They’re found all over the US, but they were first believed to have entered the US from Florida. Ferrisia gilli, ‘Gill Mealybugs’, ‘Gill’s Mealybug’ Stone fruits such as apricot or peach are at risk from gill mealybugs, as are some nuts like pistachio or almond. Adult males have the appearance of tiny tests with two wings. When you see them on the actual plant, you may find them on the plant leaves or flowers. Make sure you don’t use already infected plantlets or potting soil. Slowly. This treatment can eradicate the mealybugs and any other kind of pest infestation or fungal growth, gradually, after a few uses. They have a pair of much longer ones at the “tail-end.” This is a very easy to notice feature to identify them from other pest species. So this all lies in your due diligence when you buy a new plant. Also, this honeydew excretion promotes the sooty mold fungus on the affected areas of plants. The best way to attract these natural predators is to grow plants that naturally attract them. You can read over these methods and use a few of them. You often find them eating up the sap around the plant roots or crowns. You would want to remove all items from the pantry and carefully inspect them one-by-one for mealybug bug infestations. Here are a few of the most common ones you can attract to help you control the mealybug infestation. Once you’ve treated the infested succulent, you can move it back to where you had it. You should do this if you’ve been dealing with mealybugs for a long time and just can’t stand them anymore. You can also make your own DIY mealybug insecticide using rubbing alcohol. Drowning doesn’t work because mealybugs can live underwater for many, many weeks. Can I drown mealybugs? Mix 2 tablespoons of soap (increase the amount further according to the severity of infestation) in a gallon of water and spray. One way to kill mealybugs on houseplants is with a cotton swab soaked in rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is another effective way to kill mealybugs at home. Mealybugs are annoying little creatures that can sneak up on you like a plague- one day your plants look fine, the next day your plants are covered with gross, white fluffy substance. Ants spread the mealybugs infestation as well. They typically take cover on the plant roots, under the plant leaves, and well within pot planters. At the very beginning, they will be very hard to find because you just have one or two mealybugs on your plant. Attracting natural predators will help you keep the population in check. The most effective oils were the citrus oils from the lemon and orange peels. Believe it or not, ants are a symbiotic partner for mealybugs. Insecticidal soap or any liquid soap that is free from scents and additives that can harm the plant may be used to wash the mealybugs away. Another method that’s often overlooked is to simply use the natural predators that eat mealybugs to help control and prevent them. Here you’ll find two ways 2 control your mealybug infestation. As long as you practice safe and good hygiene, you should be okay. And areas, where the temperature is warmer, seems to draw more mealybug infestations. To get rid of them, you should make your own insecticidal soap at home. The neem oil insecticide is natural, highly effective and safe. Leaving them alone to do their own thing will destroy the plant completely. Dawn dish soap seems to be the go-to dish soap for this kind of application. The female mealybugs are the ones that do the main damage to the plant. Typically, I add 8-14 drops of any oil to 1 cup of water and try it out for a week on a single leaf. When they’re first born as nymphs, they have almost like a wax coat over them. But I wouldn’t recommend drowning mealybugs as a way to get rid of them. Rubbing alcohol is a nice approach because it’s cheap, safe for humans and pets, and most plants can handle it. You can make your essential oil mix at home. When these bugs start growing in number in a particular area, they develop a wax-like white, powdery coating upon themselves that shields them and protects their eggs. Minor outbreaks can also be cleared with some alcohol on q-tips. That just happens to be the most common color. Step 4: Dispose of the cotton swab or paper napkin. Can you drown mealybugs? You can do some research on any of these plans and buy some seeds or buy them already planned it in your local nursery. The first report of mealybugs was the pink hibiscus species, which was discovered around 2001 in Florida. If your succulents are in a pot, move the pot away from your other potted plants. Check out the coffee grounds, neem oil, and essential oil approaches. You can use mechanical pressure of water to hose off adult mealybugs and hopefully their eggs too. This will take time, but it is an effective, safe, and all-natural approach. You can manage small mealybug infestations with a simple blast of water. Basil oil caused the most damage to the plant, while lavender, thyme, and peppermint caused minimal damage. Apple cider vinegar is a commonly used DIY pesticide. The content on this site is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice, or to replace a relationship with a qualified professional. Mealybugs can’t survive underwater forever, but the time it takes to drown them isn’t practical. This won’t reach the mealybugs that are deep in the soil eating the roots, but it will kill off any mealybugs that are near the soil surface. If there is any mealy bug in the new plant then isolate the plant and take measures to eliminate the mealy bug. If you are dealing with Sarrs, they will be fine in a bowl of water for a day or two which will drown some mealybugs. 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