How to get rid of mealybugs at home. How to deal with mealybugs if they have settled on indoor plants

Just recently I bought myself a new plant and quarantined it at home, as is customary when purchasing new flowers. And a week later I found a white fluff at the mouths of the leaves of the newcomer; at first it seemed to me that it was some kind of debris stuck to it. But upon closer inspection, I saw that there were small flat settlers on the back of the leaves. An active search on the Internet led me to the mealybug. This is a very unpleasant beast on your plants, so its destruction must be approached very quickly and competently!

Through simple manipulations, I managed to cure my terry oleander from a mealybug attack, so I am happy to share my experience with readers.

Signs you have a mealybug

Whenever possible, inspect your flowers for signs of white coating on the leaves and stems. Also look at the back side of the leaves; the pest often appears in hard-to-reach places where it is difficult to notice. If you notice a white cotton-like coating and white flat insects, you know that you have a mealybug!

Since the mealybug sucks nutrients from the leaves, the leaves may be deformed, and the plant itself is greatly inhibited in growth.

It is necessary to look for mealybugs not only on the leaves, but also in the root system. As it turns out, it does well in pots too. That’s why I’ve recently fallen in love with transparent pots, because you’re less likely to miss some “uninvited guest.”

First, I cleaned all the leaves of plaque and insects using a cotton pad soaked in a solution of green soap. The soap remaining on the foliage and stems will help the active drug linger on the green part of the plant, rather than safely forming a droplet and draining from the leaf. Since I did not have time to wait for further manifestations of the mealybug, the next day I treated it with Fitoverm. There are a lot of drugs that are recommended for mealybugs, but I have been using Fitoverm for a long time, since it gives positive results for me.

I make a fairly strong solution: 2 ml of the drug per 200 ml of water for spraying and watering. First, I thoroughly irrigate the plants, and then pour them at the root. If possible, it is better to change the soil of the infected plant, since I had a recently purchased plant and I was going to change the soil and pot anyway, so I immediately did this. I bake the soil for all my plants in the oven so that when I change the soil, I don’t get any other pests. I even carefully cultivate the store soil.

I washed the roots with Fitoverm and thoroughly sprayed the green part of the plant. The treated plant can be left in quarantine for a week, and after a break the treatment can be repeated.

The waxy coating makes mealybugs very difficult to kill. Therefore, the poison will only affect young individuals. Adults will have to be removed manually. Because of this feature, the treatment can be repeated two to five times!

Traditional methods of getting rid of scale insects

At one time I read about “grandmother’s” methods of getting rid of this scourge. There are recommendations for treating leaves with foam from laundry soap; some mix this foam with vodka for greater effectiveness. Some people find water infused with onion and garlic peels helps. But in our time, when agricultural chemistry is not such a scarce product, I rely on chemistry and use traditional methods only as an addition to the main course of pest control measures.

How could mealybugs get on plants?

When your favorite houseplants become infested with these types of insects, the question always arises: how did they get there? But there are many ways to become infected, the most common is purchasing an infected flower, which can infect all other plants in the house.

Preventing plants from mealybug

To ensure that your plants always grow and delight you with lush greenery and beautiful flowering, you need to follow some measures.

Firstly, always place new plants in quarantine (a separate window sill, with a separate watering can), do not place them next to your healthy plants immediately after purchase, let the newbie be closely monitored for a couple of weeks. This way you can protect your collection if you suddenly purchase a diseased flower.

Thirdly, remove fallen leaves from pots in a timely manner, as they can attract pests.

Fourthly, mealybug loves a dry environment, humidify the air around the plants, these pests do not like humidity.

By following these simple rules, you can protect yourself as much as possible from the appearance of mealybugs on your favorite plants. If the pest does appear, then you already know how to deal with it!

Mealybug is a heat-loving pest of indoor soil. Mealybugs very often appear on indoor plants: every amateur gardener should know how to deal with this insect. There are special methods for getting rid of mealybugs that are proven and reliable.

Scale insect family

Interesting!

Males look like small grayish midges; they do not feed at all. Females and larvae are harmful. Males fly, but females do not.

Adult females can be seen with the naked eye, since their size is about half a centimeter, sometimes a little more or less. The body is oval, whitish (sometimes pinkish or reddish), sometimes with transverse stripes. Numerous thin bristle processes (false “legs”) are usually visible around the body, and a double thread-like “tail” is often observed at the back. Female hair lice move around or sit still. The smallest “vagrant” larvae are especially active: they quickly spread throughout the plant and onto neighboring specimens, and can be transported by a breeze. During the season, from two to five generations hatch.

The name “mealy” comes from the fact that insects and the plants they inhabit appear to be dusted with flour.

Signs of mealybug infestation

In the photo, plant lesions look covered with whitish fluff, resembling pieces of cotton wool. This is a special waxy coating secreted by scale insects, and these insects lay eggs in fluffy sacs. Cotton balls can be located on the stems, in the leaf axils and buds, under the scales, on the leaves below and above, as well as on the root collar and in the roots. If you look closely, you can see the female insects themselves, and small male midges fly nearby.

Pests suck out juices and inject active saliva, which negatively affects plant cells:

stems droop;
foliage and shoots become deformed, wither, and sometimes turn yellow;
the buds remain underdeveloped;
flowers bend;
the ovaries fly away;
sometimes the bark cracks;
with severe and prolonged damage, plants die.

Mealybugs also produce honeydew (sweet honeydew). Because of it, the surface of plants becomes shiny and is often colonized on top by sooty fungi. This blackish coating also harms plants.

On a note!

In greenhouses and conservatories where ants are found, they may be attracted by sugary secretions. Ants are capable of spreading scale insects, and this also needs to be dealt with.

Particularly dangerous are those types of false scale insects that inhabit the root system, since they cannot be noticed immediately. The general depressed appearance of the plant, its wilting for no apparent reason, allows one to suspect damage to the roots. Having exposed the roots, you can find cotton balls and light scale insects (2 mm in size) in the root zone and on the root collar. Root bugs prefer dry soil and usually affect succulents.

Objects of attack

Scale insects are omnivores, so they can be attracted to any indoor plants. They often live on succulents and orchids. They also feed on citrus fruits, bulbous trees, palm trees, monsteras, azaleas, oleanders, fuchsias and many other flowers.

Where do mealybugs come from?

Mealybugs do not just start from “dirt” or from poor plant care. Insects enter an apartment or greenhouse in different ways - as a rule, they are brought in with a newly acquired flower. It has been noticed that false scale insects often affect imported succulents (including cacti), orchids and citrus fruits. The felt moth can also come into the house with contaminated soil (purchased) or with a bouquet of store-bought flowers.

Outbreaks of hair lice activity are usually observed in winter, but can occur at any other time of the year. Scale insects feed and reproduce more readily on weakened plants and love dry air. Good care of plants and their regular moistening inhibit the growth of insects and their harmfulness.

Preventive actions:

Separate placement and preventative treatment of new items in the collection.
Regular examination of pets (the earlier a scaleworm is detected, the easier and faster it is to get rid of it);
Instant isolation of suspicious instances.
Quick removal of dried leaves, timely watering and water procedures (washing, spraying).
Maintaining optimal air humidity.

Advanced agricultural technology does not guarantee absolute safety. Only special control methods will help you completely get rid of mealybugs at home.

You need to know this! Having discovered scale insects, you need to thoroughly wipe the window sills (with a strong soap solution) and treat all plants with recommended preparations. The pest is persistent and insidious, so several treatments are necessary.

Ways to combat insects without “chemistry”

You can try to deal with mealybugs without resorting to chemicals, especially if there are not too many insects. Amateur gardeners have tested many folk remedies for mealybugs, and some have shown high effectiveness.

Stages of work:

First, the plant is isolated.
Cut off the affected shoots and leaves, buds and flowers, ovaries and fruits.
Using tweezers, a damp swab or a cotton swab (a toothpick or a match with cotton wool wound around it), remove lumps of fluff and insects from the stems and large leaves, penetrating into the leaf axils and folds, not forgetting to look under the leaves.
All affected areas should be wiped with alcohol or a pharmaceutical alcohol tincture of calendula (vodka is not suitable due to the low concentration of alcohol). This will help remove the smallest wandering larvae, as well as sticky plaque.
The bottom of the pot and under the rim should also be treated.
The pseudobulbs of orchids are wiped with alcohol, having previously cleared them of dry scales.
After these procedures, it is recommended to treat the plants three times at weekly intervals. For this, special solutions are prepared, choosing one of the convenient options; They are applied to plants by spraying or brushing. When spraying, cover the soil in the pot from getting the drug.

Folk remedies (optional):

Lemon and/or orange peels - daily infusion of 50 g per liter of boiling water.
Garlic (cloves) – chop 8 cloves, pour in a liter of boiling water, leave for 4-6 hours, strain.
Tobacco decoction: 100 g is boiled in a liter of water for half an hour, after a day it is filtered and diluted 2-3 times with water. The product is poisonous and must be handled very carefully!
Pharmaceutical oil extract of horsetail. An infusion of dry horsetail herb is also prepared: 100 g per liter of boiling water.
Olive oil – 1 tbsp. l. for half a liter of water. The oil film interferes with the breathing of pests.
Soap solution: 1 tsp. crushed laundry soap per 1 liter of water. You can use store-bought insecticide Green soap (1 tbsp per 1 liter of water). It is recommended to add 2 tbsp to the solution. l. vodka. This remedy is used several times every 3 days.

You can try to destroy the root bug with hot water. The roots are immersed for a quarter of an hour in a large container of water, the temperature of which is strictly +55 degrees.

Mealybugs (lat. Pseudococcidae), or false cushions, or felters represent a family of hemiptera insects, including more than 2200 species. Only 330 of them are found in Europe. The mealybug is a widespread insect that damages food, greenhouse and indoor plants, including cacti and succulents. People call these pests “hairy lice.”

Mealybug pest - description

The mealybug has a characteristic appearance and is large in size compared to other insects, but an inexperienced gardener may not immediately detect the onset of the invasion, which greatly complicates the fight against the pest.

The length of the mealybug can reach from 3 to 10 mm. Females and males differ significantly in appearance. The female pest has an oval body covered with white powdery wax, she has many short legs and long thread-like antennae. The scale insect larva is similar to the female, but smaller in size. And males are winged insects that resemble flies or mosquitoes. They do not have mouthparts, do not feed on plants and do not harm them.

What are the harms of mealybugs? These are sucking pests that feed on cell sap, which first leads to a slowdown and then to a complete cessation of plant growth and development. During their life, mealybugs secrete honeydew, or honeydew - a sweet and sticky liquid, which is a favorable environment for the development of various fungal diseases, in particular sooty fungus. The mealybug pest damages all organs - both ground and roots, and easily moves to neighboring plants.

Of the many species, the most famous are the greenhouse plate, bamboo, citrus, seaside, grape, Australian grooved, root, bristle and Comstock bugs.

Mealybug - preventive treatment

To prevent plants from being damaged by the pest, it is necessary to carry out the following preventive measures:

regularly inspect the plants, especially the underside, leaf axils and buds;
promptly remove dried leaves, shoots, branches and buds that attract pests;
observe the watering regime: moisture should be regular and sufficient;
from time to time give indoor flowers a warm shower;
quarantine each new plant, that is, keep it for at least a couple of weeks away from other indoor flowers and be sure to treat it with an insecticide for preventive purposes.

Mealybugs feel good at temperatures above 25 ºC and high air humidity, so in such conditions preventive inspection of plants should become frequent and mandatory.

How to deal with mealybugs at home

Remedies for mealybugs (preparations)

How to treat plants against mealybugs? Almost all insecticides cope with this pest, but the best of them are considered to be:

Admiral is a hormonal insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient is pyriproxyfen);
Aktara for mealybug - an insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient - thiamethoxam);
Actellik is a non-systemic organophosphate insectoacaricide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – pirimiphos-methyl). Due to its high toxicity, the drug is not recommended for use indoors;
Apploud – insecticide (active ingredient – buprofezin);
Bankol is an insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – bensultap);
Biotlin
Bitoxibacillin is a biological preparation with insectoacaricidal properties to protect plants from pests;
Inta-vir is a broad-spectrum insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – cypermethrin);
Commander is a systemic insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – imidacloprid);
Confidant is a systemic insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – imidacloprid);
Mospilan is a systemic insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – acetamiprid);
Tanrek is a broad-spectrum systemic insecticide with enteric contact action (active ingredient – imidacloprid);
Fitoverm is an insectoacaricide of biological origin with enteric contact action (active ingredient - aversectin).

In addition to those described, there are other effective drugs against mealybug, such as Duntop (Ponche, Apache), Vertimek, Spark Double Effect and Calypso.

Mealybug on orchids

Mealybugs settle on ficus, dracaena and even cacti, but most often mealybugs appear on flowers - on orchids and violets, for example. When examining your indoor plants, the following symptoms will help you determine that this particular pest has settled on them:

the plant seems to be sprinkled with a loose powdery coating;
the flower droops, its leaves lose turgor;
Sticky spots of honeydew form on the external organs of the plant;
the plant is covered with oval white insects.

If you find at least one of the listed signs, immediately begin saving the flower. How to deal with mealybugs on an orchid? First of all, it needs to be isolated so that the pests do not spread to other flowers. Dilute 2 g of green soap in 100 ml of water and very carefully wipe the ground organs of the orchid with this solution using a sponge or cotton pad. You need to penetrate into the cracks between the trunk and leaves with a brush soaked in the solution, since pests like to settle in hard-to-reach places. Don't forget to wash the leaves from the underside. After this, you need to spray the flower three times with an interval of 7-10 days with some folk remedy (infusions of tobacco or garlic, cyclamen decoction). Only treating the orchid three times will give the desired result, although it will seem to you that the pests have disappeared after the first spraying.

Among the chemical preparations against mealybugs on orchids, Fitoverm, Inta-vir and Bitoxibacillin are the most effective.

Mealybug on violets

For violets, the mealybug is the most difficult and insidious pest. It is difficult to track the moment when the scale insect appears on violets, since almost its entire cycle takes place underground. But even when the enemy is discovered, it turns out that fighting him is not so easy: he is ideally protected by the structural features of his body.

In the fight against mealybugs on violets, do not waste time trying to cope with the pest with folk remedies, but immediately use systemic insecticides. It is best to treat violets with Actellik: 2-3 sprayings at weekly intervals with a solution of 2 ml of the drug in 1 liter of water will destroy insects of all stages of development, except eggs. However, plant treatment should be carried out outdoors. If after this, scale insects appear on the violets, you will have to remove each plant from the pot, clean the roots from the soil, carefully treat the stem, axils of the lower leaves and the roots of the violet with a systemic insecticide, and then plant the plant in a fresh substrate.

Mealybug on cacti

If your cactus suddenly began to grow slowly, but you did not find any pests on it, this does not mean that there are none: you must definitely inspect the root system of the plant. Usually, scale insects suck the juice from the fresh growth of the tops of cacti and other succulents, but at the same time they can be found on the roots at the base of the stem and in the earthen coma. Signs of the harmful activity of mealybugs on a cactus may include deformation of young leaves and growth points, as well as brown or reddened marks - bite sites.

To kill mealybugs on cacti, you will need 3 treatments of the above-ground parts of the plants with a systemic insecticide at intervals of 10-15 days. During each spraying, it is necessary to spill the insecticide solution on the soil in which the cacti grow.

Hot water has a very effective effect on the pest: the plants are removed from the pots and washed under running water at a temperature of 45-50 ºC, mechanically removing pests from them and washing the roots from the ground. After washing, the cacti are completely immersed in a solution of a systemic insecticide for several hours, then dried and planted in a fresh, disinfected substrate. Of the chemicals used to combat scale insects on cacti, Decis, Apollo, Karbofos, Fufanon, Actellik, Sherpa and preparations based on imidacloprid have proven themselves well.

If there are few pests, it may be enough to treat the plant with garlic tincture. It is more convenient to do this with a cotton swab.

Mealybug on dracaena

Signs of damage to dracaena mealybugs are white bloom and spots of honeydew on the stems and leaves of the plant, loss of turgor in the leaves, the formation of brown spots on them and curvature of the stem. Mealybugs appear on the plant in conditions of too high humidity at temperatures above 25 ºC.

Mealybugs on dracaena need to be combated comprehensively, that is, in addition to treating the plant by leaves, it is necessary to disinfect the soil in which the dracaena grows. Among the chemical preparations in the fight against scale insects, Fitoverm has proven itself well, which should be used to treat the plant 4 times with an interval of 1 week. Confidor also copes well with the pest, but the most effective remedy is still Aktara: to spray dracaena on the leaves, use a solution of 4 g of the drug in 5 liters of water, and to treat the soil in a pot, you need to dilute 0.7 g of Aktara in 1 liter of water. However, whatever preparation you prefer, first try to wash off the insects from the plant or remove them using a cotton swab dipped in a soapy solution.

Fighting mealybugs in the garden

Mealybug on grapes

If the clusters on your grapes look pale and droopy, and in some places you notice clumps of plaque that look like pieces of cotton wool, inspect the bush more closely: it may be infested with mealybugs. The fight against them must begin immediately. And keep in mind: there are no grape varieties resistant to this pest, no matter what the sellers tell you.

Preventive treatment of grapes against scale insects is carried out in early May, when females lay eggs. For spraying on leaves, systemic preparations Aktaru, Actellik, Iskra Zolotaya, Mospilan or Confidor are used. If the mealybug has already taken root on your grapes, then one treatment will not solve the problem, but if you regularly use systemic insecticides for preventive purposes, then one spray may be enough.

If you have ants on your property, you should definitely get rid of them, as they spread scale insects throughout the garden in the same way as aphids.

In the fall, before preparing for winter, remove the old bark from the grape bush affected by scale insects and burn it along with the pests.

The fight against mealybugs on other garden plants is carried out using the same methods, including preventive measures.

Fighting mealybugs with folk remedies

If berry plants are slightly affected by mealybugs, it is better to use folk remedies that are less toxic than chemical insecticides:

oil remedy: mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil in 2 liters of water and apply this emulsion to the above-ground parts of the plant with a spray;
Horsetail Tincture: This drug is sold over the counter and is used as a diuretic and blood purifier. Treat plants with horsetail tincture using a cotton swab;
alcohol solution with soap: dissolve 1 g of liquid soap and 10 ml of denatured alcohol in 1 liter of warm water;
garlic infusion: 4-5 crushed cloves of garlic are poured into 500 ml of boiling water, the mixture is allowed to brew for 4-5 hours, filtered and immediately used to spray plants;
garlic tincture: pour one part of chopped garlic with three parts of seventy percent alcohol and treat the plant with this composition using a cotton swab;
citrus infusion: 50 g of orange, tangerine and lemon peels are poured into 1 liter of warm water, infused for 24 hours, filtered and immediately used to spray the affected plants;
calendula tincture: 100 g of dried calendula flowers, pour 1 liter of water, leave for a day, then filter and wipe the infected areas with the infusion;
hot water: the plant is removed from the pot, its roots are cleaned from the ground, then completely immersed for 15 minutes in water at a temperature of 45-55 ºC, then dried and replanted in a fresh, disinfected substrate.

However, we do not recommend relying heavily on folk remedies, since they are effective only against a small number of pests, at the initial stage of infection and for prevention purposes. If there are a lot of mealybugs, do not waste time and immediately begin treating the plant with a systemic insecticide.

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♦ WHAT DOES IT LOOK WHEN INCREASED?

Mealybugs(hairy lice) are soft-bodied insects with a powdery waxy coating of light gray color and waxy plates along the edge of the body. Adult insects have an elongated oval-shaped body and reach an average of 3-4 mm in length. Unlike tiny spider mites, mealybugs with cotton-like, waxy secretions are clearly visible on the surface of a houseplant with the naked eye.

Males have clearly defined body parts - a breast, an abdomen with two tail filaments, a head, and wings. But the greatest danger to the plant is represented by female scale insects, whose body does not have a pronounced division into sections. Both adult mealybugs and their larvae are very mobile until they attach themselves to a houseplant for a long time with a stylet (mouthparts). At home, four types of these pests are usually found on potted plants - bristly (P. adonidum), seaside (Pseudococcus maritimus), grape (Planococcus citri), citrus (P. calceolariae). “Hairy lice” are very tenacious, multiply quite quickly at home, infect large areas on the surface of indoor plants, and fighting these insect pests is just as difficult as with scale insects, flower thrips, adult whiteflies and their larvae.

♦ HOW DOES IT GET ON A HOUSEPLANT?

Mealybugs can appear on your home plants from pest eggs brought along with unsterilized soil mixture into a flower pot;

Soft and light insects are easily transported from place to place by the wind. Therefore, pests often enter a room this way through an open window;

But the most common method is to move mobile insects from the affected plant to healthy ones. This can happen if the new flower is placed immediately after purchase next to other plants.

- mealybug: photo

♦ HOW TO DETECT A PEST ON A PLANT?

◉ already at the initial stage of infection you can see individual pests with a cotton wool-like waxy coating. But mealybugs can be found on the underside of the leaf, making timely detection difficult;

◉ the stems and leaves of indoor plants become covered with sticky sugary secretions (“honeydew”, “nectar”), shapeless silver or gray spots appear;

◉ nests with laid eggs appear on the surface of the plant - fluff, wax threads collected in a bundle;

◉ individual parts of the plant look deformed, dry out, young stems and leaves become small;

◉ the plant, weakened and susceptible to infection with various infectious diseases, begins to rot, leaves and buds fall off;

◉ white spots and plaque appear on the roots of the potted plant (detected when replanting the flower).

- plants damaged by mealybugs: photo

♦ WHAT DAMAGE DO MEALYBUGS DO?

❂ pests pierce the skin of leaves and stems, actively suck out the juices of the plant, severely depleting it;

❂ feeding on plant juices, the pest secretes saliva with enzymes that slow down the processes of photosynthesis and metabolism;

❂ parts of the plant damaged by the insect are deformed, unsightly spots appear, reducing the decorative value of the flower;

❂ sooty fungus (niello) actively develops on honeydew secreted by the pest;

❂ an exhausted plant becomes very susceptible to a variety of infectious diseases that can quickly destroy an indoor flower;

❂ some types of mealybugs infect the root system of plants, after which the roots begin to rot.

♦ WHAT PREVENTION METHODS ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE?

❀ regularly inspect the plant and especially the underside of the leaves. Remove all dried, yellowed and deformed leaves;

❀ periodically clean the leaves, stems and measles of the plant with a soft sponge under warm running water;

❀ regularly ventilate the room, water and spray your flowers, as mealybugs love dry and stagnant air;

❀ be sure to sterilize all components of the soil mixture before planting the plant in the resulting substrate;

❀ quarantine new flowers after purchasing. For 2-3 weeks, place the pot with the plant separately from the entire collection. Replant it, change the soil, sterilize the pot and carefully inspect it during quarantine.

♦ HOW TO GET RID OF MEALYBUGS FOREVER?

❶ It’s easiest to get rid of pests at the initial stage of infection. As soon as you have discovered signs of the presence of a scale insect on the plant, make a soap solution (crush a small piece of laundry soap and dilute it in 0.5 liters of water), and then use a soft toothbrush to clean off the pests along with their cotton wool-like secretions, dipping them into the solution;

After this, you need to spray the plant with a special solution. You can use traditional methods and prepare garlic tincture. To do this you need to grind 60 grams. garlic, pour boiling water (1 liter) and leave for 6-7 hours. Then strain the tincture through several layers of gauze and spray the plant with a spray bottle. Spray 3-4 times with an interval of 5 days;

❷ another effective folk remedy for combating mealybugs. Dilute two tablespoons of olive oil in 1 liter of warm water. Spray the plant with this product 4 times with an interval of 5 days;

❸ A very good remedy for these pests is horsetail tincture. Sold in pharmacies as a diuretic medicine. The tincture can be diluted with water and sprayed on the plant 3-4 times at weekly intervals;

❹ if the plant is very badly affected by scale insects, then treatment with special chemicals is indispensable. Fortunately, even the most powerful modern pesticides will not cause much harm to your “green pets” if you strictly follow the instructions for use. To control pests, you can use proven products such as Aktara, Fitoverm, Confidant, Vertimek, Mospilan.

Scale insects (Pseudococcidae) are the common name for homoptera insects of the suborder Coccidae, uniting representatives of the family of lamellar, giant, paired and mealybugs, as well as felt insects - they are close relatives of the scale insect. These pests affect citrus fruits, amaryllis, azaleas, asparagus, cacti, lemons, palm trees, fuchsias, grapes, camellia, cissus, gerbera, oleander, philodendron, anthurium, monstera, hibiscus, Kalanchoe, cactus. They settle on shoots, stems, leaves, ovaries and fruits of plants, significantly slowing down their growth and development. Methods for controlling mealybugs are in our publication.

What do mealybugs look like?

Mealybugs, or, as they are popularly called, hairy lice, - sucking insects, clearly visible to the naked eye. They got their name from the white cotton wool-like waxy secretions. Larvae and adult females suck young shoots, leaves, and buds. They greatly retard plant growth. The common citrus mealybug also attacks the root system.

Insects are very mobile and move well at almost any age, covered with a white powdery waxy coating, often with waxy plates along the edge. Dimensions 3-6 (0.5-12) mm, depending on the type.

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced (when individuals of the same species have two forms that differ in physiological characteristics). Males have wings (usually the first pair), normally developed limbs, and an abdomen with two tail filaments. There is no mouthparts (males do not feed as adults).

In a number of species, legs are reduced or absent. The oral apparatus is sucking. Most insects lay eggs; in some species, females are viviparous. The eggs are laid in a white cotton wool-like facial sac. Fertility is very high; many forms give 2, sometimes up to 4 generations per year.

Larvae of the 1st instar (vagrants) actively move along the food plant and can be carried by the wind. Having attached themselves to the plant, the larvae lose mobility; After molting, the larvae of the next instar again look for places to feed. Adult females of some species can actively crawl along the food plant. Before oviposition, many forms leave the feeding area and go into shelter.

There are over 1,600 species of scale insects in the world fauna; they are distributed everywhere, but mainly in the tropics. Among the scale insects there are many pests of fruit, industrial, ornamental crops and greenhouse plants. The most famous are the greenhouse lamellar bug, the Australian grooved bug (a pest of citrus fruits, a quarantine object), the bamboo bug, the citrus bug, the seaside bug, the grape bug, the Comstock bug (a mulberry pest), and the olive pollinia.

Some species of scale insects secrete useful substances used in the paint and varnish industry (varnish scale bug and cochineal, which produces red paint - carmine).

Mealybugs are easily recognized by their white cotton wool-like waxy coating; as a rule, they are clearly visible to the naked eye. Sugary discharge (honeydew) and a sooty fungus settling on it are the following symptoms of damage.

Prevention

Conducting regular inspections for pest damage, primarily in the off-season and on plants that are especially susceptible to insect damage, such as croton, ficus, cacti, succulents, and some types of orchids. This pest is afraid of moisture and prefers dry conditions.

Fighting methods

Mild defeat is not difficult to cope with. Using a soft brush or cotton swab dipped in soapy water, clean the plant from bugs and the white cotton-like secretions they form, and then spray three times with an interval of 7-10 days with a solution of green soap (10-15 g per 1 liter of water), tobacco infusion , infusion of garlic or decoction of cyclamen. Alcohol treatment or treatment with a pharmacy tincture of calendula gives a good effect.

In case of severe damage, in addition to manual destruction, spray at intervals of 7-14 days with one of the following preparations: Aktara, Biotlin, Calypso, Confidant, Confidor, Mospilan, Tanrek, Fitoverm. You may have to try several different drugs and choose the one that works best.

Folk remedies

Horsetail tincture. It is very good to water and spray sick plants with horsetail tincture. Horsetail is sold in pharmacies and is used as a diuretic, blood purifier, etc. The German name is Schachtelhalmtee.
Oil spray for spraying. 1 liter of water is mixed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and then the emulsion is applied to the plant (best by spraying).
Alcohol solution with soap. Treatment of the plant with a mixture consisting of 15 grams of liquid soap, 10 ml of denatured alcohol (Brennspiritus) and 1 liter of warm water can also be successful.
Garlic tincture. Take 4-5 cloves of garlic per 0.5 liters of water. The water must be brought to a boil, and the garlic must be finely chopped or squeezed. Then the garlic must be poured with boiling water and left for at least four hours. The infusion is filtered and applied undiluted with a brush to the leaves.

Chemicals

The best time to use chemicals is when the newly hatched eggs leave the womb or egg sac. They are not yet covered with protective wax and are very vulnerable.

The difficulty of fighting mealybugs lies precisely in the fact that different generations of insects are on the plant at the same time, so a one-time application of an insecticide kills only young individuals, and after some time new ones hatch. In this regard, the use of drugs should be repeated several times every 7-14 days. The higher the stage of development of the larvae, the more difficult it is to fight them.

Currently, stores sell a huge number of chemicals, including in the form of sprays and sprays. After applying them to the plant, the protective chemical begins to be absorbed and enters the plant juices. Insects suck out this juice and are poisoned.

Preparations that, in addition to biologically active substances, also contain oil, have proven themselves to be very effective in the fight against mealybugs. However, there are a number of disadvantages here. These products should only be applied to affected areas and to areas that are considered potential insect hideouts.

When using sprays, before use, you must carefully read what the minimum distance to the plant should be when applying, since the spray can greatly damage the leaves.

You can also find protective granules and so-called root sticks on sale. Here it must be borne in mind that, in addition to protective substances, these products also contain fertilizer, so before use it is necessary to carefully study their composition, since the roots of many types of plants are very sensitive to various types of salts and can burn very quickly. For such species these drugs are not acceptable. Sometimes diluting the drug in water can help in order to deliver fertilizer and medicine to the roots in a lighter form.

When controlling mealybugs, it is necessary to repeat chemical exposure procedures to prevent the emergence of a new, more resistant generation, so you should carefully monitor the re-exposure period indicated on the package.

Types of Mealybugs

Bristle Mealybug

Bristle Mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus) - females and larvae harm plants. The body of an adult female is 3.5 mm long, oval in shape, orange or pinkish in color, covered with a white coating. The scale insects have well-developed legs, thanks to which they can easily move from plant to plant. Females are viviparous. They usually accumulate in the form of colonies on the underside of leaves, on branches, in leaf axils and on young shoot tips.

The bristlebug is a fairly large insect, easily noticeable on the plant due to the white powdery coating that covers its body and the white waxy formations in the form of cotton balls. Damaged leaves turn yellow and fall off. Shoots are stunted in growth. Scale insects crawl under the bark of citrus fruits and under the scales of bulbs of bulbous plants. Plants damaged by scale insects are severely depressed, stunted in growth, leaves turn yellow and fall off. Sooty fungi can settle on the secretions of scale insects.

Grape mealybug

Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus citri) - the body of the female is broadly oval in shape, pink or yellowish in color, covered with a white powdery coating. Legs are well developed. Males are very rare. The hatched larvae settle throughout the plant, on shoots, on leaves along the main veins. When severely damaged, scale insects form huge colonies that suck all the juices out of the plant. The leaves turn yellow, the shoots dry out. Sooty fungi settle on the secretions of scale insects.

Primorye mealybug

Primorye mealybug (Pseudococcus affinis) - is one of the most common types of scale insects. The body of an adult female is elongated-oval, 3-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, grayish-pink in color, covered with a white powdery coating. Legs are well developed.

Males are much smaller, winged, and fly all summer. Females lay eggs in egg sacs, which are a white, fluffy, shapeless mass of waxy cobweb secretions. Typically, oviparous females hide in secluded places: cracks in the bark, in twisted leaves, in the forks of branches. The larvae are small, mobile, yellow, completely devoid of waxy coating.

They quickly spread throughout the plant and are spread by wind, humans and animals to other plants. The larvae turn into an adult insect in 1-1.5 months. By sucking out all the juices from the plant, they cause stunting and then death of the plant. Damaged plants grow poorly and do not bloom. Sooty fungi settle on the secretions of scale insects. The leaves turn yellow and fall off.

We hope that our tips for dealing with scale insects will help you! We are waiting for your comments!