If you have other plants move it asap!!! Segregate and start war!! These are mealy bugs and can wipe out every plant you have very quick if left alone here is what I would do
1. Move this plant to the shower and get it sprayed in depth top to bottom. I would then leave in the shower and do this several times over the space of the day.
2. Get some 70% alcohol and give the plant a wipe over (when the water is dry) again do this several times over.
3. Look to get some insecticidal soap (not neem oil) depends on what country you are in on what you can get.
4. Get some systemics that have imidacloprid and get them treated asap.
You need to keep her isolated if you have other plants, also if you have other plants get your magnifying glass out and search for anymore.
This isn’t a fight it’s a war and will take time but you’ve got this!
tdebl123
be careful. they sense fear 😰😰
shadowlips
yikes, this can be nightmare. do whatever suggested and be vigilant for next 3 months for all your plants. look underneath every leaf.
ThePlantHearth
I have had easy time with these.
Neem every 3 days for 2 weeks, you good.
Kill any you see.
No need to burn your house like the first person said.
Buy capt Jack’s neem if you dont know how to make ur own.
Trip_life_away
Had a severe mealy bug infestation on my monstera/ other plants and eradicated them in one week.
1. 70% isopropyl alcohol spray on the leaves and manually remove all mealy bugs with a q tip or paper towel
2. Hydrogen peroxide mixed with water in the soil
3. [this insecticide](https://a.co/d/0hcByDFT)
4. Watch everyday for new bugs and kill them when you see them
wikiwakawakawee
Had these exact mealy bugs on my albo. Take it outside and spray it EVERYWHERE (soil, top of the leaves, under the leaves, stem, inside the petioles where they tend to hide since it’s somewhat covered) with Biovanced 3 in 1 Insect, Disease and mite control: https://bioadvanced.com/3-in-1-insect-disease-and-mite-control.html
Spray it from top to bottom once a week for about a month or so. The leaves should stop growing deformed after the first couple of weeks but keep spraying it. This got rid of the ones on my albo.
Effective-Ad-5842
Very worried. They will crawl onto all your other plants. Use neem oil or something like and insecticidal soap spray. You’ll need to to keep spraying it down several times and don’t leave any stone unturned. Rinse and repeat several times even if you think they’re gone. Leaving your plant outside at night in cooler temps also helps with the process. I’m obviously speaking from experience.
sandpapertoapearl
Manually remove them with alcohol on a cotton ball. You’re leaving it up to chance if you just spray the leaves
yellowcasanova
My 1 lady bug is doing great at eating them up! She’s been at it for 2 weeks now.
CaptainRAVE2
Darn. We got mealy bugs on new plants, fortunately they left our monstera alone. They killed multiple plants though and absolutely nothing we threw at these would kill them.
Thefullerexpress
Systemic, I sprayed alcohol for weeks and could never get them all. One dose of systemic killed them all, plant was fine.
HotButterscotch8682
BornToShow’s advice is the way to go. Skip neem oil, it’s basically snake oil. Follow their steps and you’ll be just fine. They’re the easiest pest to get rid of.
chriss0410
Very worried! They destroyed my entire collection. Sold my gear and stopped. Over 1500€ on plants gone in 1 month. Tried everything…
trichocereusnitrogen
At least here in Southern California I’ve found that mealy bugs are one of the least concerning pests to have – just wait until the spider mites show up, you’ll be begging for those mealy bugs to come back..
I find that I can control or completely get rid of them simply by smooshing every one of them I see with my fingers or a rag..
MissGinny1947
I used q-tip dipped in alcohol to tap them away- but you have to keep on it or they can get away from you!
fortean_seas
Something I don’t see mentioned enough is to check and make sure there are no bugs on the bottom of the pot, under the pot, and inside any crevices in the immediate area of the plant, including shelving and furniture. They hide in corners and burrow into things, even electronics. Just look for the white stuff.
Marre313
Also use food grade diatomaceous earth in your soil
DonutWhole9717
Draw a bath of tepid water. Mix a bunch of dawn up in it. Soak everything for a while. Rinse and repeat if needed, but you probably won’t
18 Comments
Very worried.
If you have other plants move it asap!!! Segregate and start war!! These are mealy bugs and can wipe out every plant you have very quick if left alone here is what I would do
1. Move this plant to the shower and get it sprayed in depth top to bottom. I would then leave in the shower and do this several times over the space of the day.
2. Get some 70% alcohol and give the plant a wipe over (when the water is dry) again do this several times over.
3. Look to get some insecticidal soap (not neem oil) depends on what country you are in on what you can get.
4. Get some systemics that have imidacloprid and get them treated asap.
You need to keep her isolated if you have other plants, also if you have other plants get your magnifying glass out and search for anymore.
This isn’t a fight it’s a war and will take time but you’ve got this!
be careful. they sense fear 😰😰
yikes, this can be nightmare. do whatever suggested and be vigilant for next 3 months for all your plants. look underneath every leaf.
I have had easy time with these.
Neem every 3 days for 2 weeks, you good.
Kill any you see.
No need to burn your house like the first person said.
Buy capt Jack’s neem if you dont know how to make ur own.
Had a severe mealy bug infestation on my monstera/ other plants and eradicated them in one week.
1. 70% isopropyl alcohol spray on the leaves and manually remove all mealy bugs with a q tip or paper towel
2. Hydrogen peroxide mixed with water in the soil
3. [this insecticide](https://a.co/d/0hcByDFT)
4. Watch everyday for new bugs and kill them when you see them
Had these exact mealy bugs on my albo. Take it outside and spray it EVERYWHERE (soil, top of the leaves, under the leaves, stem, inside the petioles where they tend to hide since it’s somewhat covered) with Biovanced 3 in 1 Insect, Disease and mite control:
https://bioadvanced.com/3-in-1-insect-disease-and-mite-control.html
Spray it from top to bottom once a week for about a month or so. The leaves should stop growing deformed after the first couple of weeks but keep spraying it. This got rid of the ones on my albo.
Very worried. They will crawl onto all your other plants. Use neem oil or something like and insecticidal soap spray. You’ll need to to keep spraying it down several times and don’t leave any stone unturned. Rinse and repeat several times even if you think they’re gone. Leaving your plant outside at night in cooler temps also helps with the process. I’m obviously speaking from experience.
Manually remove them with alcohol on a cotton ball. You’re leaving it up to chance if you just spray the leaves
My 1 lady bug is doing great at eating them up! She’s been at it for 2 weeks now.
Darn. We got mealy bugs on new plants, fortunately they left our monstera alone. They killed multiple plants though and absolutely nothing we threw at these would kill them.
Systemic, I sprayed alcohol for weeks and could never get them all. One dose of systemic killed them all, plant was fine.
BornToShow’s advice is the way to go. Skip neem oil, it’s basically snake oil. Follow their steps and you’ll be just fine. They’re the easiest pest to get rid of.
Very worried! They destroyed my entire collection. Sold my gear and stopped. Over 1500€ on plants gone in 1 month. Tried everything…
At least here in Southern California I’ve found that mealy bugs are one of the least concerning pests to have – just wait until the spider mites show up, you’ll be begging for those mealy bugs to come back..
I find that I can control or completely get rid of them simply by smooshing every one of them I see with my fingers or a rag..
I used q-tip dipped in alcohol to tap them away- but you have to keep on it or they can get away from you!
Something I don’t see mentioned enough is to check and make sure there are no bugs on the bottom of the pot, under the pot, and inside any crevices in the immediate area of the plant, including shelving and furniture. They hide in corners and burrow into things, even electronics. Just look for the white stuff.
Also use food grade diatomaceous earth in your soil
Draw a bath of tepid water. Mix a bunch of dawn up in it. Soak everything for a while. Rinse and repeat if needed, but you probably won’t