How to get rid of mealybug on indoor plants

Mealybug combines many species of even-winged insects. Includes several families. It is a close relative of the scale. In the world there are about 1,600 cheeks. People call them shaggy lice.

Pest description

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

Females reach sizes of 4 mm. They can be mobile at any stage, or tightly stick to the leaf, escape. Mouth apparatus sucking. Some species lack paws.

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

The larva appears from the egg, but some mealybugs are viviparous. The first generation of larvae are extremely small bugs called strollers. Throw scatter throughout the plant in search of a better place to feed. The wind carried over long distances.

Important!

For the year, the female can give life to 4 generations of larvae. Each individual reproduces from 250 to 500 pests. The larvae periodically become stationary, then molt, moving to a new stage of development.

Mealybug in the photo below.

Mealybug

Signs of defeat

Pests are easily recognizable by a white mealy bloom. You can find them on the back of the sheet, or on the stems with a strong infection. Periodically appear on the soil in a flower pot.

The main symptoms of infection of plants is a sugary plaque, the development of a fungus. Larvae and adults suck juices, causing the plant to lose vitality.

The leaves curl, turn yellow, fall off. Young shoots dry, buds do not develop, inflorescences fall off. All efforts are spent on restoring damaged areas, so the plant stops flowering, fruiting, and growth slows down.

On a note!

Mealybug often affects 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, you should regularly inspect houseplants. Especially if they weaken, stop developing.

Fighting folk remedies

Fighting folk remedies

With a small infection, you can get rid of the mealybug by using products prepared according to popular 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, brush, moistened with soapy water. Then treat the plant selected means. The method is simple, but effective.

• In the pharmacies selling medicinal plant - horsetail. From it should cook a decoction. Fill the potion with boiled water, cover with a lid, insist half an hour, you can more. Strain, pour into a spray bottle, spray the houseplant.
• 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil dissolved in 1 liter of warm water. Spray the plant, paying particular attention to the outside of the leaves.
• In 1 liter of water dilute the soap, add 10 ml of denatured alcohol. Rub leaves, stalks or sprayed.
• A glass of garlic is crushed, pour 500 ml of boiled water. Let it brew for a day. Filter, use tincture for spraying plants from parasites.
• In a warm liquid, wood ash and green soap are diluted. Sprayed plant soil.
• Fresh fern poured boiled water, insist day.Before use add a little laundry soap.
• Moisten a cotton pad with alcohol, wipe the areas where mealybugs are found.

Folk remedies for mealybug on indoor plants are used several times with a frequency of 1-2 treatments per week. Continue until complete recovery of the plant.

The use of professional drugs

How to deal with mealybug in indoor plants, if the infection is strong - there is a solution too. Use drugs based on insecticides.

The best period for spraying is the time of release of the first-generation larvae. There is still no wax on their body, which is why they are extremely vulnerable. It is recommended to process the plant several times every 14 days until the signs of affection disappear completely.

Important!

The procedure should be carried out in the open air or in a well-ventilated area. The skin of the hands protect rubber gloves. If it is necessary to process indoor plants where fruits develop - lemon, mandarin, banana, it is allowed to use insecticide 20 days before harvesting.

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. Spray should be done every week.

Chemicals

Powderworm Chemicals

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

• Fitoverm. The drug is biologically active. Immediately before use, prepare the solution. In 1 l of water dissolve 2 ml of the product. Repeat the treatment every week. To completely get rid of the mealybug takes about 8 treatments.
• Aktara. Extremely powerful broad-spectrum insecticide. 1.5 l requires only 1 g of the drug. The solution is sprayed with the plant, the soil. It takes several treatments with a break of 2 weeks. Protection against reinfection lasts about a month. The active ingredients penetrate the sap of the plant, while feeding into the body of the insect. Kills adult individuals, larvae.
• Confidor. The action resembles the previous drug. From mealybugs diluted in 500 ml of water 1 g Confidor. The composition does not harm the plant, retains the properties of up to 1 month. It is possible to destroy pests in 2 procedures with a frequency of 14 days.A weaker solution watered the soil at the root.
• Actellic. The drug eliminates the mealybug in case of severe infection. Use only outdoors. 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. Insecticide contact-intestinal action. The active ingredient causes muscle paralysis in the mealybug, rapid death. In leaves, sprouts after processing lasts about 1 month, in the ground - up to 60 days. Provides effective control, prevention.

To prevent mass infection of all indoor plants, it is recommended to process all cultures in the house. After the use of insecticidal means to wear a plastic bag on the flower is not worth it. It is necessary to re-spray in a timely manner. But when using folk remedies such an action is recommended to increase the humidity. Every day, let the plant breathe for at least 30 minutes.