Usage of soap solution
Usage of soap-based insecticides can be very beneficial in treating this bug.
Make a soap solution mixing distilled water and soap-based insecticides. Do not directly spray the soap-based insecticide as it may harm the plant.
Once the solution is ready, fill it in a sprayer and spray it carefully around and under each leaft and repeat it till the bugs are gone.
Always use the solution post sunset, so that plant will get enough time to recover before the next sunrise.
You may have to repeat the process few times a week till these bugs are gone.
Use Neem oil
Neem oil has natural insecticide and fungicide properties that makes it suitable to eliminate mealybugs completely.
Make a solution by diluting the neem oil and put it in a sprayer. Spray the solution thoroughly on the leaves and beneath the leaves. It will take few days for the insect to be killed.
You might have to repeat the process till you see the infestation has gone. This method can also be very effective in combination with the pressurized water hose method mentioned earlier.
Pruning and cutting
If the infestation is at an advanced stage, then cutting and throwing away the most infested part would be the way to go.
This way you can still save the other parts of the plant which are less affected and start growing the plant again.
So in case of severe infestation, throwing away would be the choice that you should make.
Hope these tips would help you get rid of mealybugs from your loved plants and help them thrive.
Have you ever encountered an infestation of this insect on your plants? Please share your experience of dealing with them with us.
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