Mealybugs are here! Look on the tips, stems, and undersides of the leaves for these white insects clustered together. If they go unnoticed for a short period of time , they will produce a protective cottony barrier over their bodies to protect themselves. Many times we hear “I have a white fungus on my plants”. Insecticidal Soap or Neem Oil can be used to kill these pests. Multiple applications may be needed. Thorough coverage is a must, and I usually recommend spraying once a week for 2-3 weeks to make sure you have killed them all. If you only have a few clusters of them
at the tips of your plants you could smash them with your fingers and rinse, or cut off the affected tips and throw away the bugs in a sealed bag. Be a bug scout. Keep your eyes open and search. These pests usually last most of the summer.
-DeAnna
Megan McKee says
I have been noticing mealy bugs on my succulents; they LOVE succulents. One of my friends in the succulent world said rubbing alcohol could be used to kill mealy bugs. It does work, but one day last week we realized that one of our trees in the backyard is INFESTED with mealy bugs. Like, sometimes, when the wind blows, it looks like it’s snowing. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it. I’m thinking the whole tree needs to go….what is your advice??
james gill says
Megan, at one time in the past I had a jatropha with bad mealybug problems, so I cut it to the ground with loppers and let it regrow from the ground, with good results. If your tree is a poorly adapted variety, maybe it should just go away forever. Or if it just needs help to get past this infestation and then will be ok, you would pour Bayer Tree and Shrub into the rootzone, and spray the top 3 times with a soap or oil spray.