Notes

• The little, soft-bodied sucking insects are typically a problem for woody and ornamental plants, but they can also cause damage to vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, and more.
• Mealybugs, which feed on the sap of tomato plants, produce honeydew, which in turn attracts even more pests (sooty mold) that do further damage to the crop.
• It is possible to confuse them with cottony cushion scale, woolly aphids, soft scales, and whiteflies, all of which generate wax and honeydew like these pests do.

Symptoms and damages

• Infestation symptoms may include white cottony egg masses on plants, waxed plants, sticky honeydew, black sooty mold developing over honeydew, or ants feeding on honeydew.
• Stunted growth
• Mealybugs feed on plant sap, which causes the plants to shrivel and die. A high population density can inhibit plant growth and lead to the loss of leaves.

Management

• Avoid mealybugs by inspecting purchased plants.
• To avoid spread, quarantine or eliminate infested plants.
• Handpick or prune mealybugs from houseplants and gardens. Remove the plant if the infection is severe.
• High-pressure water sprays reduce big exposed populations.
• Make sure you apply nitrogen fertilizer properly. Overapplication in conjunction with consistent irrigation helps to stimulate new plant growth in areas that mealybugs favor for laying their eggs.
• A 70% (or less) isopropyl alcohol and water solution can remove mealybugs from indoor plants with serious infestations. First test plants for phytotoxicity and reduce concentration.
• Adult mealybugs hide and have a waxy cuticle, making contact pesticides ineffective. Insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and neem oil can eliminate immature mealybugs.
• Some insecticides advertised for use against mealybugs can be toxic to beneficial insects and should be avoided in the garden.

More information: https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/mealybugs.htm

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