Mealybugs - column
Flower & Garden Magazine, Oct-Nov, 1985 by Wayne S. Moore
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Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects that are about 1/8-inch in length. They have a white powdery substance over their bodies and white, waxy filaments projecting from the rear of their bodies.
Mealybugs: If you see tiny tufts of white cotton, usually clustered in sheltered areas of stems or on the underside of leaves, your plant has mealybugs.
Mealybugs
by National Gardening Association Editors
Mealybugs rarely reach more than 1/16" long, but because they feed in clusters they're easy to spot.
Mealybugs (Pseudococcus longispinus) are small cottony-white insects most often found attached to the plant at the stem joints or just under the soil where the roots and stem meet.
Mealybugs: Mealybugs are part of the scale group of insects. They attach themselves to plants, often at hard to reach joint and often protect themselves with a cottony or shell like covering.
Mealybugs
Damage: Yellow leaves; honeydew present.
Time of damage: Throughout season, depending on species.
The pest: A soft-scale insect covered with white cottony filaments.
Mealybugs and scale insects occasionally bother paphiopedilums. They are also susceptible to viral infections and root rot.
For "Viruses in plants" refer to message number 1443.
Mealybugs are covered with a cottony or mealy wax secretion. This frequent houseplant pest sucks sap from plant leaves and produces a sticky residue.
Mealybugs look like little white tufts of cotton so are often mistaken for a disease. They are normally found on the undersides of leaves or on stems at the apex of leaf joins.
Mealybugs: White Residue on Plant's Leaves
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Pests: mealybugs and scale, a living insect that looks like a brown spot on the stem, can be controlled with rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip.
The black sooty mould from which citrus trees suffer is often caused by mealybugs.
Although healthy cactus and succulents are bothered by few pests, cottony-looking mealybugs may attack; they can be treated with a systemic insecticide, which is absorbed into the plant tissue and makes it toxic to predators.
There are a few insects that your fern is most susceptible to including: aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and scale. A basic fertilizer should take care of most insects. Misting your fern with soapy water every few weeks can eliminate scale.
They have released a number of beneficial insects into the newly re-opened conservatory in an attempt to control many different types of pests including aphids, spider mites, whitefly, mealybugs and thrips.
Commercial insecticidal soap, a special formulation of fatty acids, has proved effective against aphids, leafhoppers, mealybugs, mites, pear psylla, thrips and whiteflies. Homemade, soap sprays also work to some extent.
Pests: Nematodes
Aphids
Spider mites
Mealybugs
Varieties
'Candy' ('Purpurea') is 1 to 1.5 feet tall with purple stems and purplish leaves and pale yellow flower heads.
Pests: Common pests that attack Norfolk pines are spider mites, scale and mealybugs.
Did you know: In nature, Norfolk pine cones take 18 months to mature, then break down. The scales produce edible seeds that Green parrots favor.
Food grade Almond oil smothers scale, thrips, aphids, mealybugs, fungus-gnats, white fly, spider mites, and more. Used twice monthly, Indoor Pharm will control mildew and fungus of all types. Can be used freely on herbs and edibles until harvest.
Thyme is pest free except for occasional visits from cottony, sap-sucking mealybugs, which can be controlled by rinsing them off the foliage with a forceful spray of water from a hose.
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Dip a Q-tip into rubbing alcohol and then directly apply it on the mealybugs. The bugs will disintegrate, leaving your plant unharmed.
honeydew. An excretion from insects, such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and soft scales, consisting of modified plant sap.
When bringing outside plants indoors always check for aphids, mites, slugs and snails, mealybugs or scale which will soon infestate other house plants.
This causes dehydration and death within hours. It is effective against aphids, mealybugs, spider mites and whiteflies, but does not kill beneficial insects such as ladybugs, praying mantis or other beneficial insects with a hard exoskeleton.
Watch for pests such as scale and mealybugs. When moving citrus trees outdoors, pick a sunny, protected spot, and paint any exposed areas of trunk with a white latex paint diluted with water, to prevent sunscald.
The eggs are very small (about 0.3 mm or 1/85 in. long) and orange. They hatch into small, brightly colored, orange larvae that can be found eating aphids on the leaf surface. They also feed on softbodied scales and mealybugs.
 See also: Plant, Insect, Mites, Water, Aphid
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