Mealy Bugs
HELP! My confederate jasmine has stuff growing on it that looks like white puff paint. It is mostly on the joints, but a little on the leaves. I can not see any bugs, but the white stuff, when I move it with a pencil tip, is stringy, kind of like spiders web strings.
The white cottony ‘stuff’ in the leaf axils is home to eggs laid by mealy bugs, which eventually hatch and become microscopic orange crawlers that feed on your plant. Once they reach adult stage, they develop a white waxy coating that is impervious to water and secrete sticky honeydew which attract ants. Mealy bugs reproduce in hot dry conditions, causing yellowing leaves, premature leaf drop and weak, slow growth.
To treat this problem Dip a Q-tip or small paintbrush in alcohol and dab each white mass. This will not completely elliminate the insects because they do not all develop at the same time. They are most vulnerable in the crawler stage. A repeated spray of 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% water is a more effective way to treat mealy bugs. A pump sprayer with pressure works best in penetating the waxy coat and getting into the crevices of the plant. 
In addition, an ultrafine oil or Neem oil will work on the crawlers. Both alcohol and oil treatment will control mealy bugs safely indoors. Be sure to apply once a week for a month even if you do not see any sign of the insect.
I have a few Q about my confederate jasmine vines. I have brown/black hard nodules on the bark of the plant. If I scratch it off, it you can see the green bark. Also, red clusters of “eggs” on back side of leaves I can wipe off with finger and white, brown “dots” on back side of leaves I can wipe off..White stuff I can wipe off on stem and a lot of dead branches that break off. .Lots going on and I’m really sad. I’ve spent a lot of time growing and caring for these vines on a living fence. HELP!!!!!
hi, i know i have Mealybugs on my chocolate mint bush..theres ALOT of leaves on it and many of them have holes and dieing.i was wondering if i use the alcohol and water spray ,would the mint still be safe to eat after getting rid of the bugs?please email me with the answer..thanks!!
My Jerusalem Cheerry tree had tje white mealy bug sacks on it. I sprayed the leaves and steams as suggested and 2 days later the leaves turned yellow and started fallimg off. The stems. Are still nice and green what should i do. This plant is a family aireloom over 60 years old i have to save. It
I have mealy bugs on my coleus and ficus tree. I have heard that a few drops of liquid soap in water and sprayed on plant will get rid of them. Is this true? Please explain.
I have tiny yellow eggs on my mandevilla. It is in full bloom. There are yellow eggs on every stem. Should I treat it with anything, if so what to use?
Is it safe to eat vegetables that had mealy bugs on them?? I just harvested brussel sprouts that appear to have mealy bugs 🙁
Scale
My beautiful whit mandella has orange/yellow bumps along the vines that i have been wiping off. I don’t see any bugs. Wondered if you could advise what this is and how to get rid of it. Thanks Cathy
Insects on clematis
This is the second year we have note been able to use our deck because of an infestion of small, black spider-like insects. They swarm over windows and lawn furniture! Our autumn clematis starts with white spots in the Spring then finally turns brown but leaving the veins and stems green. This process usually takes a month. Thankfully, they are only eating the clematis and flowers pots and a trumpet vine are not affected. Should we dig up the clematis and get rid of the source? Where are the eggs laid each year?
i own fields full of pomogrenate spread across 5acres of lands each… i live in maharashra in india… give me the best remeady to treat mealybugs in my pomegrante…
Having read the comments above, I too have suffered from mealy bug for years and never found an effective remedy. I have got a problem with it at present on my Streptocarpus. Since finding this website I have acquired a bottle of Isopropyl, but how do you use it? do you dilute it, spray it or dab it on affected spots?
Mealy bug
i have a big balcony full of different types of plants and what started as one plant (gardenia) being infested with mealybgs has now gone to many other plants. ive tried alcohal and water and dish soap and water and nothing seems to work. now, to make matters worse, i have an ant infestation. can someone please tell me how to go about treating all of the plants that have been infected? i cant quarentine any of the plants cause they are all big in size and i have nowhere to put them. thanks.
Thank you so much, and I will report back on the results. I really appreciate it.
Cathy
Mealy bug on hydrangea
Help! I have clusters of large, white, flat oat shaped things stuck to the underside of my Hydrangea leaves. this year the large bush looks weak and anemic, and some of the leaves are turning yellow. Also, this stuff is on the joints of the plant. It is not small little cotton ball like things, it is this weird, lage oat shape stuff. What is it, and what can I do about it? Thank you.
I have the same black bugs on my Mandavilla….no sticky stuff are anything wrong with the leaves…but they are infested with this black teeny black bug…I can wipe them off real easy but would like to get rid of them…Please Help…Thank you
Hi – I have 2 pineapples and it looks like something is eating them. One has already turned yellow, but it’s not full grown. Any ideas?
Hi,
I’ve begun noticing itsy, bitsy, teeny weeny black bugs crawling around on my Mandevilla leaves … leaving behind eaten away places. No white, sticky, cottony material as mentioned for “mealybugs”, though! Any thoughts?
RnH
Hi, I think I also have a case of white mealy bug with the white fluffy clusters in the plant joints. I have’nt seen any hatched bugs but I am struggling to get rid of them, my entire garden is infected and now my neighbour we think. The leaves weaken or turn brown and fall off leaving the stems of the plants/trees. Is it any use to spray while in the white protected cluster stage and do they persist throughout colder winter weather ? Other than cutting my plants back I think I’m doomed.
I HAVE AN OLEANDER TREE THAT HAS MEALY BUGS ON IT. I SPRAYED WITH AN INSECTICIDE WITH PYRETHRINS .50% AND PIPERNOYL BUTOXIDE 5%. IT IS DYING. HOW CAN I BRING IT BACK TO LIFE.
We also have something similar to these bugs , and would like to know what they are? Our bugs just started to appear ,literally like little white strings falling from the sky! At first I thought they were ashes from a fire, but when I looked closer they were little white fluffy strings with larvae in the middle of them! There are thousands of them and was wondering what they are and how harmful they are?
I did not cut my mandevilla back when I brought in for winter. Now it is getting new growth I but have white cottony residue that is sticky. Help! Do I cut back Now?
Also have used insecticidal soap & washed leaves with alcohol
Can anyone help with more info on Mealy Bugs, I am looking for a stronger solution than alcohol and water, my office plants are all infested and these things are disgusting!!!!
Mealy bug on Star Jasmine
Hi, I have a star jasmine living in an apartment in MT. It has started to bloom, but unlike before, its blooms are kinda brown and fall off really quickly. It also has awful little white bug things that look like trilobites. I have a terribly toxic chemical pesticide, but would really like to avoid using that, especially because the plant has to stay indoors and we have pets. Any ideas getting rid of the awful pests would be very much appreciated.