How Does a Mealy Bug Affect Plants?
Introduction
The mealybug is from the insect family Pseudococcidae. The Pseudococcidae family of insects consists of unarmored scale bugs, usually found in warm and moist climates. They eat the juices of plants, whether those plants are in a greenhouse, outside or in the house. The females are wingless but, unlike most female scale insects, do retain their legs and can move. Males have wings.
Effects on Plants
The females eat the plant sap and are usually found in the roots or in crevices in the plant. They give off a powdery-type wax layer. The males do not eat as adults and have short lives. Mealy bugs also feed on citrus, pineapple, grapes, sugarcane, cassava, cacti, ferns, coffee trees, orchids, gardenias and many other plants. A plant with enough mealybugs feeding off it will induce leaf drop, killing the plant.
Procreation and Elimination of Mealybugs
Mealybugs lay eggs in the waxy layer. They can lay anywhere from 50 to 100 eggs. Some species of mealybugs carry the eggs, and the offspring are born directly from the female.
Mealybugs have a bigger effect on plants if there are ants around as ants will protect the mealybugs. They can be controlled by repeated applications of insecticides containing diazinon. You also can introduce parasitic wasps into the garden as this is a natural enemy of the mealybug.
Conclusion
If you find you have a mealybug problem and the plants are outside, try spraying insecticides if the plant is not an edible plant. If it is an edible plant, you can still use insecticides; just be sure the brand you use is meant to be used on food-bearing plants. Always remember to wash the fruit prior to eating.
Mealybugs are difficult to get rid of, so you may try to use parasitic wasps to get rid of them. But if the infestation is large, you will definitely need to use insecticides. Even multiple applications of insecticides may not get rid of the mealybug. If you cannot rid the plants of this pest, pull up all plants and discard. Plant something else in that spot (something that is not affected by mealybugs) for the next year or two, then you can go back to the original plant you had growing.
Tags: Affect Plants, applications insecticides, edible plant, Mealy Affect, Mealy Affect Plants