How to get rid of mealybug on indoor plants

Mealybug unites many species of equine-winged insects. Includes several families. He acts as a close relative of the scale insect. In the world there are about 1600 worms. People call them shaggy lice.

Pest Description

Mealybug got its name due to white cotton secretions. Body color is light with a powder coating. Pests of indoor plants clearly visible to the naked eye, especially if the infection is severe.

Females reach a size of 4 mm. They can be mobile at any stage, or tightly stick to a leaf, shoot. The oral apparatus is sucking. Some species lack paws.

Males outwardly differ from females in the presence of wings. They move freely, can fly a short distance. But there is no oral apparatus. After fertilization of the females, the males die. In the colony, their number does not exceed 10%.

The larva emerges from the egg, but some mealybugs are viviparous. The first generation of larvae is extremely small bugs called strollers. They scatter all over the plant in search of a better place to eat. They travel long distances with the wind.

Important!

In a year, a female can give life to up to 4 generations of larvae. Each individual reproduces from 250 to 500 pests. Larvae periodically become motionless, then molt, and move to a new stage of development.

Mealybug in the photo below.

Signs of defeat

Pests can be easily recognized by the white powdery coating. You can detect them on the back of the leaf, or on the stems with a strong infection. Occasionally appear on the soil in a flower pot.

The main symptoms of plant infection are sugar coating, the development of fungus. Larvae and adults suck juices, resulting in the plant losing vitality.

Leaves curl, turn yellow, fall off. Young shoots dry, the buds do not develop, inflorescences crumble. All efforts are spent on the restoration of damaged areas, so the plant ceases to bloom, bear fruit, and growth slows down.

On a note!

Mealybug often hits orchids, cacti, ficuses, succulents, crotons, citrus fruits, palm trees, many other flower, fruit crops. Infection occurs from diseased plants, through the soil, open windows.

To prevent infection, it is necessary to regularly inspect indoor plants. Especially if they are weakening, they stop developing.

Fighting folk remedies

Get rid of the mealybug with a small infection can be means prepared according to folk recipes. Before the procedure, it is necessary to inspect all the plants in the house, to assess the degree of infection. Isolate diseased cultures.

Remove the mealybug, its larvae with a brush, a brush dipped in soapy water. Then treat the plant with the selected product. The method is simple but effective.

• In drugstores, a medicinal plant is sold - horsetail. From it should prepare a decoction. Pour the potion with boiled water, cover, insist for half an hour, as much as possible.Strain, pour into a spray bottle, spray the houseplant.
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil are dissolved in 1 liter of warm water. Spray the plant, paying particular attention to the outside of the leaves.
• Laundry soap is diluted in 1 liter of water, 10 ml of denatured alcohol is added. Wipe the leaves, stems or sprayed.
• A glass of garlic is crushed, pour 500 ml of boiled water. They let it brew for a day. Filter, use tincture to spray plants from parasites.
• In a warm liquid, wood ash, green soap are bred. Spray a plant, soil.
• Fresh fern is poured with boiled water, insist a day. Before use, add a little laundry soap.
• Moisten a cotton pad with alcohol, wipe areas where powdery mealybugs are found.

Folk remedies for mealybug on indoor plants are used several times with a frequency of 1-2 procedures per week. Continue until the plants recover completely.

The use of professional drugs

How to deal with a mealybug on indoor plants, if the infection is strong - there is also a way out. Use drugs based on insecticides.

The best period for spraying is when the first generation larvae emerge. On their body there is still no wax powder coating, therefore they are extremely vulnerable. It is recommended to process the plant several times every 14 days until the signs of damage completely disappear.

Important!

The procedure should be performed outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Hand skin is protected with rubber gloves. If you have to process indoor plants where the fruits develop - lemon, mandarin, banana, the use of an insecticide is allowed 20 days before harvest.

In addition to insecticides, phytopreparations are used. They are safe for humans, you can process the plant indoors, but the effect is not so fast. Spraying should be carried out every week.

Chemicals

Mealyworm preparations are sold in specialized stores in a huge assortment.

• Fitoverm. The drug is biologically active. A solution is prepared immediately before use. 2 ml of the drug is dissolved in 1 liter of water. Repeat the treatment every week. To completely get rid of the mealybug, about 8 treatments are required.
• Actara. Extremely powerful broad-spectrum insecticide. 1.5 l requires only 1 g of the drug. The solution is sprayed on the plant, the soil. Several treatments are required with a break of 2 weeks. Protection against re-infection lasts about a month. Active components penetrate the plant sap, while feeding the insect into the body. Kills adults, larvae.
• Confidor. It resembles the previous drug in action. From a mealybug, 1 g of Confidor is diluted in 500 ml of water. The composition does not harm the plant, retains properties up to 1 month. Pests can be destroyed in 2 procedures with a frequency of 14 days. A weaker solution watered the soil under the root.
• Actellik. The drug eliminates the mealybug with severe infection. Use the product only outdoors. You need to work in rubber gloves. The plant is sprayed a maximum of 3 times every 14 days. Pests die within 3 days after treatment.
• Tanrek. Contact-intestinal insecticide. The active component causes paralysis of the muscles in the mealybug, quick death. After processing, it leaves about 1 month in leaves and shoots after treatment, and up to 60 days in soil. Provides effective control, prevention.

To prevent mass infection of all indoor plants, it is recommended to process all crops in the house. After using an insecticide, putting a plastic bag on a flower is not worth it. It is necessary to carry out repeated spraying in a timely manner.But when using folk remedies, such an action is recommended to increase humidity. Every day give the plant breathe for at least 30 minutes.