Mealybug on a cactus: what it is and why it appears, how to fight if the flower is covered with white bloom, as well as photos of spots and dots similar to mold

Cactus belongs to perennial flowering plants from the family Carnation. Cacti came to us from South America and became one of our favorite unpretentious indoor plants.

At first glance, we can say that this prickly flower is not susceptible to any diseases and pest attacks.

But this opinion is erroneous. So, what does the white coating on the plant say, what are these spots and why do they appear? We will describe how to deal with them and what preventive measures to take in this article.

What it is?

The cactus is covered with white spots or dots similar to granulated sugar - this is the main symptom of the attack of a pest such as mealybug.

the parasite has an elongated slightly oval body, its length reaches 5 mm;
grayish color with white fibers throughout the body;
the main harm to the plant is caused by females and insect larvae;
an additional sign of infection with a mealybug is the thinnest white web surrounding a cactus;
soot fungus can develop in parallel (the pest carries its spores).

There are several varieties of the pest. They differ in habitat and nutritional features. Mealybug can live and feed exclusively on the root system of the plant. Other species prefer the root zone, the area between the ribs of the cactus or its areola.

There may be several reasons for the infection of a parasite on a cactus. The most common routes are improper care, infection from a neighboring plant, or penetration through contaminated soil.

Photo

Next, you can see a photo of the affected areas with a mealybug that looks like mold.

How dangerous is a mealybug?

Settling on a plant, a mealybug sucks cactus juice. As a result of infection, the plant becomes sluggish, slows down or completely stops its growth. In this case, the stems of the flower turn pale, losing the green color, the bark of the trunk cracks. Flowering stops, buds fade and die. In the worst case, if you do not take control measures, the cactus will die (you can find out what can cause the cactus to die and how to understand that the plant is dying, but from this article you will learn how to save the plant).

How to fight?

To get rid of mealybug folk recipes and chemicals are available.

The first option is safer, but ineffective for mass infection. When using chemicals, it is extremely important to be careful, to carry out the procedure in a ventilated room, to prevent contact of the treated cactus and animals, children.

Folk remedies

Way	Cooking	Application rules
Horsetail infusion	In pharmacies, you can buy a ready-made tincture (sold as a diuretic). Before use, mix the infusion with water (1: 3). You can also use fresh horsetail shoots. For this: Collect about 1 kg of shoots. Chopped. Mix with 5 l of water. Allow to infuse for 12 hours, then put on fire and bring to a boil. Filter. The infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5.	Spray an infected cactus liberally once a day.
Oils	In 1 liter of water add 2 tablespoons of any vegetable or olive oil. Stir well.	Spray the plant 2-3 times a day. For each procedure, prepare a fresh solution.
Soap and alcohol	Mix 15-20 g of any liquid soap, 10-15 ml of denatured alcohol and froth well. Pour 1 liter of water.	Spray a cactus no more than 1 time in 2 days.
Garlic infusion	Peel and chop 5-6 cloves of garlic. Pour garlic gruel with boiling water (0.5 l). The resulting mixture is infused for 4-5 hours. The infusion is filtered through a sieve or gauze.	Take a cotton pad or brush, moisten in infusion and carefully wipe the cactus. Repeat 1-2 times a day.

Chemicals

Title	Preparation and use of the solution
Aktara	The solution is prepared directly in the sprayer or in a special medium-sized container (suitable volume is about 15 liters). Fill a container with 10 l of water, add 8 g of the drug, mix thoroughly with a stick. Pour the solution into the sprayer and carefully process the cactus.
Spark	The capacity for the preparation of the solution is 10-15 liters. Pour 10 liters of water. Add 5 ml of the drug. Cactus can be sprayed 10-12 days before flowering and after flowering in 20-30 days.
Uploud	The solution can be prepared directly in the sprayer. To do this, take water and the drug in a proportion of 1 liter per 1 g of the drug. Next, thoroughly spray the plant. The first signs of the destruction of pests will be noticeable only after 1.5-2 weeks.
BI-58	The drug is available in ampoules. 1 ampoule is diluted in 5 l of water. The solution is thoroughly mixed and poured into the sprayer immediately after preparation.

When using chemicals, be sure to use personal protective equipment: gloves, a respirator and special glasses. After preparing the solution, ventilate the room.

Preventive measures

To protect a cactus from a dangerous mealybug, adhere to precautionary measures:

Before buying any new plant, be sure to carefully examine it for diseases and harmful insects. After the purchase, it is advisable to keep the new plant in quarantine for 1-2 weeks.
Every day, check for rot, disease, or traces of harmful insects (which diseases and pests can kill the plant?).
Follow cactus hygiene. Periodically arrange water procedures for the prickly handsome.
When transplanting to new soil, it should be disinfected by calcination on fire or freezing.
Observe the watering regime.
Promptly remove fallen needles and faded buds.

Even such strong and unpretentious plants as cacti are susceptible to insect and disease attacks. To make the plant happy with a healthy look, do not forget to pay attention to it, take care correctly. If infection has occurred, take urgent measures to combat the pest.