PLANTS | PLANT DOCTOR: Getting rid of mealy bugs!
Combatting mealybugs
how to Get rid of mealy bugs
Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects that often appear as white cottony masses on the leaves, stems and fruit of a plant. More commonly found at stem tips or where the leaf meets the stem. Mealybugs can stunt the growth of your plant.
I had success using the steps below to combat mealybugs. Below these steps you will find more information on recognizing mealybugs and their characteristics.
Steps for FIGHTING OFF mealybugs:
What you will need:
1. Cotton balls
2. Rubbing alcohol (70% or higher)
3. Q-tips
If you have a moderate infestation you may also want:
4. Spray bottle
5. Dish soap
First off
Isolate the plant!!! Keep your infested plant away from other plants or you risk spreading to nearby plants. My hoya is hanging solo, so there is little risk of the bugs spreading to a nearby plant.
SIDENOTE: I can’t say “risk spreading” now without thinking of coronavirus
Light Mealybug infestation
If your infestation is light, you may be able to tackle your mealy bug infestation with just rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball and/or Q-tip. I used a cotton ball for the most part and went back with a Q-tip in harder to reach areas. I was able to get my infestation under control with just this method.
1. Dip a cotton ball or Q-tip in rubbing alcohol
2. Dab any signs of mealy bugs
3. As an extra precaution, go over all the stems with your cotton ball and use the Q-Tip for hard to reach areas and crevices.
moderate infestation
If your mealybug infestation is moderate you may also want to spray a solution after you have followed through with the steps above. According to My City Plants the perfect solution to spray for mealybugs is a mix of rubbing alcohol, water, and dish soap.
Continued from the steps under ‘Light infestation’…
4. Mix the following:
1 cup of rubbing alcohol
a few drops of Dawn dish soap
1 quart (32oz) of water.
5. Pour the solution in the spray bottle.
6. Spray all over your plant including leaves
Monitor
Monitor the plant for any signs of mealybugs once or twice a week until you have no signs of contamination.
Heavy infestation
Getting rid of a heavy mealybug infestation can be a lot of work and quite time consuming. Not to mention the risk of it spreading to other plants. If you have a heavy mealybug infestation it’s easier to just throw the plant away and start from scratch.
You may be able to salvage a couple clippings from your plant, but be sure to keep a close eye on them for any signs of pests.
RECOGNIZING MEALYBUGS
Through the process of creating this post, I have learned that mealybugs are sexually dimorphic: they exhibit different characteristics beyond that of their sexual organs. What this means, is that female mealybugs look quite different from their male counterparts.
Female mealybugs are small soft-bodied scale insects with spike-like filaments around the edge of their bodies. They are slow moving and are more active in the early stages of their life cycle. Once they have found a reliable food source, they tend to stick to one place.
3-5 mm long soft bodied scale insect
flightless (no wings)
flat and oval
Honeydew is secreted as a by-product of feeding which leaves the plant sticky and encourages the growth of sooty moulds.
Male mealybugs, I have learned change from wingless ovoid nymphs to gnat-like flying adults.
small bugs with wings that resemble fluffy gnats
form a white cottony pupa at the final stage in it’s life cycle before emerging as an adult
Adult Male vs. Female mealy bugs
NOTE: I am no expert when it comes to house plants. I’m just sharing what has worked for myself over the last couple of years.
My mealybug experience
I picked up a beautiful Hoya Compacta from a small local gardening store. Due to the curly leaves on the Hoya Compacta there were a few mealybugs I didn’t notice at the store. Instead of returning the plant, and since there were very few bugs, I decided to try and tackle the infestation. It has been about two months since I purchased the plant and inspection last evening makes me think I have successfully got rid of the infestation! I will continue to monitor this plant every two weeks for any signs of mealybugs.
Read more about mealybugs at the links below:
This post also contains affiliate links and I will get a small compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. The fees earned from this (should I ever actually make a buck :P) contribute to the running and management of this website.
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