Mealybugs are very nasty pests. They attack indoor flowers. As a result, they develop poorly and have an unsightly appearance. In the people, these insects are called "hairy lice" because of the large number of bristles and hairs on the oval body. The presence of the parasite produces a white coating on the leaves. 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, consider the following question: "If a mealybug is wound up on houseplants, how to deal with it?"
What is a mealybug?
The appearance of this pest cannot be confused with anything. This is a fairly large relative of the scale insect. Mealybug reaches up to 8 mm in length.
Female "hairy lice" have an undeveloped oval-shaped body, more characteristic of insect larvae. Numerous eggs are laid in special sacs in the axils of the leaves. The shoots on which the pest lives are coveredwhite sticky wax coating.
Males are not at all like females - they have wings and normally developed limbs, the body is divided into sections and ends in a bunch of tail filaments
With the help of their mouth apparatus, females and larvae easily pierce the surface of a leaf, bud or shoot and suck the juices out of it. Young mealybugs are extremely mobile and easily move between plants. Sexually mature males do not feed because their mouthparts atrophy as they grow older.
Signs of mealybug infestation
To detect pests, it is enough to carefully examine a houseplant.
Key features:
- drooping appearance, lethargy of leaves and shoots;
- underdeveloped buds, misshapen leaves;
- white powdery coating with lumps;
- small "mosquitoes" (male mealybugs) on the windows near the pots;
- presence of sticky mucus (honeydew) on all parts of the plant;
- presence of white inclusions in the earthy coma during transplantation;
- presence of white oval insects.
Any of these symptoms may indicate the appearance of a mealybug. Not a single flower is immune from infection. Citrus, amaryllis, cycad and palm plants, as well as cacti, violets and orchids, should be taken under special control.
Often suffers from an azalea pest, the photo of which is given in the article. The pest attacks young shoots. Leaves stop growing and turn yellow. Azalea, whose photo shows her beauty,affected by insects, loses its former appearance.
Harm to the plant
Mealybug literally draws 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 worsens. This can lead to wilting and even leaf fall.
Mealy aphid (another name for mealybugs) does not prefer a certain part of the plant, hitting everything that comes in its path. Under attack are not only shoots, buds and leaves, but also roots. If treatment is not started as soon as possible, the mealybug will spread to surrounding indoor plantings. In time, he will destroy them all. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately declare war if you notice a mealybug on houseplants. How to deal with the pest will be described below.
Causes of the mealybug
Why do these harmful insects appear?
There are several main reasons:
- 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 should 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 inindoors, stagnation of moisture in the soil, insufficient illumination, excessive fertilization. Improper care significantly reduces the immunity of the plant, provoking various diseases.
- Dust on leaves, irregular removal of dry parts.
- Untimely replacement of earth in pots. Harmful insects can start inside a compacted earthen clod.
- Poor quality water for irrigation.
Folk methods of dealing with mealybug
Now you know how dangerous the pest is for plants. You can easily determine that a mealybug has settled on houseplants.
How to deal with such an insect? With a small source of infection, you can try to get rid of it without special means.
Popular home remedies:
- Infusion of medicinal herbs. To process the plant, you can use horsetail, calendula. Powder purchased at a pharmacy should be brewed with boiling water. After the agent has cooled, the plant is treated with it. 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 dealing with mealybugs. Peel and mince a medium-sized whole head of garlic. Pour a liter of hot water and let it brew for 4 hours. Garlic tincture is applied to the leaves and trunk with cotton wool or a sponge.
- Oil emulsion. In a liter of warm water, stir 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spray the affected leaves with 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 is enough. Spray the affected parts of the plant, avoiding getting the solution on the earthen ball. You can carry out the procedure 1 time in 3 days. It is necessary to wash off the applied product one day after spraying.
- Tincture of lemon and orange peel. A surprisingly simple recipe that allows you to effectively rid the plant of pests. Take the peels of lemon, orange and pour boiling water over them. The ratio is as follows: 30-50 g of zest per 1 liter of liquid. During the day, the remedy should be infused. Then treat your green pets with this infusion using a spray bottle.
Mealybug chemicals
When traditional methods are ineffective or large foci of infection, you have to turn to chemical insecticides.
Commonly effective mealybug drugs:
- Decis.
- Vertimek.
- "Tsvetofos".
- Nurell D.
- "Phosphamide".
- Bi-58.
- Aktellik.
- Fitoverm.
- Apploud.
Special difficulties with such substances should not arise. The main thing is to carefully read the instructions and follow all precautions.
Affected plants should be quarantined. Usually 3-4 insecticide treatments are sufficient. If the pests still remain, you need to change the drug.
Precautions
Make sure that the drugs used do not cause harm:
- Use chemicals only in a well ventilated area.
- Keep children and pets away.
- Use personal protective equipment to avoid poisoning.
Preventive measures
It is very difficult to destroy parasites that have already appeared. It is much easier to prevent their occurrence by observing simple preventive measures:
- Periodically carefully inspect green spaces.
- Repot grown flowers regularly.
- Examine the earthen clod during transplantation. Rinse the soil with hot water (about 55° C).
- Properly care for flowers according to their preferences.
- Timely remove the dying parts of the plant. Dried leaves can serve as a convenient shelter for various pests.
- Before planting, scald the pots with boiling water and steam the soil.
- Comply with quarantine measures for new plants.
Insects are an integral part of any ecosystem, but they have no place on the landscaped window sills of apartments. Especially if a mealybug appeared on houseplants. How to deal with a pest, you know. Therefore, use any available methods. After all, he althy home plants without pests are actively developing and delighting the eye with bright greenery and abundant flowering.
