#mealybugs

[daily-dose-of-insects]

The Mealybug Destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri)

Its intimidating name speaks for itself. This beneficial lady beetle is often used by farmers to protect vineyards, some are used for smaller scale greenhouses but not as often, to protect plants from the mealybug.

Mealybug feed on the juices produced by plants. This process can cause mold and ruin the plants, destroying the farmers harvest.

However the mealybug destroyers are up against a powerful enemy, ants. The ants protect the mealybugs and in return they produce honeydew.

This constant battle still rains but with hard work and even the help of trained sniffer dogs (yes that’s a thing, look it up it’s great) the farmers can protect there crops without the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides.

[twohundredfiftynine]

:D

MEALY BUGS!!!!

[theoceanbison]

This cottony mass which reminds us of a strange mushroom is actually a mass of scale insects. Ants love these insects because they secrete a sweet honeydew after feeding on the plant that hosts them. These scale insects are probably mealybugs, with their woolly appearance, and, just as aphids, only males have wings (which can be seen here). The ants colony has established itself in another tree located 2 meters away, in which they have dug their galleries. These are most likely Lasius fuliginosus, in other words jet black ants, which establish themselves in tree trunks.

[closetgardener]

@lamiafaae Thank you so much for the info! I looked into it and you’re right, it’s almost definitely mealybugs. I did some poking around online and it looks like a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol is a great idea. I don’t currently have the rubbing alcohol but I’m going to try that out as soon as I can and quarantine the affected plants in the meantime so it doesn’t spread

Thank you again for your reply!

[sunday03s]

Ants and wasps feeding on mealybugs

[talkingtomyhouseplants]

My Hoya's annoying family members are visiting... Mealybugs!

Always practice observation. Check your plant's leaves and stem. Mealybugs love sneaking in your Hoya's. The sooner you find them, the faster and easier it will be to kill them & stop the reproduction cycle.

[elminx]

One of the things that I love about houseplants is that they teach you things.

I was not expecting this lesson to be about pests, but here we are. (It's really okay. Everything is under control.)

Last week my partner and I were inspecting the cane of one of my dracaena that wasn't looking super great. It was squishy exactly - not actively rotting - but it also wasn't as hard and strong as the cane above it (it was at dirt level). While doing so, my partner noticed (they have much better eyesight than I do) a tiny bug jumping on the surface of the soil.

Bugs on my plants isn't a new thing per se but it's Winter so there aren't outside bugs which severely limits the number of inside bugs. And I jumped to the conclusion that the bug was either making or eating the spot of weakness on the cane of my plant.

Part of it is that there is a ton of emphasis on "bad bugs" in the plant community. And people with huge plant collections are full of stories about that one time when they got thrips and it killed half of their houseplants. Mind you half of their houseplants is still more than all of mine, but I have worries.

Anyway, it turned out to be fine - they were probably springtails. We removed the soil and the bugs don't seem to be on any of my other plants. (The dracaena didn't have a rotten or being eaten cane, either) But, I decided that I had gone far too long as a plant parent without owning Neem so we made plans to go to the plant store.

They were having a buy one get one half off houseplant sale.

Even then, I almost made it out of the store without anything other than the Neem. I really want a Scindapsus pictus (Satin Pothos) but the specimens they had in the size that I wanted were very sad looking and over watered. But as I made one more circuit of the store, I realized that they had put the hoyas in the succulent aisle. (I am not sure where I expected them to be but they aren't full sun like the sign said...so?!?)

I sort of said that I wasn't going to get any more hoyas for a while but they had some Lisas (Hoya australis ssp. tenuipes). It turns out that I love the yellow variegation as much in person as I have in photos. Plus my partner immediately fell in love with the Compactas because they look like brains.

I checked the plants in the greenhouse. It wasn't until I came home though that I saw the mealies. (on the Lisa - despite the Compacta's reputation for harboring mealies, neither of us has spotted anything untoward...yet)

There weren't many and I'd only ever seen one mealie infestation in person before and it was an INFESTATION. This is a bit of fuzz between a few branches on one of the three plants in the pot. I'm proud of myself for catching it. And now I get to treat for mealybugs for the first time. Like a real plant mom.

(I've only ever dealt with aphids and fungus gnats prior, at least on inside plants)

I actually thought that I would be more grossed out.

[houseplantcentral]

Yep, it happens to the best of us. Mealybugs are very difficult to get rid of, but there are some things you can do.

What are mealybugs and what should you do about them?

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