Fight, recognize and prevent mealybugs

Mealybugs are a nuisance, especially on indoor plants such as orchids and cacti. You can find out how best to combat mealybugs here.

Really nobody is happy to find the little animals on their beloved plants. Below we have summarized the easiest way to identify mealybugs (Pseudococccidae), how to prevent them and which means help to combat them.

Mealybugs are typical indoor pests on indoor plants. They are also known as "greenhouse lice" because they can multiply easily and cause great damage in a conducive climate in the living room, conservatory and greenhouse. It's no wonder that hobby gardeners rightly sound the alarm when they discover these little white creatures. But don't worry, with our tips and tricks you will quickly get the plague under control and your plants can survive future mealybug attacks unscathed. Incidentally, the mealybugs also occur outdoors, for example on beech, apple and maple trees - but with much less potential for damage.

Mealybugs: profile

The Pseudococciae family includes around 1000 different species. The members of these families are called mealybugs or mealybugs. In Germany, only 65 of these are considered relevant plant pests. A frequently occurring representative - especially in ornamental plants in the house - is the citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri). The female lice can reach impressive sizes of half a centimeter, while the males are significantly smaller. What is special about this species is that they sometimes also live in the root area of ​​plants. There, an infestation is often discovered much later and combating it is then difficult. In addition, the citrus mealybug has a significant reproductive potential. Adult females lay hundreds of eggs, which are protected by a layer of wax. After just two days, but often later, the first small and mobile mealybugs can hatch.

Recognize mealybugs: Track down the pests on orchids & co

The mealybug is a representative of the plant lice (Sternorrhyncha), which has very special optical characteristics. In addition to the white wax layer, many genera and species also have more or less pronounced white threads on the body. If you find a pest on your plants that fits this description, it must almost inevitably be mealybugs. Like other plant lice, they suck the energy-rich plant sap from the phloem of the plant and thereby weaken it. In addition, this family of lice gives off honeydew, on which so-called sooty mold fungi can develop, which then disrupt the photosynthesis of the plant. Mealybugs also leave white, greasy residue on plants and pots that is really not pretty to look at.

Especially indoor plants like succulents, cacti and orchids did it to the louse. But fruit trees like that can also be grown outdoors apple tree or the Douglas fir can be infested with different types of mealybugs. Identifying the culprit is very easy: the lice, which are covered with a white layer of wax, like to hide under the leaves or in the axils of the leaves. Mealybugs can occasionally also be found on the root neck, this is especially the case with cacti. But flowering garden dwellers are not spared by mealybugs either. More information about Control of Mealybugs on Hydrangeas get here.

Prevent mealybugs in the house and garden

Indoors, the mealybug is often introduced via infested indoor plants. For this reason, you should always take a close look at the plant when buying plants. If individual plants in the stock are affected, you should also keep your hands off the other plants. After all, these could already contain eggs that cannot always be easily identified with the naked eye. By doing this, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of a mealybug infestation.

Mealybugs, on the other hand, can spread almost unhindered outdoors, leaving you with only the natural enemies of mealybugs to fight against. This includes, for example, the larvae of lacewings, which have absolutely no problem with the white waxy layer of mealybugs. For this reason, we always recommend that you cultivate your home garden in a manner that is gentle on the beneficial organisms.

Tip: Adults lacewings feed mainly on pollen, nectar and honeydew. They and their larvae, known as "aphid lions", are mainly found where there are many flowers and also some aphids. The Creation of a flower meadow as a habitat for lice and above all lacewings protects your entire house garden, because in this way always hungry lacewing larvae are present when mealybugs attack your ornamental plants or fruit trees want.

fight mealybugs

Mealybugs should definitely be combated indoors, as they not only severely weaken the plant, but can also transmit fungal diseases and plant viruses to the plant. If one of your houseplants is infested with mealybugs, you should definitely “quarantine” them and separate them from your other houseplants. There you can then treat the plants freely without the other plants being affected as well. In the field, control is very often not necessary if existing beneficial insects regulate the infestation.

Combat mealybugs biologically

Neem Supplements: The mealybug has a huge advantage over other types of lice because of its waxy layer. Many biological agents such as neem and preparations with the natural active ingredient pyrethrum cannot penetrate the wax layer. However, the active ingredient azadirachtin, which is found in neem products like the Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem contained, cannot even penetrate through the white carapace. It is absorbed through the leaves and distributed systemically throughout the plant. The mealybugs then absorb the deadly active substance when they suck the plant sap. The Plantura organic pest-free neem is not only easy to use, but also works against numerous other pests in addition to mealybugs. In addition, the preparation is not dangerous to bees and can therefore be used without hesitation in bee-friendly gardens.

paraffin oil: Mealybugs can also be effectively combated with biological agents based on paraffin oil. The paraffin oil encloses the mealybugs in a thin film of oil, which suffocates the pests. Even if the remedy is very effective, it has one major disadvantage: some plants do not tolerate the treatment. For this reason, you should always try the treatment on one part of the plant first. In any case, the agent must not be used in direct sunlight, otherwise burns will quickly occur.

beneficial insects: However, the mealybug also has natural enemies, such as the Australian ladybird (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri). These black-reddish-brown beneficial insects and their white larvae consume large quantities of mealybugs. Companies specializing in biological crop protection offer these special ladybirds as adults or larvae for application to infested plants.

Tip: Do not use sprays or skin remedies at the same time as beneficial insects. Because they could also harm the beneficial and its effect would then be gone.

Fight mealybugs with home remedies

collect: The easiest and often quickest way to get rid of mealybugs is to collect them. This method is very effective for small indoor plants and especially for orchids. If the leaf axils are difficult to reach, a cotton swab can help to catch hidden mealybugs. This procedure usually has to be repeated until all the young mealybugs have hatched from their eggs.

Spirit: A home remedy for combating mealybugs is denatured alcohol, from which a one percent solution (10 ml of alcohol per liter of water) is made. You spray the mealybugs with this mixture and the spirit unfolds its effect. This has the ability to loosen the wax layer that surrounds and protects the lice, making the pests vulnerable. Denatured alcohol also penetrates the body of mealybugs and damages them to the point that they die.

soft soap: Another method that will also attack the waxy layer of mealybugs is to spray the lice with a mixture of water and soft soap. Many of us use soft soap for cleaning - but this can also be effective against mealybugs in your garden.

Manure and teas: You can also make extracts and teas that fight mealybugs and also strengthen your plants. You can use the following extracts and teas against mealybugs:

• Oregano Tea: Brew 100g fresh oregano (Origanum vulgare) or 10 g of dried oregano with a liter of boiling water. Let this oregano tea steep for at least 15 minutes before straining. Mix the tea with cold water in a 3:1 ratio before using it and then spray the lice with the mixture.

• Garlic Broth: Chop 50g fresh garlic (Allium sativum) and then pour one and a half liters of boiling water over it. This mixture has to stand for about half an hour and is then strained. First spray the plants with the cooled garlic broth to combat the mealybugs.

• Nettle extract: Take 200 g of fresh nettle leaves (Urtica) or 20 g dried nettle leaves and chop them up. Pour the leaves with a liter of water and let the mixture steep for about eight hours. This mixture should not ferment if you want to use it to fight mealybugs. If it starts to ferment, you can still use this mixture as a fertilizer and to strengthen the plants. After the soaking time, remove the parts of the plant and spray the plants with the lice with the undiluted extract.

With these homemade broths, teas and extracts, you can also treat your infested plants several times to get rid of mealybugs. You can also find our best in this article Home remedies to control pests in the garden. With a larger focus of infestation, however, this control method is far too complex and therefore you will probably not be able to avoid a plant protection measure in this case.

Fight mealybugs conventionally

Mealybugs can of course also be combated chemically. However, the use of chemicals is not desirable, especially in the house and kitchen garden, and there is almost always another way out. Even if the mealybugs are after the roots, not only the quick poison stick helps, but also repotting and biological agents such as our systemic Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem.

Tip: Plant protection sticks only work on plants that absorb a relatively large amount of water. Since cacti and other succulents generally absorb little water, plant protection sticks work poorly here. The mealybugs are then usually only combated unsatisfactorily or not at all.

The most effective agents are so-called fully systemic insecticides. With these crop protection products, the active ingredient is absorbed by the plant via the leaves, distributed throughout the plant and also in new leaves, and released to the mealybugs. Mealybugs can be effectively combated with these agents, but other insects can also be damaged - and it is also not without risk for you as the user. It is therefore particularly important to use protective equipment and to strictly follow the manufacturer's specifications.

Summary Fight Mealybugs:

• The easiest and quickest method of fighting is to collect the mealybugs, if necessary with cotton swabs
• Suitable home remedies for combating this are solutions made from denatured alcohol, soft soap and plant manure or extracts
• Neem supplements like that Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem are very effective, systemic and also biological means against mealybugs
• Australian ladybirds can be used as beneficial insects, but not in conjunction with home remedies or other sprays
• In an emergency, mealybugs can also be combated chemically, but the application is also harmful to other insects and possibly even to the user

Are Mealybugs Dangerous to Humans?

Mealybugs can get to our houseplants and get stuck, but we don't have to worry about our health. Mealybugs are only dangerous for our plants, but not for us. So you can treat the plants without hesitation and keep them in your living space. The plant viruses that can be transmitted by mealybugs cannot be transmitted to us humans either, since plant cells and animal cells are very different.

Have your houseplants just survived an infestation with mealybugs and should now be cared for back to their former glory? In this article, we'll show you how to set your Fertilize indoor plants optimallyto give them health and vitality and to prevent a new pest infestation.