My sister in laws sedum has had these white flakes on it since January. I didn’t know what they were and after to took a picture and zoomed in they definitely look like bugs of some kind. But the bugs don’t seem to move and the plant hasn’t died per se.
This plant lives in a NW facing window and gets watered every couple weeks. There are other plants on the sill as well but they aren’t affected by these white bugs at all.
What are these bugs? Is it killing the plant? How do we get rid of them? What should be done?
Thank you!
by jacksunrequitedlove
7 Comments
Mealy Bugs!
Aphids most likely. Get some insecticidal soap asap.
Mealybugs, they suck the sap out of plants and kill em over time. There are quite a few there, it looks like it’s been taken over.
She could try to treat it if she wants, but she needs to get it away from other plants asap. Unless it’s sentimental I’d toss it myself.
GAH! Looks like a serious case of mealy bugs! Spraying it down with warm water or getting a q tip and dipping it in isopropyl alcohol would be a way to treat it…
If they are mealybugs, they’re definitely harmful to the plant. I could be wrong, but the white coloring is what makes me think it’s mealybugs.
Thank you for the quick responses! After sharing this information with my sister in law she decided to put this plant to rest. #rip crawling succulent.
Where did they come from?
They look like aphids, and the cast off skins of aphids, which would be why most of it isn’t moving. Zooming in I can see some larger bugs of a different colour, those are the aphids from inside the skins.
Easiest way to deal with them is to wash them off the plant, soapy water (or insecticide soap if you can get some) should be ok for a sedum. And then sticky traps and a basic houseplant insecticide will help. As long as the bottle says it targets aphids. Good luck!
These are unquestionable aphids shed exoskeletons.