Whether you notice them on your indoor or outdoor plants, mealy bugs are small, fuzzy bugs that clump closely together. These bugs are known for their waxy, white, cotton-like secretions that cover their bodies. Mealybugs are often mistaken as mold, but when looked at closely, you can start to see their body shape.
Mealybugs feed on the sap of your plants and target new growth. These bugs puncture the plant with their sharp needle-like mouthparts. They can infest a wide variety of plants, both indoors and outdoors. Unfortunately, these bugs can cause damage to your plant, resulting in wilting, yellowing, and stunted growth. Luckily, the treatment for these pests is fairly easy and can be easy to maintain.
If you have an indoor houseplant with mealybugs, it is important to isolate the infested plant. This will help prevent the mealybugs from spreading to other plants throughout the home. By isolating your plant, it can also allow you to focus on one plant at a time. For outdoor plants that are infested with mealybugs, it is best to treat them regularly to avoid further infestations and spreading.
If mealybugs are located on certain parts of the plant or are only targeting a few leaves at a time, consider pruning the affected areas and disposing of them. This can be especially effective for outdoor plants where an infestation may be much bigger than compared to an indoor houseplant.
When it comes to manually removing mealybugs, it doesn’t take much work or effort. These bugs easily come off and can be removed from the plant with a gentle swipe. Use a cotton swab, cotton pad, or soft brush dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and swipe away the affected areas. The rubbing alcohol will prevent the mealybugs from returning and will instantly kill the bugs on the plants. You can consider testing the rubbing alcohol on a small part of your plant to ensure that the solution does not damage your plant’s leaf.
Instead of using rubbing alcohol, you can also try a solution of using watered-down Dawn soap. Mix the solution in a spray bottle and after wiping the plant down, spray the affected areas with the solutions to prevent other mealybugs from returning. Neem oil is also a very effective natural insecticide that can help control mealybug infestations. By mixing equal parts water with neem oil, you can spray your plant to ensure mealybug control.
For outdoor plants, insects such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps can be introduced to help control mealybug populations. These insects are natural predators of mealybugs and can be a great source when it comes to biological pest control.
It is important to keep a close eye on your plants and to treat for new signs of mealybugs immediately. Mealybugs, like most pests, are easier to control when the population numbers are small. By completing thorough inspections, looking underneath leaves, near stems, or on top of the soil level, you can keep the mealybugs on your plant at bay.
