Powdery mulberry on indoor plants: how to fight. Folk methods and chemicals

Powdery mullets are very unpleasant pests. They attack indoor flowers. As a result, they develop poorly and have an unsightly appearance. In the people these insects have received the name "hairy lice" because of a large number of setae and hairs on the oval body. The presence of the parasite gives a white coating on the leaves. And the worms themselves are visible to the naked eye. It is necessary to get rid of them immediately, because very soon they will spread to all surrounding plants. Therefore, consider the following question: "If there is a mealy worm on indoor plants, how to deal with it?"

What is a mealybug?

The appearance of this pest can not be confused with anything. This is a fairly large relative of the scab. Powdery mullet reaches up to 8 mm in length.

Female individuals of "hairy lice" have an undeveloped body of oval shape, more characteristic of insect larvae. Numerous eggs they put in special bags in the axils of the leaves. The shoots on which the pest dwells are covered with a sticky waxy coating of white color.

Males are not at all like females - they have wings and normally developed limbs, the body is divided into sections and ends with a bundle of tail filaments

With the help of its mouthpiece, females and larvae easily pierce the surface of a leaf, bud or shoot and suck the juices out of it. Young worms are extremely mobile and easily move between plants. Sexually mature males do not feed, because as they mature, their oral apparatus becomes atrophic.

Signs of infection with mealybugs

For the detection of pests, it is sufficient to carefully inspect the indoor plant.

Main features:

• Drooping appearance, lethargy of leaves and shoots;
• Underdeveloped buds, deformed leaves;
• White mealy coating with lumps;
• Small "mosquitoes" (male chervets) on windows not far from pots;
• Presence on all parts of the plant adhesive mucus (honeydew);
• Presence of white impregnations in the earthen coma during transplantation;
• The presence of white oval insects.

Any of these symptoms can talk about the appearance of the worm. No flower is insured against infection. For special control, you need to take citrus, amaryllis, bovine and palm plants, as well as cacti, violets and orchids.

Often suffers from the pest of azalea, a photo of which is given in the article. The pest attacks young shoots. Leaflets stop growing, start to turn yellow. Azalea, whose photo shows her beauty, struck by insects, loses its former appearance.

Damage to the plant

Powdery mulberry literally pulls out of flowers all nutrients, disrupting their growth and normal development. Sweet honey-dew, allocated by females, provokes the development of associated fungal infections. Due to the sticky, impermeable coating, the respiration of the green pet deteriorates. This can lead to wilting and even loss of leaves.

The mealy aphid (another name for the worms) does not give preference to a particular part of the plant, affecting everything that meets it on the way. Under the impact are not only shoots, buds and leaves, but also roots. If you do not start treatment as soon as possible, the chervets will spread to surrounding plantings. Over time, he will destroy them all. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately declare war if you notice a mealy worm on indoor plants. How to deal with a pest will be described below.

Causes of the appearance of mealybug

Why do these harmful insects appear?

The main reasons are several:

1. The presence of eggs and larvae in the soil. Infected may even be purchased soil, so it is very important before use to treat it with hot steam.
2. Transfer of larvae to newly acquired plants. New pets should be kept separately and periodically inspected carefully. Put them next to the rest of the flowers can only be finally convinced of the absence of any pests.
3. Errors in care - low air temperature in the room, stagnation of moisture in the soil, insufficient illumination, excessive fertilization. Improper care significantly reduces the immunity of the plant, provoking various diseases.
4. Presence of dust on leaves, irregular removal of dry parts.
5. Untimely replacement of land in pots. Harmful insects can start inside a clumped earthy coma.
6. Low-quality water for irrigation.

Folk methods of combating mealybugs

Now you know what a pest for plants is dangerous. You can easily determine that the mealy mug has settled on indoor plants.

How to deal with such an insect? With a small focus of infection, you can try to get rid of it without special means.

Popular home fighting methods:

1. Herbal infusion. To process the plant you can use horsetail, calendula. The powder purchased at the pharmacy should be boiled. After cooling the product, they process the plant. For the preparation of the present, use the following relationships: 100 g of horsetail (calendula) per 1 liter of liquid.
2. Tincture of garlic. This is a fairly effective method of combating the mealybug. I kiss the medium sized garlic head and grind it. Pour a liter of hot water and let it brew for 4 hours. Tincture of garlic is applied to the leaves and trunk with cotton wool or a sponge.
3. Oily emulsion. In a liter of warm water, stir 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spray the affected leaves from the spray gun.
4. Soap-alcohol solution. For its preparation it is better to take natural soap, without perfume additives. For 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon grated soap and 1 tablespoon of ethyl alcohol. Spray the affected parts of the plant, avoiding getting the solution on an earthen lump. You can conduct the procedure 1 time in 3 days. To wash out the put or rendered means it is necessary in day after sprinkling.
5. Tincture of lemon and orange peel. An amazingly simple recipe that allows you to effectively rid the plant of pests. Take the peel of lemon, orange and pour them with boiling water. The ratio is as follows: 30-50 grams of zest for 1 liter of liquid. During the day the drug should be infused. Then treat your green pets with this infusion using a spray gun.

Chemicals from mealybugs

With ineffectiveness of folk methods or large foci of infection, one must resort to chemical insecticides.

Widespread effective preparations against mealybugs:

• "Decis".
• Vertimec.
• "Tsvetofos".
• "Nurell D".
• "Phosphamide".
• "Bi-58".
• "Aktellik".
• "Fitoverm".
• "Aploude."

Special difficulties with such substances should not arise. The main thing - carefully read the instructions and observe all safety precautions.

Affected plants must be placed in quarantine. Usually 3-4 treatments with insecticides are sufficient. If pests still remain, you need to change the drug.

Precautionary measures

Take care that the drugs used do not cause harm:

1. Use chemicals only in a well ventilated area.
2. Exclude the presence of a number of children and pets.
3. To avoid poisoning, use personal protective equipment.

Preventive measures

It is very difficult to destroy parasites that have already appeared. It is much easier not to admit their appearance, observing simple preventive measures:

1. Periodically carefully inspect the green plantations.
2. Regularly transplanted grown flowers.
3. Inspect the earth clod when transplanting. Wash the ground with hot water (about 55 ° C).
4. Properly care for the flowers according to their preferences.
5. In time, remove the dying parts of the plant. Dry leaves can serve as a convenient shelter for various pests.
6. Before planting, scald the pots with boiling water, and steam the soil.
7. Observe quarantine measures for new plants.

Insects are an integral part of any ecosystem, but they do not have space on the greened windowsills of apartments. Especially if there was a mealy worm on indoor plants. How to deal with a pest, you know. Therefore, use any available methods. After all, healthy house plants without pests actively develop and pleases the eye with bright greenery and abundant flowering.