How do I control mealybugs on a houseplant?
How do I control mealybugs on a houseplant?
Mealybugs on houseplants are difficult to control. Unless the plant is particularly valuable, it’s often best to throw away the infested plant before the insects spread to other houseplants. The standard remedies for houseplant pests can be successful if done with diligence and persistence. On lightly infested plants, pick off individual mealybugs and egg sacs or dab each one with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab. It’s also helpful to syringe plants with a forceful spray of lukewarm water to dislodge the mealybugs from the infested plant.
Mealybugs can also be controlled with insecticide sprays. Use aerosol or hand pump spray products made just for houseplants. These may contain any of several different ingredients, including insecticidal soaps, pyrethrin, neem, or a synthetic pyrethroid, such as permethrin, bifenthrin, or resmethrin. Granular insecticides that you apply to the soil of infested houseplants may also be effective. When using pesticides, carefully read and follow label directions.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on . The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.