mealybugs on Bromeliads
Quick answer
If your Bromeliads has mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Mealybugs are cottony, waxlike segmented insects that are described as the peskiest pests of bromeliads; a single female can give birth to 600 babies in 48 hours, and the infestation wilts leaves and stunts young growth on the host plant.
Start here:
- 1. Inspect leaf axils and the undersides of bromeliad leaves with a magnifying glass because mealybugs lurk in those hidden locations, and catch them early before populations build.
- 2. Put alcohol on a cotton swab and dab the swab directly on mealybugs to kill them on contact, then repeat applications as necessary because they can multiply rapidly.
Why Bromeliads gets mealybugs
Bromeliaceae
Mealybugs are cottony, waxlike segmented insects that are described as the peskiest pests of bromeliads; a single female can give birth to 600 babies in 48 hours, and the infestation wilts leaves and stunts young growth on the host plant.
How to reverse mealybugs on Bromeliads
- 1
Inspect leaf axils and the undersides of bromeliad leaves with a magnifying glass because mealybugs lurk in those hidden locations, and catch them early before populations build.
- 2
Put alcohol on a cotton swab and dab the swab directly on mealybugs to kill them on contact, then repeat applications as necessary because they can multiply rapidly.
- 3
Dip a cotton swab into a mixture of half a bar of Ivory laundry soap with 5 quarts of water and dab the insects, then rinse the bromeliad with tepid water, repeating at three-day intervals.
Keep mealybugs off this Bromeliads
Soak bromeliad pots in the sink up to their rims so any insects lingering in the soil come to the surface, and wash the foliage with a strong spray of water before hot summer weather sets in to dislodge mealybugs before they multiply.