Something About Mealy Bugs You Have to Know (Mealy Bugs)

2008-08-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Mealy Bugs

Hi guys. I found a great website that has a very useful info on mealy bugs that I think you should know. Here's the info:

Common name: "Mealy Bug" or "Long-tailed Mealy"
Latin name: Ferrisia virgata, Phenacoccus solani, Planococcus citri, Pseudoccous longispinus
Size : 1/5th to 1/8th inches.
Colors : White to pinkish.
Life cycle : Less than 30 days

Transportation

People and pets may transport Mealy bug indoors. Mealy Bugs can crawl from an infected plant to a non-infected plant.

General Houseplant Pest information

Mealy bugs are soft bodied insects that suck fluids from houseplants. Their pinkish-white body is covered with a type of waterproofing making chemical control difficult. They also like to nest deep in the crotches of a plant, also making control difficult.

Continue reading...Signs of infection

Look for individual Mealy Bug insects near the upper part of a plant. Inspect the upper and under sides of the foliage along with the stems. Severe infestations will resemble patches of cotton dispersed any where on the houseplant. Also keep any eye out for a sticky substance called "Honey Dew".

Control

Mealy bugs don't reproduce as fast as other insects so you have a good chance of clearing up the problem. Your first line of defense should be physical control. Squish as many of the bugs as you can find with your fingers. Next follow up with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol dabbing the Mealy bugs that you can't get to. Pay close attention to where the leaf attaches to the stem. Applying systemic granules to the soil and spraying with Safer's Ultra Fine Oil will also help. Repeat this process until you have eliminated all of the Mealy bugs.

If you have a severe infestation you may need to spray the plant with chemicals. For chemical controls of houseplant pests and bugs call or visit one of our sponsors, or order this excellent indoor/outdoor pest and disease reference book for alternative eco-friendly solutions.

I hope this info really helps you to get to know mealy bugs better. Thanks for reading!

Source: www.denverplants.com

Mealy Bugs

Mealy bugs: Let's Get to Know Them (Mealy Bugs)

2008-07-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Mealy Bugs

Maybe you have heard of the terrible blood-sucker that quench their thirst at night when you sleep. It's bed bugs. Last time I was doomed to be their prey for almost one month. The bite spot they left on my skin was a disaster. In just one week, I was turned to a guy with seemingly having a very deadliest skin disease. Thank God that with pest control service, bed bugs GONE! Okay, that's bed bugs. But what is Mealy bugs actually? Have you heard what is Mealy bugs?

Mealy bug is the name of insects in Pseudococcidae, a family of unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees. So, you can consider them as the enemy of farmers. They feed on plants by inserting long strawlike mouthparts (called stylets) into plant tissue. Besides producing a white wax, mealy bugs secrete a sticky honeydew that adheres to leaf surfaces and attracts unsightly dust and molds.

Read more...There are two kinds of Mealy bugs. First is Longtailed Mealy bugs and the second one is Citrus Mealy bugs.

How to tell that it is Longtailed Mealy bugs:

Long tails extending from the rear of the adult females and mature nymphs
The tails can break
If the wax fringes along the perimeter of the body are at least one-third as long as the width of the body
Males secrete thin elongated wax cocoons arranged sparsely on leaf surfaces; females secrete a subtle wax layer around themselves

How to tell that it is Citrus Mealy bugs:

Do not have tails
Their wax fringes are quite short
Females produce thick tufts of wax material where they lay their eggs.

Well, that's just the basic thing you should know about Mealy bugs. I'll tell you more about Mealy bugs next time, particularly on how to get rid of Mealy bugs.

source:
www.mda.state.mn.us/index.htm ,
www.ehow.com/how_6935_control-mealybugs.html

Mealy Bugs