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Of all the house plant pests out there , perhaps the most frustrating is themealybug .
Despite there being approximately 270 species in the United States alone , the one most likely to make a host plant of your prized indoor ornamental is the Asiatic importPlanococcus citri .
Photo Credit: Instagram @citrusturquie
substantially bed as the citrus mealybugs , this fertile metal money targets far more than citrus plant .
It ’s considered the most plebeian mintage of mealybug and point decorative plants such asjade plantsorspider plant .
The first signaling of citrus mealybug populations :
The unsound news is that these prolific pesterer can circularise throughout common fig tree trees , citrus groves , houseplants , and many food crops .
Their powdery wax finishing also protect them from most chemical substance insecticides .
The good news is that many innate remedies can pour down these pests if you invest sentence and endeavour .
How To Get Rid Of Citrus Mealybug
Due to their resistance to most insecticides , chemical control is n’t viable . Use natural control methods instead .
When dealing with an indoor infestation , use a hand - on technique such as alcoholic drink or neem crude oil .
Predatory dirt ball and systemic insecticides are best foroutdoor mealybug control .
Alcohol (Indoor)
Using isopropyl inebriant ( or itch alcohol ) at speciality below 70 % percent kills scale insects , admit mealie .
Be sure to test a modest area of the works a day before treatment to ensure there are no supersensitised or hypersensitised reactions .
swob a cotton nut or swab in the alcohol and dab every one of the cottony mass like a shot .
The alcohol will dry out the powdery white wax and desiccate the mealybug , kill it almost instantly .
This method acting is effective but fourth dimension - consuming and will need double at least once per week to get any hatching eggs .
Natural Enemies (Outdoor)
There are many natural enemy ofPseudococcidaespecies , many of which you could buy .
The most noted of these is the aptly namedmealybug undoer ( Cryptolaemus montrouzieri ) .
These chocolate-brown and contraband beetles resemble ladybugs in soma . They have a rapacious appetency for mealy bug , allow them to eat as many as 200 per calendar week in their larval phase .
The mealybug uprooter is n’t moth-eaten - liberal but can thrive twelvemonth - turn in greenhouses .
Ladybugs and Japanese ladybeetles are also effective mealybug vulture .
Meanwhile , two less attractive predators are lacewing larvae and parasitic WASP ( Leptomastix dactylopii ) .
Spiders and some species of small razzing feed mealybug as well .
Be measured not to employ a pesticide or insect powder that can also harm your little allies when employing natural foe .
You may need to use some form of solid ground plague command to keep ants away . They will often defend mealybugs so they can harvest their honeydew melon .
Neem Foliar Sprays (Indoor and Outdoor)
Foliar sprays take two hebdomad to be visibly in force and can be a painfulness to apply .
connect : How To Use Neem Oil To Kill MealybugsandUsing Neem Oil For Citrus Scale
The good intelligence is there are premade neem spray uncommitted online , and it ’s easy to make one yourself .
When using outdoors , be sure to practice at gloaming or first light so as not to harm good louse .
The nebulizer dissipates within an hour , leaving no residue ( unless you used insecticidal soap ) .
Reapply every other day for at least fourteen days . Apply every two week to healthy plants as a contraceptive .
Neem Soil Soak (Indoor and Outdoor)
Neem soil soaksare a character of systemic insect powder , meaning they protect the industrial plant from the inside .
The mixture is the same as a foliar spray , but employ two tablespoons of 100 % per centum cold - press cutting neem oil .
stream 2 to 3 cup of the commixture onto the soil around the plant .
The neem will defeat soil pests without affecting earthworms . The industrial plant ’s tooth root then take in it .
Once inside the plant , a neem soak will stay on potent for up to 22 solar day and envenom any blighter that pierces the plant ’s cutis .
It does n’t flat belt down citrus fruit mealybugs but can cut off their appetence , preclude nymphs from accomplish the next growing stage , and stimulate infertility .
The most substantial reward of a neem soil soak is you may scale up the dose to protect even large plant .
Since neem is non - toxic to humans and pets , daily use before harvest wo n’t affect crop return ’ edibility .
you could safely habituate neem soil soaks on any plant that does n’t show sensitivity to the neem oil . Reapply every three weeks as a preventative .
Neem fossil oil is one of the unspoilt innate biological ascendance measures usable to both houseplant lovers and commercial producer .
