Mealybugs are usually very easy to see, most of them can be from below and in the axils of foliage, on petioles and stems. In these places, discharges resembling cotton wool are visible, they contain eggs. Therefore, the plants attacked by the mealybug seem to be covered with cotton wool or fluff. Further, larvae hatch from the eggs, they crawl through the culture and suck the juice.

What plants most often affects and what is dangerous?

Citrus bugs attack citrus crops (grapefruit, citron, tangerine, orange, calamondin). In females, the body is up to 4 mm, it is light pink, covered with a whitish coating. Females lay eggs after 15 days of their lives. Live 3 months. males beige shade, have transparent wings, live 2-4 days.

Grapes are attacked by grapevine. The female has a wide oval body, it is pinkish or yellowish, has white coating resembling a powder. Males are quite rare.

Orchids are exotic plants, which are very demanding on the conditions of detention. But apart from the hassle of organizing proper lighting, watering and fertilizing flower growers have to deal with diseases and pests that often affect this flower. If a mealybug wound up on an orchid, how ...

These cultures are affected by the bristly bug. In the female, the body is 3.5 mm, has an orange or pinkish tint, and is covered with bloom. And there is also a seaside worm. The female has a body up to 3-4 mm, it is pinkish-gray, with a snow-white coating. Males are smaller and have wings. The larvae are tiny, yellowish in color, they move quickly, they have no plaque.

As a result of the appearance of the mealybug, the flowers stop growing; shoots are deformed; foliage, ovaries, fruits fall off; branches dry up. During their activity, the females secrete honeydew, and then a sooty fungus appears on it.

How to deal with mealybugs on indoor plants?

To destroy the pest from biological preparations, lepidocide is used.

Effective chemicals

Next, spray with a solution of green soap, rubbing 10-15 g in 1 liter of water. Do this spraying 3 times at weekly intervals. You can use tobacco infusion, garlic juice, onion juice or cyclamen decoction instead of soap. You can treat the plant with alcohol or tincture of calendula. Place mandarin or orange peels in water, leave for 1-2 days, and then sprinkle the culture with infusion.

Grate 1 teaspoon of soap, pour in hot water. Then add water so that the result is 1 liter, pour another 1 tbsp. a spoonful of alcohol or 2 tbsp. spoons of vodka. Cover the soil in a pot with something, and then soak a cotton wool in a solution of alcohol, collect all the pests, change the cotton wool from time to time. The next day, rinse the culture with warm water. And after 3-4 days, repeat the treatment.

Mash 25-70 g of garlic, pour in 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 6 hours, and then wipe indoor culture with a brush soaked in infusion. Do it in the evening. Next, cover the plant from the sun for 2 days.

Pour in 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil in 1 liter of water. Wipe the entire plant with a dampened cotton swab.

Collect the horsetail herb, dry it, chop it, pour 4 teaspoons of the herb into 0.5 liters of boiling water. Leave for 20 minutes. Strain the infusion, spray and water the culture with it.

Mealybug on an orchid: treatment

Orchids are mainly attacked by citrus and bristly mealybugs. The females of the bristly mealybug are reddish and covered with a whitish coating. Long hairs are visible behind their bodies. Males are greyish, they have transparent wings.

Healthy well-groomed orchids secrete substances that repel a variety of insects, including mealybugs. Therefore, a mealybug appears on an orchid if the plant is sick.

Mealybug how to fight on indoor plants?

Then grate dark laundry soap, pour it into the settled water and mix. Next, carefully wipe the leaves and stems of the orchid with the resulting foam. At the end, process the culture blue vitriol or other fungicide. It is required that fungicides do not fall on the ground.

Violet disease control methods

Mealybug on violets appears for the following reasons:

• movement of pests from newly acquired crops to old ones;
• use of pest-infested land;
• excessive fertilization with nitrogen;
• lack of moisture.

Pour the flowerpots with boiling water or a bleach solution. Treat all the cultures standing nearby on the windowsill. In addition, wipe the shelves and window sills with bleach and alcohol. All this is required to be done by wearing disposable gloves, it is better to burn them then, and then wash your hands with soap and water. Spray plants with Aktellik, pouring 2 ml into 1 liter of water. Then do it again a week later.

You can water the earth in a flowerpot with Aktara's solution by adding 1.4 g to 2 liters of clean water. Then sprinkle the violet itself. Then wait 1 month and repeat everything again. Or apply Phosphamide, it enters the culture in solution, and after that the insects sucking juices are poisoned and die. Wear a respirator to work with pesticides.

Pest prevention at home

Check regularly indoor flower. The mealybug is afraid high humidity and loves dry soil.

Properly care for the plant, cut off the yellowed and dried foliage. Rinse the plant regularly in the shower to wash the dust off the leaves.

Have you ever noticed on your houseplants white, as if sprinkled with flour, insects with many legs and long antennae? If so, it's time to sound the alarm - your green pet has been attacked mealybugs(or hairy louse, as they say), one of the most dangerous insect pests.

Signs of a mealybug infection

In order to accurately recognize the mealybug, carefully examine the flower. Here are the main symptoms:

• the plant is covered with a white bloom and, as it were, sprinkled with flour
• on leaves, shoots or buds - sticky mucus, the so-called honeydew or honeydew
• all parts of the plant are covered with insects with an oval body white color
• the flower looks lethargic, drooping, the leaves lose turgor

What does a mealybug look like

Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) come from the family of hemipterans or arthropods, the superfamily of mealybugs.

Insects have quite a few subspecies, and there are both viviparous insects and mealybugs that lay eggs. All of them are united by common outward signs, a appearance pests varies by age and sex. So, for example, females and males differ significantly from each other. The female mealybug is an insect with an oval-shaped body covered with white bloom, many short legs and long, thread-like antennae. The size of the female varies from three to five millimeters, depending on the species. The larva (nymph) looks about the same as the female, but is smaller. Male mealybugs differ significantly from females: they are winged insects that look like mosquitoes or flies. Males do not harm the plant, since they do not feed on it, males do not have mouthparts.

[!] In backyard and agriculture The mealybug is also one of the most widespread and hard-to-remove insect pests. The main objects of insect attack are fruit bushes (currant, gooseberry, sea buckthorn) and rosaceae (hawthorn, wild rose, rose).

Causes of the appearance of the mealybug

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question: where do mealybugs come from? There are several reasons, and all of them are associated with improper care and maintenance of the plant:

1. Errors associated with watering: waterlogging or, conversely, excessive drying of the soil

2. Errors associated with temperature, air humidity and illumination of the plant location: too low temperature, insufficient air humidity, a small amount of natural light.

3. Errors related to general content and hygiene procedures: lack of periodic inspection of the plant, untimely removal of dead buds, leaves and shoots, lack of water procedures e.g. soul, for a plant.

4. Ignoring the quarantine of newly acquired plants.

Mealybug attacks are especially susceptible to various palm trees, cacti, citrus, ivy and ferns.

Mealybug species

There are about two thousand species of mealybugs in the world, living mainly in countries with a warm and humid climate. Fortunately, only a few species of mealybug have chosen the territory of Russia. Let's look at them in more detail.

seaside mealybug(Pseudococcus affinis) is the most common species of mealybug. Females and males are significantly different from each other. Males are small flying insects that move from plant to plant without harming it. The females are quite large (up to 4 mm long), the legs are well developed, and the body is covered with a white or white-pink bloom. Throughout their life, the females of the seaside mealybug lay their eggs in the so-called egg sacs and carefully hide them in hard-to-reach places: in the axils of the leaves, between the shoots, and even, in the presence of a sloughed trunk, in the cracks of the bark. The larvae hatched from the egg are small yellowish insects. Unlike females, there is no plaque on the body of the larva. Approximately one month after hatching, adult larvae begin to fully feed on the plant and, accordingly, gradually destroy it.

Bristly mealybug(Pseudococcus longispinus) looks about the same as the seaside one, but differs in slightly smaller sizes (the body length of the female is about 3 mm.). This species of mealybug is viviparous, females do not lay eggs. Bristly mealybugs prefer to stray into large groups and hide in inaccessible places on the plant. Pests can live and feed even on root bulbs, hiding behind bulb scales.

grape mealybug(Pseudococcus citri) is similar in appearance to both the seaside and bristly bugs. Like the seaside, the grape worm is oviparous - the larvae hatch from the eggs. The method of settling a colony on a plant is similar to the previous species.

citrus mealybug(Pseudococcus calceolariae). Adult females reach up to 4 mm. in length, the body is light pink in color, covered with a white coating.

root bug(Rhizoecus falcifer) - females are white, body length is about 2 mm. This species is distinguished by the fact that it prefers to live and feed on the roots of the plant, without neglecting, however, the aerial part, leaves, shoots, buds. An excellent environment for the development of the root worm is loose and dry soil, as a result of which, cacti grown in just such a substrate are especially susceptible to attacks by the root bug.

Comstock mealybug(Pseudococcus comstocki) - an insect reaching 5 mm. in length. It is practically not found on the territory of modern Russia, but it can still be seen in certain regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Preventive measures

In order for your home plant not infected with a mealybug, it is necessary to periodically carry out prophylaxis, which includes:

• Careful inspection of the plant. Remember that insect pests can skillfully hide, for example, on reverse side plant leaf, in young shoots, unopened buds and other hard-to-reach places.
• Timely removal of dried parts of the plant: dry branches, leaves and buds are very attractive to the mealybug. Remove them in time, do not leave insects a chance to find a comfortable shelter.
• Water activities such as timely and sufficient watering, occasional showers or leaf washing. The mealybug does not like a wet environment, preferring to settle in dry areas. That is why periodically rinsing the plant and moistening the soil is so important. It is important not to overdo it, because many other insect pests, such as podura, on the contrary, prefer a humid environment.
• quarantine measures. Each new plant that enters your home must be placed on quarantine: temporarily isolate it from other flowers and carry out preventive treatment with universal preparations. You can read more about quarantine in.

If, despite all the prevention, the mealybug still appeared on your green pet, start a merciless fight with it as soon as possible. If the worm colony is not yet large, try more gentle (folk) methods first. But, if the mealybug settled on the plant in large numbers, without modern chemicals, unfortunately, is no longer possible.

Mealybug - how to fight

Folk methods of dealing with mealybugs

Is there enough a large number of recipes for pest control, consisting of homemade ingredients. Let's look at some of them:

1. Soap solution. It is best to use green soap to prepare the solution, if this is not possible - the usual one will do solid, liquid or household. To prepare the solution, stir 15 gr. solid or 15 ml. liquid soap in a liter of water. Spray the plant with the resulting preparation at least three times at weekly intervals, washing off the solution a day after each treatment. To enhance the effect, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol or vodka to the resulting mixture.

2. Tinctures medicinal herbs. Crushed powder of calendula or horsetail (sold in pharmacies), brew with boiling water, cool and process the plant. Recommended proportions - 100 gr. calendula (horsetail) per 1 liter. water.

3. Olive oil with water. A way that is gentle enough for the plant is to mix 2 tbsp. spoons olive oil and a liter of water and apply a solution from a spray bottle. After about one to two hours, wash off the emulsion.

4. Garlic infusion. Take 5-6 garlic cloves per liter of water. Crush the garlic, pour boiling water over it and let it brew for four hours. Filter the resulting mixture and, using a brush or a soft cloth, apply to the trunk, shoots and leaves.

5. Tincture of orange and lemon peel. Pour boiling water over orange and lemon peels in a ratio of 30-50 gr. zest per liter of water, let it brew for a day and process the plant from a spray bottle.

6. In the fight against the root worm, the treatment of the roots of the plant helps a lot. hot water. Remove the flower from the pot, shake off the roots from the ground and place in a large pot of hot water (about 55 ° C) so that the water covers only the roots, without affecting the above-ground part. Keep the plant in the pot for at least 15 minutes, then dry the roots and transplant into a new container with fresh substrate.

Mealybug chemicals

Currently, a large number of preparations are being produced specifically for the control of insect pests, many of which are well known to gardeners and home plant lovers. In the destruction of mealybugs, the following insecticides have proven themselves well:

• Aktara
• Actellik
• Fitoverm
• Confidor Extra
• Bi-58
• Iskra Golden
• Upload

When using chemicals, carefully study the instructions, which prescribe the necessary dosages and method of application. It is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations exactly.

[!] Some drugs, for example Actellik, are highly toxic and can threaten the health of people and animals. Therefore, it is very important to follow all the recommended precautions: carry out the treatment with rubber gloves and in the open air. Do not allow children and animals to come into contact with the treated plant!

Pay attention to the importance of repeating the treatment after 7-10 days. The fact is that almost all chemicals destroy only adults of the mealybug and hatched larvae; they do not affect egg-laying. If re-treatment is ignored, a new generation of insects that have emerged from eggs will attack the plant again after a while.

Mealybug(felt) is an insect from the family of Hemiptera, belonging to the superfamily of worms.

Felters reach the most different sizes, from small (3-6 millimeters) to medium (7-8 millimeters). In males, the body is much more developed than in females. The female usually has an elongated oval-shaped body, covered with powdered wax. At the time of laying eggs, the female hides in a cotton-like or saucer-shaped egg sac.

Science knows almost 500 species of felters that can lay eggs. This number of insects capable of producing offspring occupies ¼ of the fauna in the whole world. Among them, there are many individuals that can harm not only plants, but also humans.

It is customary to refer to worms as those insects that are in the suborder of coccids and unite more than one family. These include parnoglandular, giant, mealybugs, lamellar and felt. All these representatives of the suborder are the closest relatives of the scale insects. These insects are considered pests of many plants. The mealybugs can infect different types of citrus fruits, palms and grapes. They pose a great danger to houseplants. Among them are an orchid, a palm tree, a dracaena, Money Tree, fuchsia, monstera, varieties of ficus and cactus, phalaenopsis orchid, violet and others. Felters can settle on various parts plants, starting from stems and leaves, and ending with ovaries and fruits. If these insects "settle" on indoor plants, then the flowers will begin to grow and develop much more slowly.

Indoor flowers are the decoration of any apartment. They make the home more comfortable, as if they “revive” it. Some varieties of indoor plants bloom for a long time. These representatives of indoor fauna include orchids that bloom for more than 6 months a year.

More detailed information about what other varieties of worms are, you can find in the next section of the article.

Varieties of mealybugs

There are more than 2200 varieties of mealybugs that inhabit Europe. People called these harmful insects "hairy lice."

The female adult insect and her larvae can suck the juice from young foliage, shoots and flowers of house plants. Varieties of citrus mealybugs can harm the root system. Adults and small individuals can move quite quickly.

Insects of the same species may have two different genital organs at once (sexual dimorphism). Males have the first pair of wings, well-developed limbs, and two tail filaments on the abdomen. Males do not have a mouth, as adult males do not feed on anything. In some species, the legs are poorly developed or absent.

Female felters usually have a mouth with which they suck the juice from plants. Many females are capable of laying eggs, and some are viviparous. The egg clutches of the female are placed in a white outer pouch that resembles cotton wool. Many species are capable of producing large offspring (2-4 generations per year). They can move quite quickly along the flower, which serves as food for them. Before laying eggs, some species of females leave their "familiar" place for a new one, looking for another shelter.

The larva of the first age is called a tramp. She can move very quickly through a room flower, which is of great interest to an insect. The wind can also be a carrier of harmful insects. When the larva of the mealybug sticks to the flower, its mobility noticeably weakens. As a result of molting, moving to the next age, the larval insect begins to look for a new habitat.

Worms live all over the world. But most of them are found in tropical countries. Most often, they affect fruit (all types of citrus), technical (oil, spinning, medicinal, sugar and starch) and ornamental crops growing in squares, parks, gardens, greenhouses, recreation areas and on windowsills.

The most famous greenhouse lamellar insects are:

• grooved Australian;
• bristly;
• bamboo;
• grape;
• seaside;
• root;
• citrus.

Let's take a closer look at some of them.

1. Seaside felter. This type of worm is the most common. Males and females have some differences. The body size of males is much smaller than that of females. Males can fly and move from one plant to another without damaging it. Females, on the other hand, are noticeably larger than males. Their body can reach about 4 millimeters in length. The legs of the females are strongly developed, and the body has a white or white-pink coating. During their lives, female individuals of this species can lay eggs in a kind of egg sacs. Females try to hide them in every possible way in the most inaccessible places of flowers, such as the axils of foliage, among shoots, as well as in the bark of some varieties. ornamental plants. 30 days after the larvae hatch, they begin to fully suck the juice from the flower. This leads to the destruction of the fruit or ornamental plant.
2. Bristly. These individuals outwardly resemble seaside mealybugs, but have some differences. Firstly, they are much smaller - only 3 millimeters per dyne. And secondly, the females of these species are viviparous, not laying eggs. Individuals of bristle bugs mainly live in numerous groups and hide in hard-to-reach places in the plant. They can be shoots, bulbs and even roots.
3. Grape. The appearance of this insect resembles the first two species. The female grape felters are oviparous. This species settles in colonies similar to the first two species. The settlement of insects causes severe harm to a houseplant, drinking all the juice from it. The foliage on the flowers begins to turn yellow, and the shoots dry out. In place of the mucous secretions of insects, a fungus is formed.
4. Citrus. Adult females of this species grow up to 4 millimeters in length. Their body is usually light pink, which has a coating. These pests can infect citrus fruits such as lime, orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, pomelo and others.
5. Root. females root mealybug have white color and reach up to 2 mm in length. hallmark of this species is that its representatives live in the roots and aerial parts of plants. Pests feed on roots and foliage, as well as sprouts or flowers. Ideal Conditions for the life of these insects, it is dry and loosened earth. As a result of this “neighborhood”, many types of cacti that grow in this particular soil are regularly attacked by felt.

Plants and soil must be properly cared for. Do not add a lot of fertilizer, because this can lead to the reproduction of mealybugs. You should pay attention not only to the leaves and shoots, but also to the flower buds. Since the latter are saturated with nitrogen fertilizers many times.

Favorable temperature for the reproduction of insects is + 25-27 ° С. In a short time, a huge number of larvae appear from the clutch of eggs. Uninfected indoor flowers have good immunity. They are able to produce a special protective substance that repels mealy aphids. But these protective mechanisms in the plant work only in the warm season. In winter, metabolic processes fade away. This is because the days are getting shorter. Plants don't get enough light. because of centralized system heating in the room produces dry air.

For this reason, many indoor flowers become lethargic and weakened. Dry air contributes to the appearance of various pests on a weak plant.

Why is an insect dangerous for humans and plants?

Why is this insect dangerous for plants and people? This question can be found on various forums on the World Wide Web. In this section, we will look into this issue in more detail.

If you do not fight the worms and do not get rid of them in time, then the plant may die. Some species of females do not need males to reproduce. A separate subspecies of females produces offspring without laying eggs. Females can actually produce full-fledged larvae, which can immediately live and develop independently.

Most often, this insect affects the foliage and shoots of garden, home and office plants. Many varieties of citrus, orchids, gerberas, fuchsias, asparagus, cacti, oleanders and palms are at risk. The grape plant, palm tree, phalaenopsis and hibiscus can also be severely affected. The flower can die from the poison that the worms secrete. The orchid is more susceptible to the action of toxic substances. The infected plant changes color, and the foliage on the flower falls off. On a sick orchid, both the bud and the blossoming flower suffer. Due to the active reproduction of pests, young shoots of this beautiful flower are deformed. In violets, the root system becomes infected.

Felt is able to secrete a lot of sweet liquid that attracts ants. They find a home near the affected plants to protect hairy lice from other insects.

Like other members of the insect order, worms are carriers various diseases and viral infections. They can harm greenhouse, ornamental and agricultural crops. It is for this reason that insect pests are dangerous to humans.

Adult females are almost motionless, but they are still quite capable of infecting neighboring plants. Since many larvae can be carried by the wind, nearby fields and lands are at risk.

To prevent plants from suffering, you need to know how to deal with pests and get rid of them once and for all. What you need to do can be found in the next section.

How to fight at home?

How to deal with mealybugs at home? This question is very relevant not only for the owners of indoor plants, but also for many summer residents.

First of all, harmful insects must be eradicated correctly. Some believe that just getting rid of the affected flower is enough for the worms to disappear. But this is far from true. Most effective method Pest control is insecticide control. Only in this case It is necessary to approach the destruction of insects very competently.

Worms are not as tenacious as it might seem at first glance. Therefore, the plant can be treated with almost all insecticides. It is only necessary to ensure that the poisonous drug gets on harmful insects. In just 1 week, larvae emerge from the eggs. For this reason, it is necessary to start the fight twice - against adults and their offspring. The procedure should be carried out for two weeks in a row.

The main problem is that in the sacs in which the females lay their eggs, reliable protection from the penetration of various poisons. There are no drugs that can simultaneously dissolve clutches with eggs and cope with harmful adults. For this reason, it is necessary to exterminate insects with the help of systemic drugs. They are well absorbed by plants, so insecticides can penetrate deep into the flowers. After drinking flower juice, insects receive a lethal dose of poison.

If the plants are not very affected by felters, then it will not be difficult to defeat the insects. For these purposes, it is necessary to stock up on a brush with soft bristles or a cotton swab, which is moistened in soapy water. Then it is necessary to clean the plant from insect pests and their whitish waste products. After that, three stages of spraying with soapy water are carried out, taking a break every 8-10 days. For these purposes, you can use green soap, tobacco or garlic infusion, as well as a decoction of cyclamen. It is very good to treat the plant with alcohol or with tincture of pharmacy calendula.

If harmful insects hit the phalaenopsis orchid from the inside, then this greatly complicates the situation. You should not try to climb into the axil of the plant on your own, as these manipulations can damage an important organ of the flower. For effective fight you can use regular tweezers. If it is necessary to remove insects from young foliage, then it must be very carefully unfolded, and then cut off from the stem. The indoor plant will not suffer at all from this “operation”, but rather the opposite.

As "orderlies" of the forest, nature has created some types of insects that feed on mealybugs. Natural healers can be the gummy fly, the common goldhead, or the larvae and adults of Cryptolemus. With this biological method of struggle, microbiological preparations are used - lepidocides. Most often they are used in greenhouses or greenhouses. Australian ladybugs act as liquidators of harmful insects.

About what other chemical methods you can get rid of the "hordes" of worms, you can read in the next section.

By chemical means

Except biological methods pest control of indoor plants, there are also special chemicals. The range of drugs is very extensive.

Many gardeners and amateurs are well informed about such chemicals, which will be discussed in this article. In any case, let's dwell on this issue in more detail.

What drugs can be used:

• Duntop;
• Mospilan;
• Aktar;
• Confidor-maxi.

All preparations are prepared as follows. Each gram of a chemical is diluted with 1 liter of liquid and poured with the resulting solution on decorative or cultivated plants. Do not deprive attention of those specimens on which there are no "settlements" of the mealybug yet. If the ornamental culture is very heavily infected, then you can spray it once a week with any of the described preparations. To enhance the effect, you can alternate different chemicals to find the most effective.

There are several types of chemicals:

1. Systemic ("Ifosfamide" or "Rogor"). Their contents fall directly into the juice of ornamental and domestic plants. After the drug reaches the "destination", the stems of the flower will contain poison, which is dangerous for felters.
2. Intestinal ("Aktara", "Fitoverm" or "Nurell-D"). These drugs penetrate the insect first into the mouth, and then into the body.
3. Contact (Spiruzit-aeschadlingsfrei). This type of chemical agent is absorbed into the body of an insect through skin covering. The plant treated with this preparation should not be exposed to direct sunlight. After using this chemical, re-treatment of indoor plants is not required.

Before using any of the drugs, you must carefully study the manufacturer's annotation. It usually details the necessary doses, as well as methods of application. Do not deviate from the instructions and independently increase or decrease the dosage.

It should be remembered that certain types of drugs may contain toxic substances which are very harmful to humans and pets. Therefore, in order not to get burned or poisoned, put on rubber gloves on your hands, and carry out the procedure on fresh air. At the time of spraying, limit the contact of pets and young children with a pollinated flower. It is advisable to first test the drug on a small part of the plant. You can spray some ready-made solution on the foliage, and then wait 1-2 days. If during this time nothing unusual happened to the flower, then the whole plant can be safely treated with the chemical. If wilted or yellowed leaves are found, the drug must be changed to another.

Observe the exact interval between treatments. It should be no more than 7-10 days. In order not to forget about this procedure, make the necessary note and keep it in a conspicuous place. The chemical acts only on adults, and the drug does not cause any harm to the larvae. If re-treatment with insecticides is not carried out in time, then all the offspring that hatch from the eggs from the moment of the first treatment will be able to re-attack the diseased plant.

The optimal time for the procedure is the period when the larvae on the infected flower have just hatched from eggs or left the mother's womb. Since the body of young individuals is very vulnerable and is not protected by special white wax, you can use this moment for a chemical "attack".

Due to the fact that several generations of worms live on indoor plants all the time, it can be very problematic to fight them. It is necessary to prevent the transition to a new stage of development - from a larva to a more adult individual. In this case, the advantage will be clearly not in favor of insects.

In addition to the preparations described earlier, there are also special sprays and granules. You can also purchase a special stick for the root system. Before using these means of "retaliation", you must carefully read their composition. This is worth doing because the root part of some varieties of indoor flowers is sensitive to fertilizers and various salts contained in a particular preparation. Therefore, for particularly capricious ornamental plants, you should not use the product in its pure form, but you can dilute it with water.

Change drugs periodically so that insects do not develop immunity to a commonly used type of poison.

Folk ways

To cure indoor plants from a mealybug, you can not only use chemicals, but also remember the old folk ways wrestling known to our grandmothers.

As part of this article, we have specially collected for you the most effective methods fight. Guided by advice experienced gardeners and gardeners, you can forget about harmful insects that have flooded your favorite orchids or violets, like a nightmare.

What can be used:

To achieve an effective result, experts advise repeating the procedure 2-3 times a week. You can not only spray the soil and the plant itself, but also treat the affected foliage with a napkin dipped in the special agent described above.

Prevention measures

Preventive measures against the mealybug are no less important than the treatment itself. They can be carried out during the off-season on very infected indoor plants, such as crotons, ficuses, succulents and various types orchids.

What can be done:

• keep the plant clean and remove all dried foliage;
• inspect new flowers for harmful "lodgers" so that they cannot infect healthy houseplants;
• when buying another plant, pay attention not only to the stems and foliage, but also to the root part, since larvae usually hide there;
• do not leave a diseased flower unattended for a long time, as it can cause infection of other plants;
• pests do not tolerate high humidity in the room and bright lighting;
• periodically inspect all the plants in the house so that you do not have to wage a “full-scale” pest war later.

As you can see, the fight against harmful insects is not such a simple matter, but still quite doable. Having received the necessary knowledge in theory, you can safely move on to practice. We wish you good luck!

The mealybug is a small, 4 mm long, oval-shaped insect that looks like a speck of cotton.
On close examination, the mealybug looks like a tiny, pinkish or gray woodlice, covered with a fluffy layer of protective white wax.

Despite their small size, the worm is able to create extensive colonies on plants, feeding on their juices.

Mealybug sucks the juices from plants and quickly multiplies

The males of the mealybug have normally developed limbs and wings, and on their abdomen there are two long tail filaments.

Adult females have an elongated oval body, with multiple waxy bristles along its edges. The legs of the females are well developed and the body is quite mobile.

Females lay 100-150 eggs at a time, protected from above with a layer of wax. 5–10 days after laying, small, yellowish larvae (nymphs) emerge from the eggs.

The larvae actively move for several hours before they begin to absorb food. At this time, they can be transferred to other plants with the help of wind. The larva grows into an adult in about 9 weeks.

Signs of plant damage

At first glance, a mealybug infestation does not look like an insect infestation and is often mistaken for a fungus or mold. This is due to the fact that the growing colony of mealybugs looks like a white cobweb, fluff, or drops of sticky cotton wool.

Female mealybugs lay their eggs on plants in white, fluffy, shapeless egg sacs, consisting of waxy cobweb secretions. Bags are usually placed in secluded places in plants - in cracks in the bark, along the stems, in the axils of the leaves or under the leaves themselves.

The colonies also produce nectar, a sticky substance that attracts ants and encourages the growth of black mold. If you stir up a colony, it feels wet and sticky to the touch.

As the mealybugs multiply, a loose powdery coating appears on the plant, consisting of white wax deposits and insects.

The affected plant may shed its leaves.

Adult females and larvae of the mealybug drink the juice of young shoots, leaves and buds of the plant, which significantly hinders its development and growth.

Infection of plants can also be indicated by lost elasticity, deformed, yellowed, or dead leaves, as well as drooping flowers. It becomes covered with spots, slows down its growth and takes on an oppressed appearance. In addition, through the damage caused by the mealybug, the plant is affected by secondary infections.

A subspecies of the pest, the so-called citrus mealybug, attacks the roots. Plants more in pots with a dry potting mix, forming root "feeders" as well as white, rough masses around the roots. They can be found by freeing the plant from the pot.

Pests attack a wide range of indoor plants. Particularly vulnerable to their presence are cacti and succulents, including coleus, croton, fern, African violet, begonia, orchid, ficus, dracaena and pelargonium.

Reasons for the appearance

Mealybug infestation can occur at any time of the year, but is more likely to occur in late summer and autumn.

At improper care behind the plant there is a risk of mealybugs

The causes of the appearance of a worm are quite diverse and include:

• low room temperature;
• waterlogging of the used soil;
• untimely removal of dead plant areas;
• use of contaminated soil or transplanted plants.

Without timely prevention, these pests can reproduce in warm rooms almost all year round.

How to deal with mealybugs on houseplants

Pest control is not easy. The waxy coating of insects and their egg sacs protects them from drying out and from insecticide powders and solutions.

A timely detected pest will cause minimal damage to the plant.

mechanical cleaning

Pests are loosely attached to plants, so they are easy to remove by hand.

If the plants are not too severely affected, for mechanical removal insect colonies, you can use a cotton swab moistened with alcohol, wiping it from the surfaces of all detected bugs. It is also important to inspect all potential insect placements.

It is important not to wet the whole leaves with alcohol, as alcohol can damage their plant tissue.

To get rid of the citrus mealybug, you need to wash the pests and the soil from the roots. warm water, then cut off any damaged roots and transplant the plant into a fresh potting mix.

Mechanical cleaning must be repeated every few days until there are no bugs left on the surfaces. You can also carefully cut out heavily affected plant shoots.

Folk remedies for the fight against mealybugs

Of the folk remedies for combating these insects, a solution of green soap, an antiseptic containing vegetable and animal oils, as well as potassium salts, helps well. Soap forms a film that does not allow insects and their larvae to breathe and eat normally.

For spraying, 10–15 grams of green soap are diluted in 1 liter of water. It is necessary to carry out at least 3 sprays with breaks of one week, even if noticeable positive results are obtained after the first spray.

Instead of green soap, you can use an infusion of tobacco, garlic or horsetail. Spraying with infusions is also carried out at least 3 times with breaks of one week.

To prepare an infusion of horsetail, it must be dried and crushed. Pour 4 teaspoons of herbs into 0.5 liters of boiling water, setting to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain the infusion and spray.

To prepare an infusion of garlic, it is necessary to pour a gruel of 5 crushed garlic cloves with a glass of water, letting the mixture brew in a sealed container for about two days. Strain the infusion through three layers of gauze before spraying.

In order to better hold the infusions on the leaves of plants, you can add a small amount to them. washing powder or laundry soap.

Spraying with insecticides

Folk remedies are low toxic, but they are effective only with a small number of pests. In case of a serious infection, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment with systemic (penetrating the plant) insecticides to increase the chances of getting rid of the mealybug.

Insects that feed on the juice of plants treated with systemic insecticides are poisoned and die.

Effective systemic insecticides against the pest:

Aktara. Very powerful product suitable for spraying and spilling soil mixture. Processing is carried out 2-4 times, with an interval of 10-12 days. After spraying, it is not necessary to wash off the insecticide. Usually after 2-3 treatments insects disappear.

Confidor. It copes well in cases where other drugs do not have the desired effect, including in the treatment of roots. The plant and the topsoil are processed 2 times with an interval of 10-15 days. If a soil spill is used, the preparation is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:1.

Fitoverm. A popular mealybug control with low toxicity to plants, pets and humans. Processing is carried out 3-4 times with an interval of 5-8 days. A week after the last spraying with an insecticide, the plant can be treated with Epin phytohormone.

Decis. It has a low consumption rate and high efficiency. When applied to flower plants small indentations are made in the soil using an ordinary pencil, a solution of the drug is poured into the indentations. After processing, the pot is wrapped in polyethylene for several days, while the rosette of the flower is left outside. As a result of processing, the worms inside the soil suffocate and die.

On clean and well-groomed leaves of the plant, the mealybug will not start.

Insecticide for insect control is best selected individually so that pests cannot adapt to its action. The preparations are used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, observing all the indicated precautions.

Pest prevention

To prevent mealybug infestation, new plants must be carefully checked before bringing them home. It is also advisable to quarantine new plants for one month before placing them with other, especially valuable specimens.

Mealybug on the roots can only be found if the plant is removed from the pot

Timely moistening of the soil mixture helps to restrain the development of the citrus mealybug. AT summer period it is important to use a thin mesh on opening windows so that pests cannot enter the room.

It is helpful to quarantine any infected potted plants by hanging them outdoors if the air is "mild" enough. Care hardy plants outdoors in winter good way destroy the colonies of this annoying insect.

Useful reviews

I got rid of the mealybug in this way: for 1 liter of hot water, 1 tsp. Fairy + 1 tbsp. alcohol or 2 tbsp. vodka. Cool, spray every 3-4 days. I got rid of them, but the plants are still in quarantine.

Elena

http://www.orhidei.org/forum/18–221–1

I process all plants, not just those on which something is found. On the loggia I cover with a large piece polyethylene film, I spray strongly so that poison flows from the plant, from all sides. I tightly compose everything and wrap it with a film. It turns out such a big bag. I leave until the morning. Then I put it in place, after washing the window sills and pallets.

http://frauflora.ru/viewtopic.php?t=834

Carefully inspect your flower, if the flowers themselves have a white coating and sticky drops, I would advise you to remove them. Wash the leaves, stem with soapy water, it is also advised to shed the plant with plenty of water, suddenly this muck lurks in the roots. I spilled warm water in the bathroom (although I usually only water boiled water, but chlorinated water did not damage the plant). The most important thing now is to put the orchid in "quarantine" so that it does not come into contact with other plants.

https://www.babyblog.ru/community/post/flowers/1721719

Eradicating the mealybug requires considerable patience and perseverance. If the plant is heavily infected, it is better to get rid of it immediately, as in the future it will grow poorly and may soon wither.

To prevent mass infection, it is important to treat all indoor plants in the house in the ways listed above. These measures will protect the plants and save the owners from the appearance of a harmful insect in the future.

All lovers of greenery in the house need to know what the mealybug looks like, how to deal with it on indoor plants, as well as the basic methods for preventing pest infestation. These creatures look like aphids. Their size ranges from 3 to 7 mm. From above, pests seem to be sprinkled with flour. This substance protects them from drying out, since they do not have an external solid chitinous apparatus. Recognizing the presence of mealybugs is not difficult, as they form a specific cotton-like coating on the leaves. In these fluffy masses, the females of these pests can lay up to 500-600 eggs. This contributes to the very rapid spread of these creatures on neighboring colors.

If the degree of infection is small, it is quite possible to get by with folk remedies that differ more mild action and are completely harmless to humans and pets. If the first signs of leaf damage were not detected in a timely manner, it is necessary to use more effective and efficient chemicals and agricultural practices to combat these creatures. In some cases, it is advisable to use all at once possible methods for more fast elimination pests from the leaves of indoor plants.

How to start the fight against mealybugs?

Usually the activation of these pests occurs in the spring and autumn time. The maturation of mealybug larvae largely depends on the temperature regime and the relative humidity of the air. This pest multiplies most rapidly at 25°C. For a long time, worms on indoor plants live in relatively small populations. In this case, they do not cause significant harm. With the creation of favorable conditions, the number of these pests can quickly increase. More often, mealybugs infect weakened plants that have not received necessary care or suffered from an excess of nitrogen that disrupts metabolism. On healthy young indoor flowers, these pests usually do not settle, as the plants have their own defense mechanisms that repel these insects.

In order to quickly get rid of the mealybug, you need to carefully examine the affected flower and, if possible, remove all the leaves and shoots that are most strongly covered with these creatures. It is necessary to isolate the infected plant from others. Among other things, you need to take an old soft toothbrush and, moistening it with soapy water, carefully remove insects from those shoots that cannot be removed. Moistened cotton swabs can also be used to combat plaque on indoor plants, but this is less convenient. If possible, rinse the plant running water after the removal of the existing foci of pest settlement. Such a procedure will reduce their number and increase the effect of the use of folk and chemical remedies designed to combat these creatures.

If the indoor flower has pronounced signs of being affected by this pest, it is necessary to act directed using special means. Currently, many chemicals have been developed that allow you to quickly eliminate these small insects.

The most commonly used include the following:

• Actellik;
• Aktar;
• Bankol;
• Inta-Vir;
• Vertimek;
• Karbofos;
• Tanrek;
• Confidor Extra;
• Fitoverm.

The cost of such funds, depending on their variety, can range from 10 to 120 rubles. With a strong infection of the plant, it is not easy to quickly get rid of the mealybug, since the flower is weakened and may even die soon. It is necessary to select an insecticide on an individual basis, since these pests have the ability to acquire resistance to drugs of this type. With a strong infection, it is better to start applying immediately. Aktar. It is a very powerful insecticide with a systemic effect.

In case if in flower shop it was not possible to purchase this remedy, then to eliminate pests that severely affected the plant, it is best to use Inta-Vir or Confidor. These drugs have a powerful effect, but at the same time they are relatively safe for humans. With severe damage to the plant, you can use Karbofos and Vertimek. These products have a high degree of toxicity, so they should be used very carefully. It is best to carry out procedures outdoors. This will minimize the risk to humans and animals.

If the defeat of the mealybug is mild, drugs can be used Aktara or Fitoverm. They are slower acting, but are considered safe. Any insecticide, regardless of their class, must be applied strictly following the instructions. To enhance their action after treatment, the houseplant should be covered with a transparent bag and left for several hours. It is very important for this period to protect it from direct sunlight so that the flower does not die due to an increase in temperature inside such an impromptu greenhouse. With a strong infection, it is best to treat the plant with insecticides at least 3-4 times. The interval between procedures should be at least 5-7 days. It is very important that the air temperature during the treatment of plants from the mealybug was at least + 22 ... + 24 ° C. If it fluctuates within + 11 ... + 20 ° C, this will significantly affect the effectiveness of insecticides.

Folk remedies for the fight against mealybugs

Many modern people afraid to use special chemicals to eliminate pests from indoor plants. Folk remedies in this matter are less effective, but they do not have a toxin effect and cannot harm people living in the house. Such recipes can be successfully applied with a slight damage to plants by a mealybug.

The simplest, but at the same time quite in an efficient way elimination of these pests is considered soap solution. This product can be easily made at home. For its preparation, you can take cosmetic, tar and even laundry soap. Suitable and means intended for washing dishes. The soap solution should be thick. The more foam, the better. They need to process not only all the leaves and shoots of the infected plant, but also the windowsill, pallet and pot. This will increase the effectiveness of this folk remedy.

After treatment, it is necessary to leave the soapy solution on the plant for 2-3 hours, then rinse gently. To enhance the effect, you can add a few tablespoons of ammonia to this remedy. However, when processing such a remedy, it must be washed off after 15-20 minutes. It is worth noting that this folk recipe for getting rid of mealybugs is not suitable for all types of plants. It is believed that in some cases, soap can block the stomata present on the stem and leaves, which causes the death of the flower due to disruption of the photosynthesis process. Among other things, you can not use solutions containing alcohol if the plant has tender leaves. This will cause burns.

Garlic is often used to eliminate mealybugs. It contains toxic substances able to repel this pest. To prepare this remedy, you need to take 1 tsp. chopped garlic cloves to a pulp and pour them with 1 glass of water. It is necessary to insist the remedy for 1-2 days, and always in a sealed container. This remedy should be used to wash the leaves every 7-8 days.

To get rid of the mealybug, you can also use onion peel. To prepare the composition, you need to take about 20 g of a carefully crushed plant component and pour 1 liter of warm water. You need to insist on the remedy for at least a day, and then use it to spray infected indoor flowers. Usually 2-3 treatments are enough to get rid of the mealybug.

In addition, quite often, a strong infusion of dry tobacco is used to combat this pest. To prepare such a remedy, you need to take about 80 g of shag and pour 1 liter of warm water. The agent must be set aside for a day, then carefully strain and dilute with water until the initial amount of liquid is obtained. This infusion can be used both for spraying and for washing. This tool perfectly eliminates white bloom on leaves and stems.

onion peel

How to prevent mealybugs from infecting plants?

However, the most best method the fight against this pest is to prevent its occurrence. If you got into the house new flower, it must be quarantined separately from the rest for at least 1 month. Be sure to conduct a periodic inspection of all indoor plants, paying Special attention dorsum of the leaf and sinuses. If worms on the plant were detected at an early stage, this guarantees a good effect even when using folk remedies in the fight against them.

Among other things, it must be borne in mind that frequent airing of the room, washing and spraying the leaves with special cleaning solutions can reduce the risk of these pests. In addition, it is desirable to carry out periodic treatment of plants with insecticides. This will prevent an increase in the number of pests if they still hit the flower. For prevention, you can use folk remedies, for example, garlic or onion tincture, which will reduce the risk of the spread of mealybugs.