Mealy aphids on houseplants. Mealybug - how to recognize the pest by sight? Mealybug control measures

Advantages:

• cheapness;
• effectiveness in case of minor plant infestation by pests;
• safety for humans and animals.

Flaws:

• the product does not help with large numbers of scale insects;
• Frequent processing required;
• inconvenient to use on outdoor plants (due to the size of the latter or the threat of rain).

Rules for dealing with scale insects

For the fight to be successful, it is necessary:

1. Before processing, remove scale insects with a damp cloth or cotton wool.
2. Collect egg sacks (resemble cotton flakes).
3. Add soap solution to insecticides to enhance the effect.
4. Plants with a large colony (severely weakened and stunted) should be destroyed.

All gardeners and lovers of indoor flowers know very well that, in addition to pleasant troubles, working with plants can be complicated by the fight against diseases and pests. Nature has decreed that insects also need to exist, and they often do this at the expense of our green pets.

Another name for these pests is hairy lice. These are small, but not microscopic insects. They can be easily seen, since they are 3-7 mm in size. The body shape of the insect is oval, and there are small bristles on the sides. The name of the pest was given by its color - powdery white, although sometimes it can be pink. There are stripes across the body. The insect is sucking. Adult insects and larvae attach themselves to young shoots, leaves, buds and flowers. This is extremely harmful to the plant and significantly inhibits growth. Sometimes the mealybug infects the root system.

The sex of adult insects is also visible to the naked eye. Males have clearly visible wings and several tail filaments. However, they do not have a mouthparts, since they feed only as larvae.

The females lay many eggs in a white cotton wool-like sac, and the larvae then settle throughout the plant. Females of many species can move freely, but when they attach themselves, they lose their mobility.

Types of hairy lice

There are about 250 species of mealybugs in the CIS, and more than 1,600 in the world. For us, the greatest interest is in those pests that like to settle on indoor flowers.

The body of the seaside mealybug is gray-pink. The larvae are yellow in color and without a waxy coating. In 5-6 weeks they turn into an adult.

The bristly mealybug may even be orange color. It differs in that it actively moves due to the presence of well-developed limbs.

The grape mealybug has an oval but wider body shape. The color is usually pink or yellowish.

The color of the citrus bug is yellow, maybe even brown. Females secrete a characteristic sweet secretion, and males can fly.

How to recognize his presence

Traces of insects on indoor and garden plants are clearly visible, just like the pests themselves. They settle in the axils of leaves and on the underside, on young shoots, in unopened leaves. Characteristic sign the presence of a mealybug - a white coating resembling fluff or pieces of cotton wool. A large number of larvae are also very noticeable, which sometimes even settle on the root system.

When pests infect fruit trees and shrubs, the ovaries and fruits fall off, young shoots are deformed, leaves fall, bark cracks and even branches die. Females leave honeydew, which becomes a favorable environment for the spread of sooty fungus. Then the plants look as if covered with soot.

The citrus scale insect species poses a danger to the root system. If you carefully remove a flower from a pot along with a lump of earth, then traces of insects will be visible both on the moldy roots and on the ground.

What plants are affected by these pests?

Indoor flowers suffer more than others. Among them are asparagus, anthurium, amaryllis, camellia, kalanchoe, various cacti and palms, monstera, fern, philodendron.

The mealybug orchid is very fond of it. If the flowering period has already begun, the pest damage changes color and the leaves fall off. The shoots become deformed, the buds and flowers fall off.

When sucking insects attack violets, they settle in the root system. Fruit plants of the citrus family suffer similarly.

Traditional methods of destruction

It is possible to successfully fight against furry pests using various folk remedies. Such measures are quite simple, help to completely destroy the scale insect and do not require financial costs.

First you need to clean the plant with a damp brush, and then rinse off with water everything that remains after cleaning. Particular care must be taken to treat the underside and axils of the leaves. For regular use (with an interval of several days), folk remedies are known from soap dissolved in water with the addition of garlic or onion juice.

A very effective remedy for combating soap and alcohol. However, when using it, you should remember that there should be no traces of the solution on the ground. The next day, the plant is washed with warm water. A few days later the procedure is repeated.

An elementary remedy - tincture of garlic, horsetail, fragrant tobacco or calendula - helps fight against scale insects when there are no special pest control preparations at hand.

Get rid of insects and white plaque after mechanical cleaning plants can be treated with an ordinary hot shower. The hairy bug cannot tolerate high temperatures.

Fighting with chemicals

When the early stage is missed, and the invasion of harmful insects already threatens with disastrous consequences, then you have to fight using chemicals.

Such measures require compliance with safety regulations for humans and plants. You must carefully study the instructions for use, and be sure to use a respirator and rubber gloves for work.

Affected indoor flowers and fruit and berry bushes need to be treated more than once at intervals of several days. The drugs that pests fear work in three directions:

• Systemic ones poison the juice without causing harm to the plant itself (Phosfamide, Rogor, Mospilan).
• Intestinal ones cause poisoning and digestive disorders (Aktellik, Akarin, Fitoverm, Nurell-D, Aktara).
• Contact ones act on the skin. Such drugs are used once (Spruzit-AESchadlingsfrei).

Let us pay special attention to the most effective chemical means of control.

Aktara is a well-known complex drug. The solution must be thoroughly sprayed onto the plant and watered the soil to provide it with access to the root system. Aktara begins to fight hairy insects within half an hour and retains its effect for about a month. mainly suitable for fruit plants. This product is very effective, but with frequent use it loses its properties, as pests become addicted. Aktara acts on the digestive system and reduces appetite.

It also has a poisonous effect. It does not harm the root system, since it consists of waste products of soil microorganisms and is completely dissolved in the soil. After just a few hours, the pests lose activity and soon die. Treatment with Fitoverm can be repeated after two weeks.

Aktara, Fitoverm, as well as Komandor and Zolotaya Iskra are considered the most aggressive and effective chemicals. With their help, you can fight even large colonies of mealybugs and those varieties that settle in the root system.

Prevention measures

To avoid the appearance of hairy bugs on indoor flowers, you need to practice prevention. This means careful care, systematic inspection of the plant, and removal of dead leaves. Hairy bugs prefer very dry air, so you need to provide your green pets with plenty of bathing in the shower. It is useful to expose them to the sun more often, because for this type of pest, the effect of direct sunlight is destructive. Special attention Flowers should be treated in the off-season.

In large premises - greenhouses and conservatories - a so-called biological control method is used. Other insects inhabit there, for which mealybugs are their favorite food. For example, Australian ladybugs or larvae of the common lacewing. Such measures are quite effective and help destroy harmful insects.

The causes of mealybugs are primarily a weakened plant. If you provide indoor flowers good care, then no treatment or control of harmful insects will simply be needed.

The mealybug (another name is the shaggy louse) is a representative of the hemiptera family - one of the most dangerous insect pests of indoor plants! In this article we will tell you how to deal with mealybugs on indoor plants.

In nature, there are about 1,600 species of mealybugs. These pests affect fruit, greenhouse, industrial and ornamental plant crops, and do not leave the flora until they turn it into a dried herbarium.

Some species are distinguished by the fact that they release useful substances that are used in the paint and varnish industry. Thus, varnish bug and cochineal produce red carmine dye.

In size and lifestyle, scale insects are similar to aphids, but are slightly different in appearance. Due to the accumulation of these tiny white insects, the flower looks as if it is dusted with flour - hence the name of the pest. Also, on plants affected by mealybugs, you can find sugary secretions - the so-called Honeydew, and a sooty fungus that settles on the secretions of mealybugs. These are side problems caused by a harmful pest.

The mealybug is a sucking pest and can easily be seen on plants with the naked eye. This insect has an oval-shaped body ranging from 3 to 6 mm in length, depending on the variety. It has many legs and long antennae. The whole thing is covered with a white waxy powdery coating with bristles on the sides. People also call this insect a hairy louse.

Larvae and mature individuals of the insect feed on the sap of young shoots of the plant, the sap of its leaves and buds. They produce white sticky mucus, which interferes with gas exchange in the plant. In addition, at the site of the bite, harmful insect enzymes enter the plant, disrupting its development. The affected plant is suppressed and stops growing. These insects are quite mobile and move from plant to plant without problems. Females and their offspring live directly on the affected plants. In some species of mealybugs, females are viviparous, but most females lay their eggs in a white facial sac that looks like a piece of cotton wool. Their fertility is very high - from 2 to 6 generations per year in different species.

The first instar larvae are called wanderers, as they actively move around the plant and can even be transferred to other plants by a draft or with the help of an animal or person. But when the larva attaches itself to the plant, it loses its mobility. The larvae of the next instar after molting again look for a place to feed. Males have small wings and limbs and may live nearby. As adults, males do not feed because they lack mouthparts. These individuals settle in flower containers, in the soil and even on window sills.

Kinds

For indoor plants, the following types of mealybugs are considered the most dangerous: bristly, seaside, grape and citrus.

Bristle mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus)

Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus cifri)

Grape mealybug

It differs in that the body of the female has a wide oval shape of yellowish or Pink colour, it is also covered with a white powdery coating. Males are rare in this species. The larvae settle throughout the plant, attaching themselves to leaves and shoots along the main veins. They form huge colonies. Plants lose all their juices, leaves fall off, shoots dry out, and the plant dies.

Seaside mealybug (Pseudococcus affinis)

Primorye mealybug

This is one of the most common types of scale insects. An adult female has an elongated, oval-shaped body, up to 4 mm in length and up to 2.5 mm in width. It is grayish-pink in color, like other scale insects and covered with a white powdery coating. Males are much smaller in size, but they have wings and fly all summer. Females lay eggs in so-called egg sacs - a fluffy white mass that is hidden in secluded places - in curled leaves, in cracks in the bark, in the forks of branches. The larvae are very mobile, without a waxy coating, and yellow in color. In some place they attach, stick and become motionless. After a month, the larva turns into an adult insect. Hordes of these insects suck out all the juices from the plant, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the plant stops developing and dies.

Plants at risk

Preventing mealybug infestation

It is necessary to regularly inspect your plants, especially those that are susceptible to infestation by this pest. If you purchased new flower– don’t put it right next to other plants, keep it for a while, as if in quarantine, take a close look so as not to get any pest.

Mealybugs are afraid of moisture and love dry, warm places. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly remove dried parts of the plant, constantly spray it, and wipe the leaves on both sides with a damp swab to remove dust and dirt, where possible. Plants that have leaves washed, sprayed frequently and kept clean will not get mealybugs.

Methods for controlling mealybugs

On early stages To detect insects, you can treat the crown with a strong soap solution. Grind the laundry soap with a knife or grater and dissolve it in boiling water (1 teaspoon of soap per 1 liter of boiling water). Using a swab soaked in soapy water, remove all insects and white cottony discharge from the affected parts of the plant. Take the pot to the bathroom and wash it with a warm shower. You will wash away up to 80% of insects in one go. But they multiply quickly. Repeat the soap treatment with a swab or spray after a week. Carefully inspect your flower - perhaps you are late, and it will need to be sprayed more strong drugs. In addition, plants adjacent to the diseased person, walls, window sills, and even glass on the windows must be subjected to wet disinfection treatment.

Folk remedies

1. Spraying with soap solution - 1 teaspoon of soap shavings per 1 liter of warm water.
2. Spraying with an emulsion prepared from 1 liter of warm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Spraying with an emulsion prepared from 1 liter of warm water, 20 grams of liquid soap and 20 grams of medical alcohol. The same solution can be used to wipe infected leaves.
4. Spraying with garlic infusion. For half a liter of boiling water, take 4-5 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Leave this mixture for 4 hours, filter through several layers of gauze, add the contents to the original volume and spray the leaves of the plant on both sides.

Chemicals

The most effective insecticides are those that contain the following substances: Malathion, Parathion, Dimethoate, Diazinon. The difficulty of dealing with hairy louse lies in the fact that all generations of insect pests are present on a flower at once, and a single application of an insecticide may not kill all individuals. After some time, new larvae will hatch from the eggs. And only repeated use of the drugs after a certain time (the dates are indicated on the packages) will lead to the desired result. The stronger the mealybug infestation, the more difficult it is to lime it.

If you purchased an insecticide in the form of a spray, pay attention to the recommendations, for example, after what time to re-treat, what is the minimum distance to the plant so as not to damage the leaves during treatment, and others.

Conclusion

Correct conditions for keeping indoor plants are the most effective prevention of mealybug damage. Good lighting, regular watering, loosening the soil, regular inspection of all parts of the plant, removing diseased and withered shoots from it - these simple techniques for caring for your beloved pet will help you avoid a massive invasion of these insects.

Mealybugs- sucking pests of indoor plants, close relatives of scale insects. Popularly called hairy lice.

The official name was acquired due to the whitish, waxy discharge resembling cotton wool.

Refer to Homoptera insects of the suborder Coccid, families Coleoptera.

Description of insects

Mealybug, as seen in the photo, is a relatively large insect that can reach 5 mm in length. It has an oval body covered with a white powdery coating and bristles on the sides. Body color can be pink, white or cream. There are transverse stripes on the back.

These insects are characterized sexual dimorphism- big differences between male and female. U males the head, abdomen, breast are clearly visible and the wings and paws are developed. U females the body is devoid of clearly defined sections, has an oval, slightly elongated shape, they look like larvae.

Adults males They live very little, apparently because they don’t eat anything. Females are well protected from many chemicals by a waxy coating.

A characteristic feature is also quick adaptability to various insecticides.

Reproduction depending on the species, there are viviparous and oviparous females. The eggs are placed in a white, cotton-like facial sac. Scale insects are highly fertile, producing up to 4 generations per year. The first instar larvae are called tramps due to their ability to actively move around the plant, they are also carried by the wind.

Mobility disappears after the insect has attached itself to the food plant. Later they molt, become second instar larvae and begin to look for a new feeding site. Some adult females can also crawl from place to place. Before lay eggs, most species hide in shelters.

Types of scale insects

There are more than 1600 known in the world various types, which are found everywhere, but most are concentrated in tropical forests. For lovers of indoor flowers, the following types pose a danger:

Primorsky mealybug.
The body of the female is grayish-pink, covered with bloom, and has the shape of an oval up to 4 mm long. Males are much smaller and can fly. They are oviparous species. The larvae are small, yellow, and have no waxy coating at all. The period of transformation into an adult is about 5-6 weeks.

Bristle mealybug.
Body color can be pink and orange, length - 3.5 mm. This species has well-developed limbs, so they actively move around the plant. Viviparous species. They live in colonies on the inside of leaves, on stems and young shoots.

Grape mealybug.
The body has the appearance of a wide oval of pink or yellowish color. The larvae spread throughout the plant.

Citrus mealybug.
The color can vary from light yellow to brown. The females of this species secrete a large amount of sweet secretion called honeydew. Males are flying individuals, similar to pink and yellow flies.

Plants are victims

The most commonly attacked are: houseplants: amaryllis, gerberas, cacti, citrus fruits, oleander, azaleas, philodendrons, fuchsias, asparagus, palms, camellias, monstera, anthurium, kalanchoe, orchids, chlorophytum, dieffenbachia, hoya.

Chervetsy they suck out the juice of the plant and inject saliva, which contains digestive enzymes. These enzymes inhibit metabolism. The flower gradually weakens, begins to lose leaves and may die. In addition, the secretion secreted by insects loves sooty fungus.

A characteristic sign of the presence of a pest is white waxy coating, resembling cotton wool in places where insects are located.

Causes

If on a flower mealybug has settled, which means it has already been weakened by improper care or excess nitrogen, as a result of which the metabolism is disrupted. Healthy plants produce protective substances that repel scale insects.

The appearance of insects also promotes dry air, which is ideal for their active reproduction.

Preventive measures

It is better to start treatment for mealybugs with prevention. The following actions can prevent the reproduction and spread of insects.

Careful inspection newly acquired plants. It's even better to inspect the flower before you buy it.

Remove dried leaves and flowers immediately, which can provide shelter for insects.

Can be used Neem tree oil preparations for periodic processing of plants. It can get rid of individual individuals and small groups of pests.

The worm doesn't like high temperatures, dying already at 35 degrees. Therefore, flowers are allowed from time to time arrange a hot shower with a water temperature of 40-45 degrees.

Mealybug control measures

How get rid of from a mealybug, if it has already taken a fancy to the plant?

First of all you need place Quarantine the affected flower and carefully examine the remaining flowers. Even if there are no signs of pests, you should not relax, repeating inspections within a month.

The plant that has become a victim of attack should be subjected to mechanical cleaning. To do this, wipe the contaminated areas with a cotton swab dipped in warm water or soap solution. Remove severely affected parts. In hard-to-reach places, you can use tweezers.

To lure out insects, you can place a flower in hot humid conditions. Then they will crawl to the surface and can also be removed.

Males They do not sit on the flower, they circle nearby without damaging it. However, they need to be gotten rid of, because many species cannot reproduce without males. Sticky tapes and plates attached near light sources are used against males.

Be sure to do it well wash the location of the flower pot, because some pests and their eggs may remain there after the plant is removed.

The next step will be processing the plant drugs from mealybug. For this purpose, chemical insecticides or folk remedies are used.

Chemicals

More sensitive to their action are larvae, which have not yet been covered with a wax protective layer. To completely destroy pests, you need to carry out several treatments with a week's break.

Sprays And various sprayers Easy to use by spraying chemicals on the plant. Toxic substances are absorbed into the juice, poisoning insects. To avoid damaging the flower itself, spray from the distance specified in the instructions.

Preparations in the form granules And chopsticks They also contain fertilizers and are applied to the soil with caution, as they can burn the most delicate roots of some plants.

Products containing oils applied directly to affected areas. Large areas of the plant cannot be treated, because oil, especially paraffin oil, clogs the pores, preventing oxygen from penetrating, and the flower may “suffocate.”

All insecticides are divided into three types by action:

Intestinal. The drug enters the pest’s body through the oral apparatus. These include Vertimek, Actellik, Nurell-D, Aktara.

Contact. The chemical enters through skin. You cannot place treated plants on a window to prevent sunlight from entering - this can lead to yellowing of the leaf blades. The most famous are Fozalon and drugs from the German group Spruzit-AESchadlingsfrei.

System. Poisons enter the sap of plants and poison insects. These include almost all sprays, for example Rogor and Phosfamide. Insecticides containing parathion, diazinon, malathion and dimethoate are the most effective in combating mealybugs.

Strongly effective agents that attack large colonies of pests include Fitoverm, Zolotaya Iskra, Komandor and Aktara.

Folk remedies

Mealybug control can be effective when used traditional methods:

• infusion of fragrant tobacco. It is necessary to spray three times with a week break.
• green potassium soap solution- 15g per liter of water. Processing three times.
• horsetail tincture. Damaged plants are watered and sprayed with it.
• tincture of calendula. You can buy it at the pharmacy and treat the flower with a sprayer or a cotton swab.
• garlic tincture. Finely chop 5 cloves of garlic and pour 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for at least 4 hours, treat the plant with a brush, applying the infusion to the leaf blades.
• a mixture of soap and alcohol. Mix 10 ml of denatured alcohol with 10 ml of liquid soap and stir in a liter of water. Spray the plant through a spray bottle.
• olive emulsion. Mix a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a liter of water and apply in any convenient way to the flower.

Biological control methods

For this insects are used feeding on mealybugs. These include a group of ichneumon fly, larvae of the gummy fly, Cryptolemus, and common lacewing.

We wish you healthy plants!

And for those who like to know everything, we suggest you watch a video that will help you accurately identify the pest.