Mealybugs are very unpleasant pests. They attack indoor flowers. As a result, they are poorly developed and have an unsightly appearance. People call these insects “furry lice” due to the large number of bristles and hairs on the oval body. The presence of a parasite gives a white coating on the leaves. Yes, and the worms themselves are visible to the naked eye. You need to get rid of them immediately, because very soon they will spread to all surrounding plants. Therefore, we consider the following question: "If a mealybug wound up on indoor plants, how to deal with it?"
What is a mealybug?
The appearance of this pest is not to be confused with anything. This is a fairly large relative of scale insects. Mealybug reaches up to 8 mm in length.
Females of “shaggy lice” have an undeveloped oval-shaped body, more characteristic of insect larvae. They lay numerous eggs in special bags in the axils of the leaves. The shoots on which the pest lives are covered with a sticky white wax coating.
Males are not at all like females - they have wings and normally developed limbs, the body is divided into departments and ends with a bunch of tail threads
Using their oral apparatus, females and larvae easily pierce the surface of a leaf, bud or shoot and suck out juices from it. Young worms are extremely mobile and easily move between plants. Sexually mature males do not feed, because as they grow older their oral apparatus atrophies.
Signs of infection with a mealybug
To detect pests, it is enough to carefully inspect the indoor plant.
Key features:
- drooping appearance, lethargy of leaves and shoots;
- underdeveloped buds, deformed leaves;
- white powdery coating with lumps;
- small “mosquitoes” (male worms) on the windows near the pots;
- the presence of sticky mucus (honey dew) on all parts of the plant;
- the presence of white inclusions in an earthen coma during transplantation;
- the presence of white oval insects.
Any of these symptoms may indicate the appearance of a worm. Not a single flower is safe from infection. For special control, you need to take citrus, amaryllis, cypress and palm plants, as well as cacti, violets and orchids.
Often the azalea suffers from the pest, a photo of which is given in the article. A pest attacks young shoots. Leaflets cease to grow, begin to turn yellow. Azalea, a photo of which demonstrates its beauty, struck by insects, loses its former appearance.
Harm to the plant
Mealybug literally pulls out all the nutrients from the flowers, disrupting their growth and normal development. Sweet honeydew secreted by females provokes the development of associated fungal infections. Due to the sticky impermeable coating, the green pet’s breathing is getting worse. This can lead to wilting and even falling of leaves.
Powdery aphids (another name for worms) do not give preference to a certain part of the plant, affecting everything that occurs in its path. Under attack are not only shoots, buds and leaves, but also the roots. If treatment is not started as soon as possible, the worm will spread to the surrounding indoor plants. Over time, he will destroy them all. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately declare war if you notice a mealybug on indoor plants. How to deal with a pest will be described below.
The reasons for the appearance of mealybug
Why do these harmful insects appear?
There are several main reasons:
- The presence of eggs and larvae in the soil. Even purchased soil can be contaminated, so it is very important to treat it with hot steam before use.
- Transfer of larvae with newly acquired plants. New pets must be kept separately and periodically carefully inspected. You can put them next to the rest of the flowers only after finally making sure that there are no pests.
- Mistakes in care - low air temperature in the room, stagnation of moisture in the soil, insufficient lighting, excessive fertilizer application. Improper care significantly reduces the immunity of the plant, provoking various diseases.
- The presence of dust on the leaves, irregular removal of dry parts.
- Untimely replacement of land in pots. Harmful insects can be found inside a caked earthen coma.
- Poor water for irrigation.
Folk methods of dealing with mealybug
Now you know what a pest is dangerous for plants. You can easily determine that a mealybug has settled on indoor plants.
How to deal with such an insect? With a small focus of infection, you can try to get rid of it without special tools.
Popular home fighting methods:
- Infusion of medicinal herbs. For processing plants, you can use horsetail, calendula. Powder purchased in a pharmacy should be boiled with boiling water. After cooling, they treat the plant. To prepare the infusion, use the following ratios: 100 g of horsetail (calendula) per 1 liter of liquid.
- Tincture of garlic. This is a fairly effective method of controlling a mealybug. Peel and chop a medium-sized garlic head. Pour a liter of hot water and let it brew for 4 hours. Tincture of garlic is applied to the leaves and trunk with cotton wool or sponge.
- Oil emulsion. In a liter of warm water, stir 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spray affected leaves from a spray bottle.
- Soap-alcohol solution. For its preparation, it is better to take natural soap, without perfume additives. For 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of grated soap and 1 tablespoon of ethyl alcohol are enough. Spray the affected parts of the plant, avoiding the solution getting on the earthen lump. The procedure can be done 1 time in 3 days. Rinse off the applied product one day after spraying.
- Tincture of lemon and orange zest. An amazingly simple recipe that allows you to effectively rid the plant of pests. Take the peels of lemon, orange and pour them with boiling water. The ratio is as follows: 30-50 g of zest per 1 liter of liquid. During the day, the drug should be infused. Then treat your green pets with this infusion using a spray bottle.
Mealybug Chemicals
With ineffective folk methods or large foci of infection, one has to turn to chemical insecticides.
Widely available effective preparations against mealybug:
- Decis.
- "Vertimek."
- "Tsvetofos".
- Nurell D
- "Phosphamide."
- "Bi-58".
- "Actellicus."
- Fitoverm.
- Aplaud.
Special difficulties with such substances should not arise. The main thing is to carefully read the instructions and follow all safety precautions.
Affected plants must be quarantined. Usually, 3-4 treatments with insecticides are sufficient. If the pests still remain, you need to change the drug.
Precautionary measures
Make sure that the drugs used do not cause harm:
- Use chemicals only in a well-ventilated area.
- Avoid being near children and pets.
- In order to avoid poisoning, use personal protective equipment.
Preventative measures
Destroying parasites that have already appeared is very difficult. It is much easier to prevent their occurrence, observing simple preventive measures:
- Periodically carefully inspect the green spaces.
- Regularly transplant grown flowers.
- Inspect the earthen lump when transplanting. Flush soil with hot water (approx. 55 ° C).
- Properly care for the flowers according to their preferences.
- Timely remove the dying parts of the plant. Dry leaves can serve as a convenient shelter for various pests.
- Before planting, scald the pots with boiling water, and steam the soil.
- Observe quarantine measures for new plants.
Insects are an integral part of any ecosystem, but they have no place on the greened windowsills of apartments. Especially if there was a mealybug on indoor plants. How to deal with a pest, you know. Therefore, use any available methods. Indeed, healthy home plants without pests are actively developing and pleasing to the eye with bright greenery and plentiful flowering.