How to get rid of mealybugs on an orchid?

How to prevent mealybugs from infesting plants?

However, the best method of dealing with this pest is to prevent its appearance. If a new flower has entered the house, it must be quarantined separately from the rest for at least 1 month.

It is imperative to conduct a periodic inspection of all indoor plants, paying special attention to the back of the leaf and the sinuses. If at an early stage worms were identified on the plant, this guarantees a good effect even when using folk remedies in the fight against them.

Among other things, it must be borne in mind that frequent ventilation of the room, rinsing and spraying the leaves with special cleaning solutions can reduce the risk of damage by these pests. In addition, it is advisable to periodically treat plants with insecticides. This will prevent an increase in the number of pests if they do hit the flower. For prevention purposes, you can also use folk remedies, for example, garlic or onion tincture, which will reduce the risk of the spread of mealybugs.

Which can only live with the help of another living organism. Parasitizing on one victim, the worm immediately finds the next. It was once used to produce red dye, but now it is known as the largest parasite in terms of distribution.

Science knows more than 2,200 species of the mealybug family. On its oval body, it has a white wax, resembling flour from a distance. That is why such a name was given. Males of the family are usually larger than females.
The average size of a mealybug is up to 6-8 mm (like a ladybug larva). Although small in size, it can be detected in its early stages.

Chemical preparations for the worm

Chemical preparations for the worm, such as "Fitoverm", "Aktara" or "Calypso" are more effective, since folk remedies usually help only in the early stages and generally do not completely solve the problem, but only stop. However, a clear disadvantage of chemicals is their impact on the environment, so you need to be careful when working with these drugs. It is recommended to adhere to these rules:

1. Chemicals are toxic, so to work with them, you need to take the flower out to the veranda or balcony.
2. It is advisable to dilute the solution with a respirator or mask on the face, in rubber gloves and special goggles.
3. After carrying out the procedure to combat the worm, the flower must be covered with a dense plastic wrap in the form of a cap. It is necessary to keep the plant in a cap for about two days.
4. You can not engage in the dilution of a chemical solution near food.
5. Do not let children play near the chemical solution or be in the same room with you while processing the flower.
6. Upon completion of spraying the orchid, you must carefully remove the protective equipment, rinse them and leave to dry in a ventilated area. Then take a shower and rinse your mouth well.

The dilution proportions of the chemical are indicated on the packaging and vary depending on the product selected. For example, if you have purchased "Calypso", then you need to dilute 0.5 ml of the drug in 1 liter of water.

Mealybug Pesticides

In cases where traditional methods do not help, they resort to special chemicals.They are also used for preventive treatments of suspicious newly acquired specimens.

Aktara

Mealybugs are protected by a strong shell and a dense wax coating, therefore they successfully resist contact pesticides. Not all chemicals are capable of dealing with mealybugs. To destroy the felt, you can use organophosphate compounds based on malathion (Fufanon-Nova, Karbofos), but modern insecticides - neonicotinoids, especially Aktara - will be much more effective.

Important! Aktara (active ingredient - thiamethoxam) is the simplest and most reliable chemical remedy for mealybugs.

Aktara's drug is diluted in a dosage of 1 g of dry powder (or 1 ml of liquid concentrate) per 1 liter of water. The solution is sprayed and the plants are simultaneously watered at the root. The procedure is repeated three times with an interval of 7-10 days. The product has no effect on the laying, so one spraying is not enough. If it is necessary to prophylactically treat many plants, then for irrigation, the concentration of the solution is reduced by 10 times (take 1 g per bucket of water), but the effect may be weaker.

After watering with Aktara, the roots absorb the chemical, and it penetrates into the cell sap. This poisons the sucking insects as they feed. A similar active substance is contained in a preparation such as Doctor 8 arrows sticks. They are inserted into potting soil for preventive pest control.

Analogs

In addition to Aktara, other neonicotinoids of similar action can cope with the mealybug - in particular, imidacloprid (drugs Confidor, Confidelin, Imidor) and acetamiprid (Mospilan, Stozhar). Confidor Extra is used similarly to Aktara.

Root processing

If a mealybug is found in an underground zone, then the roots are thoroughly washed in running water, and then soaked for a quarter of an hour in any of the above insecticides. Then the plant is planted in a disinfected pot and clean soil. It is advisable to water with Aktara or stick Doctor 8 arrows into the ground (for prevention).

It should be remembered that after using pesticides, it is necessary to observe the waiting periods recommended in the instructions (usually 3-4 weeks), if the houseplant or its fruits are used for food purposes (lemons, pomegranates, spices, medicinal herbs, etc.).

Biological insecticides (Fitoverm, Lepidocid, etc.), as a rule, do not help in the fight against mealybugs.

How to get rid of

Before starting to process the flower with any preparations, it is necessary to carry out a complete processing, which takes place in several stages:

1. Replaces the soil completely. In any case, she is infected with this pest and its larvae.
2. The plant is thoroughly washed with water, but it should be remembered that it will not affect the eggs in any way.
3. Inspect the flower with a magnifying glass. Be sure to take a good look at the root system.
4. All larvae are removed with a small brush.
5. All dead and very affected areas are cut off.

How to breed mealybugs and what method of struggle to choose?

You can get rid of this pest in 2 ways: folk methods and with the help of insecticides.

Method number 1

There are many decoctions that can kill the mealybug, but the most effective among them are the following:

• Decoction with calendula or horsetail. You need to take 100 g of any of these plants and pour them with a liter of boiling water. After the tincture has cooled, the plant is sprayed with it.
• Garlic tincture. Finely chopped garlic is poured with water for 4 hours. After that, moisten the sponge with the resulting product and carefully wipe the flower.
• Olive emulsion. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a liter of water and spray the plant with the resulting solution.
• Soap-alcohol solution. A teaspoon of liquid soap and a tablespoon of alcohol are dissolved in one liter of water (can be replaced with 1.5-2 tablespoons of vodka).Such a solution should be very carefully sprayed on the plant, it is necessary that in no case the agent gets into the soil. In addition, the solution must be washed off every other day. Spraying can be repeated, but not earlier than after 72 hours.

If folk methods have not helped and a whole colony of mealybugs continues to inhabit the plant, then you should definitely use chemical treatment.

Method 2

All chemicals that help fight this pest are divided into 3 groups:

Chemicals work well on young larvae that are not covered with protective wax, the older the larva, the harder it is to kill it. In this regard, the chemical treatment is repeated about 3 times every week or two.

We figured out by what rule to choose a remedy for a mealybug, now it's worth talking about preventive measures.

Preventive measures

It should also be remembered that it is easier to prevent mealybugs than to fight them.

To do this, you must observe the following precautions:

• Regularly inspect the plant, be especially careful about suspicious formations or lower leaves.
• It is imperative to remove all dry and frozen parts of plants, since the smell of rot attracts various pests, including the mealybug.
• Spray the flowers or wipe them with a sponge.
• If you have purchased a new houseplant, then set it apart from other flowers and observe it. Take a good look to see if you brought any pest into your house with him.

Do you think the mealybug is dangerous for humans? You can be calm, this pest does not pose a threat to the human body, but it is quite capable of destroying a plant. Watch a video on how to get rid of mealybugs on an orchid using Aktara.

The mealybug, or, according to the apt popular name, the hairy louse, is a close relative of another difficult-to-remove pest known to all. Like her, it is a sucking insect that damages both garden and indoor plants. Scientists attribute them to the family of Hemiptera. And although outwardly they bear little resemblance to each other, the methods of dealing with them are largely similar.

To understand how to deal with a mealybug, you first need to get acquainted with its biological characteristics. No pest war is successful without considering their lifestyle, feeding habits, and breeding opportunities.

The shaggy louse got its name from the mealy plaque, which covers the insect, and white waxy secretions, where the female lays eggs. Thanks to this protection, the masonry is not damaged by water, although the insect itself is afraid of it. This circumstance greatly complicates the fight against the pest. So much so that sometimes it is better to throw away the affected plant than to try to clean it, risking infecting other, healthy specimens.

An unpleasant acquaintance

The insect is three to six millimeters long. Mealybug is characterized by sexual dimorphism.

Males have wings, well-developed limbs. They are deprived of the oral apparatus. Adult males do not consume food.

Only females are on the plants. Their color can be white, light pink or brownish. Most of the species have reduced legs or none at all.

Many of them lay eggs, and females of some species are viviparous. Eggs ripen in a special white cotton-like face bag.

The mealybug is a very prolific animal species. Before laying eggs, many forms are accustomed to leaving the place where they fed and then hiding in shelter.

Now in the world there are more than one and a half thousand species of this insect. Most of them live in tropical latitudes. Worms harm fruit, industrial, ornamental crops and greenhouse plants.

The mealybug quite often settles on indoor plants, for example, orchids, violets, ficuses, dracaena and cacti, so it is very important for any grower to know how to deal with this. It is impossible to name one main reason due to which a harmful insect appears on plants.

Most likely, the mealybug is the result of disturbed maintenance and care of the plant.

It is impossible to name one main reason due to which a harmful insect appears on plants. Most likely, the mealybug is the result of disturbed maintenance and care of the plant.

For example, if there was a low temperature, too moist soil, contaminated soil was used, hygiene procedures with the removal of dead plant parts were ignored.

Prevention measures

To avoid the appearance of hairy worms on indoor flowers, you need to engage in prevention. This is careful care, systematic inspection of the plant, removal of dead leaves. Shaggy bugs prefer very dry air, so you need to provide your green pets with plenty of bathing in the shower. It is useful to expose them to the sun more often, because for this type of pest, the effect of direct sunlight is destructive.

Special attention to colors should be shown in the off-season.

In large rooms - greenhouses and greenhouses - the so-called biological method of control is arranged. Other insects are inhabited there, for which the mealybug is a favorite food. For example, Australian ladybirds or the larva of the common lacewing. Such measures are quite effective and help to destroy harmful insects.

The reasons for the appearance of a mealybug are primarily a weakened plant. If you provide indoor flowers with good care, then no treatment and control of harmful insects will simply be needed.

Mealybugs are quite common pests on indoor plants - home conditions for them are just great for rapid reproduction - warm and dry. Worms do not like high air humidity - this is not an obstacle to their reproduction, but humid air inhibits the development of a pest colony.

Almost all types of mealybugs look the same at first glance: white lumps, similar to cotton wool on the surface of the leaves, in internodes, in cacti, the stems are entangled in a dense cocoon. Single specimens, fattened and insolent, crawl right into the light:

Plants damaged by worms suffer very badly and often irreversibly: the leaves turn yellow and fall off. Shoots are stunted. Worms are taken under the bark of citrus fruits and under the scales of bulbs in bulbous ones. Sometimes the damage is so rapid that the leaves do not even have time to turn yellow - they dry out, become gray mummified. Sometimes a sooty fungus settles on the secretions of worms - black terry spots are formed, as if covered with coal dust.

At the beginning of infestation, the worms settle in the root zone, under the lower leaves, among the upper drainage in the pot, even in the upper layer of the earth. Gradually, they spread higher and higher throughout the plant. Sunlight does not bother them in any way.

Mealybug: how to deal with indoor plants

The first step is to wipe the plant with a sponge or cotton swab dipped in soapy water, kerosene, alcohol or vodka. To extract the worms from the axils of the leaves (and they sit very tightly, deeply climbing into the stipules), you can use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, or soften the tip of a toothpick

Very important before mechanical spraying with pesticides, i.e.

pick all the pests with your hands. If the plant allows, then wash off the colonies of worms with a powerful pressure of hot water (45-50 degrees). And only then proceed to the treatment with drugs.

The most effective against worms is a double effect, for example, watering with aktaroy and spraying with actellik, karbofos, this is especially important for plants with leathery dense leaves. If you have children at home, then it is better not to use strong-smelling products, but to spray and pour with a solution of any systemic drug: this is Aktara, Tanrek, Confidor or Apache (they have almost no smell, see

drugs). Do not look that on some insecticides it is written: "from the Colorado potato beetle" - they successfully destroy the worms.

• aktar from mealybug: dissolve 4 g of the drug in 5 liters of water for irrigation and spraying;
• mealybug tanrek: 1.5 ml per 5 liters of water for spraying or 1.5 ml per 2.5 liters of water for irrigation;
• apaches from mealybug: 1 sachet (0.5 g) for 2.5 liters of water for spraying or 1 g for 1 water for irrigation;
• mealybug confidor: dilute 2 ml of the drug in 5 liters of water for spraying or 2 ml in 2.5 liters for irrigation;

After 5-7 days in hot weather or after 7-10 days, if it is warm, but not hot, the treatment must be repeated. A maximum of 3-4 treatments are used. Worms are very resistant pests, therefore, the success of the cure depends on how thoroughly you clean them from the plant and evenly shed and spray the soil.

What plants are most often affected and how dangerous

Most often, the shaggy louse attacks azalea, amaryllis, asparagus, anthurium, grapes, gerbera, hibiscus, dracaena, cactus, kalanchoe, camellia, croton, monstera, oleander, palm, pachystachis, fuccia and philodendron. Sticky leaves appear on dracaena, buds are deformed on an orchid, and yellow leaves appear on violets.

The parasite is dangerous to plants in that it destroys their root system, leaves and twigs, leaving white traces of their vital activity on their surface. Also, insects poison the soil where the seedlings grow, and turn the habitat of the planted culture into hell.

Plant species

Pest control

Getting rid of mealybugs on orchids is difficult, but at the same time simple. Many chemical preparations are offered by specialized stores in order to fight this pest, there are folk remedies and methods, the main thing is to put your work and care, you cannot do without labor costs. We must also not forget about the prevention and constant hygienic treatment of orchids, which love cleanliness and will help you fight mealybugs with all their might.

Prophylaxis

By following the basic rules for caring for orchids, and taking preventive measures, you will already protect your plant from mealybugs by 90 percent. If the plant is healthy, then caring for it will not be difficult, the main thing is the correct regime for keeping the orchid, normal watering and prevention from diseases and pests. The whole range of these works can be divided into the following points:

• once a month, even a healthy orchid should "take a shower", bathe it under a weak pressure from a shower net, the water can be at room temperature or a little warmer, make drainage holes in the pots to drain water from the root system;
• once 2 weeks it is necessary to wipe the orchid leaves and axillary places with an antiseptic: hydrogen peroxide solution, soda solution, succinic acid or other preparations.
• the main rule of proper care for orchids is compliance with normal watering, the plant should not be flooded or the soil surface should not be allowed to dry. In winter, the flower is in a state of relative dormancy, it does not require abundant watering, it is produced no more than once a week, in spring and summer the number of waterings is increased to 2-3 times every 10 days;
• another important condition will be the temperature and humidity of the air in the room, excessive heat or particularly low temperatures adversely affect the state of the orchid, it does not tolerate either one or the other, it becomes weak, lethargic and does not bloom.In this state, the orchid is exposed to various diseases and attack by mealybugs.

To summarize, the main thing in prevention is: plant hygiene, preventive treatment, correct watering regime, temperature and humidity.

Attention! An important aspect of the defeat of an orchid by a mealybug is the movement of insects from a sick plant to a healthy plant, therefore, when buying a new orchid in a pot, arrange for it a "quarantine" for 2-3 weeks, taking a separate place from other indoor flowers.

Treatment methods

You bought a new orchid for your collection, placed it in a "quarantine zone" and, as luck would have it, just now noticed the presence of this noxious mealybug on the leaves of the plant. We need to get rid of it immediately, we start treatment.

With any method of cure, you need to start with complete hygiene of the orchid: thoroughly bathe it in the shower, let the water drain, remove the drops of moisture on the leaves and in the sinuses with a cotton swab, and at the same time remove visible parasites.

The first method of treatment: spraying orchid leaves and soil with chemicals (Aktara, Fitoverm, Aktellik). Process until the insect disappears completely. Carefully remove visible insects between treatments (7-10 days).

The second method of processing: the use of folk remedies to wipe or spray orchids: infusions of garlic, onions, hot pepper decoction. Such treatment will take more time and does not guarantee complete disposal of the worm, but it can be used in combination with chemical treatments.

The third method of treatment: it will become the most expensive if you have more than one pot of orchids. It consists in a complete replacement of the substrate and plant transplantation with the treatment of the root system. This method is effective, but substrates for orchids are expensive, and replanting 10-15 copies will cost you a pretty penny. It is used in the presence of 1-2 plants, if they are very valuable varieties.

An amateur florist found her own way of getting rid of mealybugs on orchids, she talks about him in a short video at the end of this paragraph. We put a more detailed story of another flower lover at the end of the article.

How to destroy a pest?

Mealybug lime is quite difficult, since the wax cover protects it from external influences. When choosing a method of how to deal with a mealybug, the degree of damage to the plant should be taken into account.

Folk remedies

At the initial stage of infection, they can be influenced by folk methods:

• crush a head of garlic or a small onion, pour half a liter of hot water, leave for at least 5 hours, filter and apply to leaf plates and the trunk;
• Dissolve 15 g in a liter of water. tar soap or dishwashing detergent and 10 ml of alcohol or 20 ml of vodka. Brush all areas of accumulation of pests and leaf axils;
• pour 100 gr with a liter of hot water. horsetail, let it brew. When the infusion has cooled to room temperature, spray thoroughly;
• red hot pepper, 20-30 gr., chop and boil in 200 ml of water for an hour. Filter the resulting mixture in a day. Dilute 10 ml of tincture in a liter of water. Spray violets with this remedy every two weeks. The finished tincture is stored for a long time;
• moisten a cotton pad with calendula tincture and treat the affected areas for several days in a row in the evenings;
• pour 80 gr with a liter of water. makhorka, insist for a day, strain. Violets can be washed with this infusion or sprayed.

After treatments, so as not to damage the delicate leaves of Saintpaulia, they must be rinsed with clean water after 4-6 hours.

Females and eggs of worms covered with a wax blanket are not available for contact preparations. Therefore, folk remedies are dangerous only for males and larvae. For effective treatment, you must first remove the wax bloom with a cotton swab dipped in vodka.

Since the soil is also infected, it is best to transplant the violet. Remove from the pot and rinse thoroughly under running water 40-45 degrees.

If the soil is infected, the violet should be transplanted.

Just in case, try to root a healthy leaf.

Chemicals

In the event that the defeat has gone far, traditional drugs are not able to completely extinguish the infection. It's time to use chemicals. Substances acting on the mealybug:

• Malathion;
• Diazinon;
• Dimethoad;
• Parathion.

Advice! To completely defeat the mealybug, you need to carry out from 2 to 5 treatments, depending on the drug. They are done with a break of 5-12 days. During treatment, you can not keep the violet in strong light.

The most popular mealybug control products on the market are:

Fitoverm is a preparation of biological origin that practically does not work on humans and animals. Basically 3-4 procedures are enough. It is necessary to process Fitoverm every 5 days. 10 days after the complete destruction of the pest of Saintpaulia, it is advisable to treat with Epin or Zircon in order to restore immunity;

An effective and safe remedy for mealybugs.

• Aktara is a systemic drug that successfully relieves mealybugs. The violet is thoroughly sprayed and the soil is shed every 10-12 days. 2-3 procedures are enough;
• Actellic is a more aggressive drug, has a pungent odor, so it is not recommended to use it at home. It is enough to carry out 2-3 procedures, no more;
• Confidor also eliminates mealybugs by abundantly wetting the leaf plates and soil. Better instead of spraying the substrate, spill it with a less concentrated preparation;
• Bazudin consists of diazinon, neocidol, exodin. A single treatment is enough, again only after a month. It provides:
  • long-term protection;
  • destroys insects through contact and intestinal effects;
  • easy to use, retains its properties for a long time.

Important! All pesticides are used in accordance with the directions on the package, otherwise the delicate leaves of Saintpaulia may get burned.

Mealybug control methods

At the slightest suspicion of being infected by the felt, the infected plant should be isolated immediately so that the parasites do not move to other flowers.

Mandatory primary activities

1. It is necessary to arrange a hot shower for the plant: the worms die at temperatures above 35 degrees.
2. After the shower, each leaf should be wiped with a soapy solution made from green or dark laundry soap.
3. Affected leaves, buds and flowers must be removed and destroyed.
4. Disinfect the windowsill, walls and windows next to the flower.

If such mechanical methods do not help much, and the pest colony does not decrease, you should resort to more effective measures: spraying with folk remedies (with a small lesion) or insecticides (with a massive infection of an orchid).

Traditional methods include preparations based on garlic, horsetail, and calendula.

Recipes for protective eco-solutions

1. 5 cloves of garlic are poured over 0.5 liters of hot water (not boiling water!) And infused for 24 hours. Wipe the leaves on both sides and spray the peduncles.
2. Boil 1 tablespoon of horsetail shoots for 15 minutes in 1 glass of water. After cooling the solution to 40 degrees, spray it with an orchid.
3. 1 tablespoon of calendula flowers is poured with vegetable oil and infused for 2-3 days. Rub the leaves on both sides.

For the complete destruction of mealybugs, it is necessary to apply insecticides.

Worm control chemicals

For the complete destruction of the felt, it is necessary to use chemical preparations of intestinal and surface action, since:

• felt larvae and eggs are not covered with a waxy coating. Therefore, they will be destroyed by a contact action insecticide;
• intestinal insecticide penetrates into plant tissues, and with flower juice enters the intestinal system of the female worm, the wax coating of which protects her from contact insecticide.

The most effective spray chemicals are:

• Fitoverm;
• Vertimek;
• Aktara;
• Calypso;
• Actellic.

The working solution is prepared in full accordance with the instructions.

It is necessary to repeat the processing of plants until the complete disappearance of the parasites. The next spraying is carried out no later than 7-10 days later.

After processing, the orchid is, if possible, hermetically covered with plastic wrap for 48 hours.

If the pests are in the ground, then the flower must be transplanted. To do this, the orchid is freed from the old substrate, the roots are treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, they are allowed to dry out and transplanted into a new, previously disinfected soil.

What treatments and treatments are there?

If a mealybug appears on an orchid, you should not expect the pest to disappear on its own. It is imperative to fight with him. Otherwise, the insects will spread to other flowers and the damage will be much worse.

How to withdraw using folk methods?

Folk ways to combat the pest work only if the worm has just appeared on the orchid. The obvious advantage of these methods is that they are environmentally friendly and do not harm the environment.

Effective folk remedies for controlling mealybug are:

1. Garlic: Chop 5 large cloves of garlic and pour in a liter of hot water. The mixture is infused for 24 hours, then filtered and used to spray the affected specimens.
2. Soap-alcohol solution: 20 g of laundry soap (72%) is diluted in a liter of warm water and a tablespoon of medical alcohol is added. All the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and the leaves and other parts of the orchid affected by the worm are wiped with the resulting composition.

If the pests have spread too much, do not waste time on folk remedies. A massive invasion of pests can only be eliminated by chemical preparations.

How to treat and how to cure with store-bought remedies?

Commercial insecticides are considered harmful, but their toxicity is so low that they are not capable of causing harm to humans. In the case of insect pests, such products work flawlessly. In the fight against mealybugs on orchids, the following drugs have positively proven themselves:

1. Fitoverm or Vermitic: means of contact and intestinal action. When an insect enters the body, they paralyze its nervous system and the individual simply cannot eat.
2. Aktara: an insecticide that has a detrimental effect on most indoor plant pests.
3. Actellik is a drug that is used in cases where flowers are massively affected by pests.

Any of these drugs have a positive result after the first use. However, if the desired effect was not achieved, after 7-10 days, the treatment is repeated, but using a different agent.