Mealybug is one of the most dangerous parasites on home flowers, which leads to their complete destruction. About how to deal with this parasite on indoor plants, which varieties are more common than others can be read further.
Mealybug - how to fight on indoor plants
The mealybug, or furry louse, is a sucking pest that cannot be overlooked on plants. This is a small oval-shaped parasite up to 4 to 6 millimeters in size, depending on the species. It looks like a millipede with long antennae. Has a shaggy white body with bristles on the sides.
There are three varieties:
- seaside;
- bristly;
- grape.
Mealybug
The plant is only harmed by mealybug larvae, similar to ticks. They reach a size of 3 mm and are collected in colonies. They have well-developed legs, can easily move from one plant to another. They damage plants by gnawing shoots, picking up bark or bulbs. As a result, the flowers stop growing and gradually die.
Important! It is necessary to deal with parasites by performing monthly preventive treatment of those plants that are at risk with a soap solution or specialized chemicals.
Causes of pest on plants
There is no exact answer to the question, under what conditions, why and where does the parasite appear. However, most often it appears in the following circumstances:
- waterlogging or desiccation of the soil of the plant;
- improperly selected temperature conditions, humidity and lighting;
- lack of inspection of pots, untimely removal of dried parts and lack of water procedures;
- ignoring quarantine after buying new plants.
Attention! In addition, the mealybug appears as a result of a large accumulation of dust and dirt in the habitats of plants. Therefore, they need a comprehensive effective treatment.
Symptoms of infection
Symptoms that the culture is infected and you need to start getting rid of the parasite, usually look like this:
- On the leaves appears fluff or a kind of cotton wool. There are insect eggs, from which the larvae hatch, which crawl along the flowers and stems and destroy them.
- Culture begins to lag behind in growth, rapidly dry up and die.
- Leaves and buds fall, flowering stops, leaves become sticky and yellow.
- The shoots are deformed, white fluffy lumps appear, which then turn into soot.
In addition, a large concentration of white dots can be seen on the surface of the crops. This will be the start in order to remove insects from home flowers.
Symptoms
Characteristic signs of a plant worm damage
When a plant is affected by shaggy lice, it ceases to grow and show its flowers. Also, when it dries, the leaves fall. The most important sign of damage is the appearance of a white coating on the leaves, resembling flour and many large insects that can be removed and crushed with your fingers.
Attention! In rare cases, a sign of the disease is mutated buds.
What plants are most often affected and what is dangerous
Most often, shaggy louse attacks azalea, amaryllis, asparagus, anthurium, grapes, gerbera, hibiscus, dracaena, cactus, Kalanchoe, camellia, croton, monstera, oleander, palm, pachistachis, fucia and philodendron. Sticky leaves appear on the dracaena, buds are deformed on the orchid, and yellow leaves appear on the violets.
The parasite is dangerous to plants in that it destroys their root system, leaves and twigs, leaving white traces of their life on their surface. Insects also poison the soil where seedlings grow, and turn the habitat of the planted crop into hell.
Plant species
Where to start the fight against mealybug
At first glance, it is difficult to understand that the bush is infected with an insect, because the culture is covered with a white coating, similar to a fungus or mold. Therefore, at the initial stage, it is important to decide what you still have to fight with. After that, you need to use one of the popular methods of controlling insects. This can be done using proven chemicals or alternatively using traditional methods. It is important to finish the job and completely get rid of the pest. As a rule, for a complete victory over insects, it will take 10-12 days.
Attention! Nearby crops must be treated to prevent re-infection.
How can I get rid of mealybug on indoor plants
Many people use chemical preparations and folk remedies as popular and most effective methods of control. Of the latter, they most often turn to soap solution, tinctures of medicinal herbs (for example, calendula or horsetail), olive oil with water, a garlic-water solution, tincture of orange and lemon peels.
No less effective is the method of treating the roots of a plant with hot water and then transplanting it into a new pot with fresh fortified soil. It also helps to simply wash the plant under warm water, transplant to a new place with a substrate and periodically prevent with a lemon solution.
Soap solution
Folk remedies: soap-alcohol solution
A soapy solution with alcohol is one of the best tools for quickly getting rid of a problem in the form of a mealybug. All that is needed is to take any soap and stir it in warm water until completely dissolved. Then add 1 tablespoon of vodka or pure alcohol. Using the resulting preparation, do spraying for 3 times with a 7 day interval.
Attention! People’s experts guarantee that there will be no trace of the parasite, and that the affected plant can again produce beautiful flowers and grow.
Mealybug Chemicals
There are many reliable chemicals for home crops. Among them, insecticides of the following brands have proven themselves:
- Actars;
- Actellika
- Fitoverma;
- Confidor Extra;
- Bi-58;
- Golden Spark;
- Uploud.
Some of the chemicals are toxic and can harm people and animals. Therefore, processing must be done in open rooms and rubber gloves, away from animals and children.
Chemical processing
Preventive actions
To avoid the appearance of furry lice, it is necessary to regularly examine the leaves, stems and flowers of plants at risk, for the appearance of white spots. If a diseased flower is found, treat it with preparations and wipe with soap and water the remaining indoor plants that are in close proximity to each other.
Attention! When acquiring a new green friend, you should not immediately put it to other domestic plants. It must be kept in quarantine for some time.
Once every two weeks, it is necessary to wipe large leaves with a damp cloth and moisten the flowers with a light spray, removing dust and dirt from them. Also, when dried parts appear, remove them in a timely manner.
In general, the mealybug is an unpleasant phenomenon, because of which many flowering domestic shrubs and perennial flowers suffer. You can get rid of it with prevention, timely detection and chemicals.
