An exception is the hibiscus mealybug, which is pinkish-brown and lacks the fringe.
Mealybugs feed on garden plants by inserting their sharp mouthparts into the leaves and stems to suck sap.
Damaged leaves look wrinkled or puckered.
The Spruce / Julie Bang
They can also contaminate cut flowers with webby egg sacs and clusters of larvae.
Several species of parasitic wasps prey on mealybugs.
Lacewings and pirate bugs also feed on mealybugs.
Gardeners can alsodiscourage ant coloniesby tilling the surface of the soil to disrupt nests.
Biological Control
Organic gardeners have at least two commercial options for biological mealybug control.
Take care not to mistake this beneficial insect for a pest, as thelarvae of this ladybugresemble mealybugs.
Organic Sprays
As soft-bodied insect pests, mealybugs are susceptible toinsect soap sprays.
Sprays must be applied directly to the insects to disrupt their cell membrane and kill them.
These sprays do not work as preventive agents.
Warning
Insect soaps can potentially burn or otherwise damage plants.
High temperatures and sunlight increase plant damage from insect soap.
What Causes Mealybugs
Mealybugs are attracted to plants for food.
Outdoor plants cannot reliably be protected from mealybugs.
However, thriving populations of mealybug predators can help control their numbers.
And that’s where their similarities end.
Dish soap suffocates mealybugs so it can be blended with water and sprayed on the pests.
They often collect around the axils or nodes of stems.
Only male mealybugs have wings and are capable of flight.
However, they are not capable of feeding; their primary purpose is to fertilize the females.
These insects cannot survive at temperatures under 47 degrees.
They survive best at 86 degrees.
University of California Agricultural & Natural Resources.
Least-Toxic Control Methods to Manage Indoor Plant Pests.
University of Missouri Extension.
1, 2019, pp.
