Mealybugs 🐛
Family Pseudococcidae
At a glance
- Looks like: Tiny, soft, oval insects coated in white, cottony wax
- Tell-tale sign: White fuzzy clumps in leaf joints, stem tips, and along veins; sticky leaves
- Severity: Moderate — slow-moving but persistent and easily spread
How to identify
Small (2–4 mm) sap-sucking insects that cover themselves and their egg masses in a white, mealy/cottony wax, so a cluster looks like little tufts of cotton tucked into leaf axils, under leaves, and at growing points. They excrete sticky honeydew, which makes leaves shiny-sticky and can grow black sooty mold. Look closely in every crevice — they hide.
Damage
Sap feeding weakens the plant, yellows and distorts new growth, and the honeydew/sooty mold fouls leaves. Infestations spread to neighboring plants.
Treatment (least-toxic first)
Following Integrated Pest Management:
- Physical: Isolate the plant. Dab each bug with a cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol — it dissolves their wax coat and kills on contact. Very effective for light infestations.
- Rinse & wipe: Wash the plant; check roots too (root mealybugs exist).
- Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil: Repeat weekly; coverage is everything — get into every crevice.
- Persistence: Re-check every few days for 3–4 weeks; eggs keep hatching.
Prevention
Quarantine and inspect new plants (the #1 source). Wipe leaves periodically. Don’t over-fertilize — soft, lush growth attracts them.
Affects (in this guide)
Pothos · Monstera · Snake Plant · Peace Lily · Fiddle-Leaf Fig