Growing guide
Mealy bugs
Identification and management notes from the society’s original growing reference.
Identification
- Adult mealybugs have a white, yellowish-white, whitish-grey, pale pink or pale blue coating and an oval body with waxy filaments.
- They can be found on all plant parts, especially roots, rhizomes, pseudobulbs and the underside of leaves.
- They wander in search of feeding places, so check pot lips, trays, benches and other hiding places.
Life cycle
Mealybugs have three stages: egg, larva (nymph or crawler) and adult. Eggs hatch after about ten days into mobile crawlers, the stage most able to move between plants. In warm conditions, many overlapping generations can occur each year.
Management
- Isolate infested plants promptly.
- Repeated treatment is required, particularly every 10–14 days, to reach newly hatched crawlers.
- Hand removal can help with obvious adults and larger nymphs.
- For hard-leaved plants, a cotton swab or soft brush with isopropyl rubbing alcohol is a common home treatment. Repeat treatment to remove recently hatched crawlers.