What are these white dots? Do I need to get rid of them?
Not sure if they're mealybugs or if they're mealybug destroyers. Plants seem to be growing alright but there are tons of ants on them. Anyone know what they are or if I need to get rid of them? Any help is appreciated #bugs #help #helpneeded #pestcontrol #whatisthisbug
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@DoyenneLithop46 Definitely what the others said an economic solution would be to dust whole plant with diatomaceous earth. If that’s the worst spot alcohol as mentioned above would work . After a good hosing down with hose .
@DoyenneLithop46 What everyone else said PLUS if you do decide to use the 70% isopropyl alcohol spray make sure you keep the plant out of the sun afterwards because it will burn the leaves of the plant. Spray every day until you're sure you've got them all through their life cycle.
Hello all! Another great and ecological option for mealybugs, aphids and several others is Neem Oil. Mix with warm water and a bit of neutral soap to help with the water/oil emulsion and spray them down on top of the leaves but especially under them, in the late afternoon/end of day until they are all dead. After that once/twice a week as a prevention is enough. Worked wonders on my tomatoes! And don't worry, my garden is full of bees, butterflies, ladybugs and green spiders. Bulletproof, biological and ecological!
Note: avoid spraying flowers directly, unless they are also under attack. And fruits within a couple of days before gathering them. Neem Oil smells quite strongly and badly. ;)
Note: avoid spraying flowers directly, unless they are also under attack. And fruits within a couple of days before gathering them. Neem Oil smells quite strongly and badly. ;)
Nooo. Stay strong. Hate those beasties.
I also come down on the alcohol treatment side. But since I have some rather sensitive plants and am not sure anything short of dousing a plant would really reach every noon and cranny they are so good at hiding in, I'm swearing by spot treatments and lots and lots of patience and perseverance (which luckily I have lots of and how you have too).
Some maybe helpful facts: whichever method you choose in the end: be aware that is easy to kill them, hard to get rid of them.
That dusty layer is a kind of protection they hide behind. They can get into the smallest crevices (especially the young ones) and hide in there, only betrayed by either the white dust in the vicinity or honeydew or (because of the dew) spots of sooty mold.
The females in some circumstances don't even need the male for fertilization of I remember correctly. And in some species one female can lay hundreds of eggs.
Add to that the insanely long life cycle of months and you can have one or two juvenile beasties escape your seemingly successful treatment, hide away aaaand some months later your whole plant might be overrun.
Oh. Also fun: they like to travel and also hide elsewhere, not only in plants - so listen to everyone here, who said to quarantine immediately. And don't forget to wipe down the surrounding surfaces with isoprop (again, paying special attention to any small potential hiding spots), and keep checking those areas and any plants in the vicinity for the upcoming weeks diligently - just to be safe.
Whatever you use, keep using it for a while after you see the last one. Basically until you are 100% certain you have not seen any for weeks... and from that point on keep treating for 3 more weeks. I'm not kidding, I've had babies emerge from their hiding spot months after I was sure I had gotten rid of them. Was really glad at that point that I tend to be a bit neurotic in my pest treatments and had still quarantined the plant. And was still monitoring it for that matter.
Also, if I say, those hiding spots can be small, I also mean it. I once had them hiding in an epidendrum seedling, free of charge. The plant was tiny and spiddly, even for an epidendrum, and yet they were able to hide almost completely in the joints between those tiny branches. So: should you do spot treatments (or even just monitor the plants for signs they are still there), it pays off to watch out for the secondary signs of their presence. In spots that show white dust, dew or sooty mold, you can be sure they are hiding nearby (and I'm the case of spot treatments, treat the surrounding crevices without dousing the whole plant).
I wish you good luck and lots and lots of patience and a keen eye. 🤞
I also come down on the alcohol treatment side. But since I have some rather sensitive plants and am not sure anything short of dousing a plant would really reach every noon and cranny they are so good at hiding in, I'm swearing by spot treatments and lots and lots of patience and perseverance (which luckily I have lots of and how you have too).
Some maybe helpful facts: whichever method you choose in the end: be aware that is easy to kill them, hard to get rid of them.
That dusty layer is a kind of protection they hide behind. They can get into the smallest crevices (especially the young ones) and hide in there, only betrayed by either the white dust in the vicinity or honeydew or (because of the dew) spots of sooty mold.
The females in some circumstances don't even need the male for fertilization of I remember correctly. And in some species one female can lay hundreds of eggs.
Add to that the insanely long life cycle of months and you can have one or two juvenile beasties escape your seemingly successful treatment, hide away aaaand some months later your whole plant might be overrun.
Oh. Also fun: they like to travel and also hide elsewhere, not only in plants - so listen to everyone here, who said to quarantine immediately. And don't forget to wipe down the surrounding surfaces with isoprop (again, paying special attention to any small potential hiding spots), and keep checking those areas and any plants in the vicinity for the upcoming weeks diligently - just to be safe.
Whatever you use, keep using it for a while after you see the last one. Basically until you are 100% certain you have not seen any for weeks... and from that point on keep treating for 3 more weeks. I'm not kidding, I've had babies emerge from their hiding spot months after I was sure I had gotten rid of them. Was really glad at that point that I tend to be a bit neurotic in my pest treatments and had still quarantined the plant. And was still monitoring it for that matter.
Also, if I say, those hiding spots can be small, I also mean it. I once had them hiding in an epidendrum seedling, free of charge. The plant was tiny and spiddly, even for an epidendrum, and yet they were able to hide almost completely in the joints between those tiny branches. So: should you do spot treatments (or even just monitor the plants for signs they are still there), it pays off to watch out for the secondary signs of their presence. In spots that show white dust, dew or sooty mold, you can be sure they are hiding nearby (and I'm the case of spot treatments, treat the surrounding crevices without dousing the whole plant).
I wish you good luck and lots and lots of patience and a keen eye. 🤞
@Boymom-plantmom just in case this contains an aspect you have not thought of. ⬆️ though your approach also sounds great. I've done that once with aphids when I had finally had enough of them last year. Sadly many of my plants would not do great outside here most of the year.
Oh. Also, if you choose diatomaceous earth like @ILoveMyPlants suggested, please keep yourself (and surrounding pests and humans) protected and the plant inside. Even if you do buy the food grade DE (which I think is the correct one), it's a mechanical solution: microscopic razor sharp particles tear the bugs to bits. Pro: very effective when dry, easy to use, no problem with building resistance etc. But it's not really something you want to inhale in big amounts or on a regular basis, even for us. And of course it doesn't discriminate and would destroy pollinators as well as the pests.
Thank you so much for all the responses! Ive been spraying my plants to death with a alcohol and water mixture hopefully getting rid of them. The ants are helping them out though! Ive heard releasing ladybugs helps can anyone attest to that at all? @MusicalRedmint ive also heard that they're attracted to plants under stress but it seemed tk be thriving before these bugs so im not sure what attracted them
Update ive sprayed them down with alcohol for the second day and hosed the main plant down and THOUSANDS of Carpenter ants came out of my garden bed 😭 stood there for like 10 minutes trying to drown the things so now i have mealybugs AND ants. I wonder if the mealys came from mulch I put in not too long ago. Ive had ants for a while though so maybe they just gradually brought them onto my plants without my noticing until it was too late
Oh my. First off:
Those ants might not help you drown them but be the cause of the mealies. I'm sorry, I've missed them in the original post. I just saw the mealies and didn't read thoroughly. Which also made me miss that your plant is outside? Oof. That makes it even more difficult.
First off: I not especially knowledgeable about carpenter ants and if this also goes for them but some kinds of ants are known to "farm" dew producing critters like mealies and scale. I'm not kidding. They bring eggs or larvae close to plants near their own nests to munch on their sugary excretions later on.
I thought carpenter ants go more for the leafy structures, but if not: As long as those ants are nearby, and any mealy egg anywhere, the infestation will probably reoccur. No idea how to deal with the ants, though. Outside. I'm sorry. Maybe somebody else can help with that.
Because yes , I've also read that scale insects are drawn to plants suffering e.g. from water stress but from the way you describe it, it seems like the ants were the main problem. Maybe you can lure them away to relocate? I've heard it works with some species (with strategically placed bottle caps full of sugar water or protein over some time, while erazing their pheromone trails... of course, that might also add the danger of an exploding population if something goes wrong😬)
Edit: I'm sorry again, for my poor reading comprehension. Don't know what is wrong with me. You seem to be aware of the ant connection? So nevermind that info.
As for the alcohol treatment, with that I can't help you, I'm afraid. As I said, with my kind of plants, I'm not a fan of spraying anything in a manner that potentially harms big areas of the leaves.
Like I said, I do spot treatments. I take a cotton swab, drench it in isopropyl and go on a hunt. I was lucky enough, that up to now only phals or that epidendrum had been infected, since those plants don't nearly have as many potential hiding spots as others (though as a downside, those leaf joints they do have, are perfect for them). But still it took a lot of patience each time. I inspect every fraction of an inch of those plants and dab the swab on suspected areas. It's a lot more targeted, does a lot less harm, and I'm certain, of done correctly, catches more of them than just broadly spraying the plants. But, of course, that also takes a lot more time.
Then I place the plant somewhere far away from others, but in a place I pass by often during the day. Which of course also is impossible with outside plants. But still: if I have the time, I give it another quick once over, if new ones have emerged and apply again if needed.
Like I said, for weeks. But after a while, you get quicker.
I truly don't see a real solution to your issue in those circumstances.
Problem with harsher treatments is that the repeated application that is needed with mealies, especially if you never reliably catch all, can do some serious harm. Even isopropyl is a drying agent, can burn the leaves etc.
As for ladybugs, even when you apply them inside you need to contain them with the affected plant because they just tend to fly away (of you attempt it anyway, maybe pay attention that they are non-invasive species. I know it's envogue in Germany at least to use Australian ladybugs because they reportedly are a smidge better than their local cousins and hey what could go wrong 🤦♀️)
So maybe after all your best option is wait and see? Maybe nature will take care of it? And to buy it time, maybe wash those plants regularly and thoroughly? Not with alcohol but with a strong spray of water that might dislodge them for the moment. And spot treat the more affected areas, where they have dug in.
Try to find a solution for the ants and hope for the best? Other than that, I'm sorry, I'm out of ideas for now.
Those ants might not help you drown them but be the cause of the mealies. I'm sorry, I've missed them in the original post. I just saw the mealies and didn't read thoroughly. Which also made me miss that your plant is outside? Oof. That makes it even more difficult.
First off: I not especially knowledgeable about carpenter ants and if this also goes for them but some kinds of ants are known to "farm" dew producing critters like mealies and scale. I'm not kidding. They bring eggs or larvae close to plants near their own nests to munch on their sugary excretions later on.
I thought carpenter ants go more for the leafy structures, but if not: As long as those ants are nearby, and any mealy egg anywhere, the infestation will probably reoccur. No idea how to deal with the ants, though. Outside. I'm sorry. Maybe somebody else can help with that.
Because yes , I've also read that scale insects are drawn to plants suffering e.g. from water stress but from the way you describe it, it seems like the ants were the main problem. Maybe you can lure them away to relocate? I've heard it works with some species (with strategically placed bottle caps full of sugar water or protein over some time, while erazing their pheromone trails... of course, that might also add the danger of an exploding population if something goes wrong😬)
Edit: I'm sorry again, for my poor reading comprehension. Don't know what is wrong with me. You seem to be aware of the ant connection? So nevermind that info.
As for the alcohol treatment, with that I can't help you, I'm afraid. As I said, with my kind of plants, I'm not a fan of spraying anything in a manner that potentially harms big areas of the leaves.
Like I said, I do spot treatments. I take a cotton swab, drench it in isopropyl and go on a hunt. I was lucky enough, that up to now only phals or that epidendrum had been infected, since those plants don't nearly have as many potential hiding spots as others (though as a downside, those leaf joints they do have, are perfect for them). But still it took a lot of patience each time. I inspect every fraction of an inch of those plants and dab the swab on suspected areas. It's a lot more targeted, does a lot less harm, and I'm certain, of done correctly, catches more of them than just broadly spraying the plants. But, of course, that also takes a lot more time.
Then I place the plant somewhere far away from others, but in a place I pass by often during the day. Which of course also is impossible with outside plants. But still: if I have the time, I give it another quick once over, if new ones have emerged and apply again if needed.
Like I said, for weeks. But after a while, you get quicker.
I truly don't see a real solution to your issue in those circumstances.
Problem with harsher treatments is that the repeated application that is needed with mealies, especially if you never reliably catch all, can do some serious harm. Even isopropyl is a drying agent, can burn the leaves etc.
As for ladybugs, even when you apply them inside you need to contain them with the affected plant because they just tend to fly away (of you attempt it anyway, maybe pay attention that they are non-invasive species. I know it's envogue in Germany at least to use Australian ladybugs because they reportedly are a smidge better than their local cousins and hey what could go wrong 🤦♀️)
So maybe after all your best option is wait and see? Maybe nature will take care of it? And to buy it time, maybe wash those plants regularly and thoroughly? Not with alcohol but with a strong spray of water that might dislodge them for the moment. And spot treat the more affected areas, where they have dug in.
Try to find a solution for the ants and hope for the best? Other than that, I'm sorry, I'm out of ideas for now.
Oh. And just FYI on the technical side: of you wanted to update all of us, then you will need to tag all of us again. Greg never notifies commenters of new comments underneath, only the original poster. So we will only get notified if we are tagged (like you did with me). Fingers crossed and good luck with your plant
@MamaLinne @Boymom-plantmom @ILoveMyPlants @princesspitstop @JardimBel posted some updates if you have any more advice 🙏
@DoyenneLithop46 Have you tried using Neem oil like @JardimBel suggested yet? If not that would be my next step.
@Boymom-plantmom Oh no I’ve been successful with my tomatoes plants. Gosh darn things ! They say god put everything on the earth for a reason. Though these guys and bad thrips must have slipped by some how .
Those are mealybugs, in case no other comment has mentioned please be aware **the ants are PROTECTING them**. Mealybugs excrete honeydew, which ants eat… so ants will farm mealybugs and aphids. Here is a PBS video on how mealybugs destroy vineyards with the help of ants: https://youtu.be/M_XicEEBvGU
For an indoor plant I would just spray it down in the sink (to wash mealybugs down the drain) and then give the plant and soil around it a spritz with mighty mint plant protection about every 5 days and check it for mealybugs daily and remove them for a few weeks, but indoors is a controlled environment with smaller plants.
You have a more challenging problem to solve because your plant is outdoors. I would recommend adding something predatory like mealybug destroyers, because those ants are probably going to keep bringing those mealybugs back unless you can truly eradicate them.
For an indoor plant I would just spray it down in the sink (to wash mealybugs down the drain) and then give the plant and soil around it a spritz with mighty mint plant protection about every 5 days and check it for mealybugs daily and remove them for a few weeks, but indoors is a controlled environment with smaller plants.
You have a more challenging problem to solve because your plant is outdoors. I would recommend adding something predatory like mealybug destroyers, because those ants are probably going to keep bringing those mealybugs back unless you can truly eradicate them.