Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 184 5/24/17 12:18 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 185 6/5/17 3:10 PM

184 chapter 4

Mealybugs (several species)

North American geographical range: All

Identification: Adult female mealy bugs are^1 ⁄ 8 in.

long, oval-shaped, and usually covered with a

soft white or gray fuzz. Both adult females and

smaller larval mealybugs use their piercing-

sucking mouthparts to suck sap from plants. They

often feed in clusters and produce clumps of

wax or fuzz. Males do not feed and only live long

enough to breed. These insects secrete a sticky

excrement known as honeydew. It leaves a shiny,

tacky residue on the infested plant itself and on

anything beneath it.

Plants affected: Many plants are potential hosts,

but common ones include citrus, grapes, fruit trees,

orchids, hibiscus, dracena, ficus, and many others.

Feeding habits and damage: Heavily infested

plants may have reduced and distorted growth.

A few mealybugs will not cause much damage,

but large numbers could cause defoliation. These

insects are more common outdoors in warm,

humid parts of North America, but are common

pests of houseplants and greenhouses.

Physical controls: Mealybugs are easily removed

from plants by wiping stems and leaf surfaces

with cotton balls or squares soaked in isopropyl

rubbing alcohol. A sharp stream of water also

knocks insects off plants. Do not overfeed

houseplants, as mealybugs thrive on heavily

fertilized plants.

Product controls: Insecticidal soap, horticultural

oil, citrus oil, pyrethrins, neem.

Mealybugs are usually covered with a soft white or gray fuzz. They often feed in groups and leave a sticky residue

on leaves and other nearby surfaces.

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Troubleshooting 185

Mexican Bean Beetle

(Epilachna varivestis)

North American geographical range: East of

the Rockies in the United States into Southern

Canada. Also present in certain regions of the

Western United States.

Identification: Adult beetles look like a large

ladybug. They have copper-colored wing pads with

sixteen black spots on them. Larvae are^1 ⁄ 3 in. long,

light yellow, and covered in soft, bristly spines.

Plants affected: All beans are potential hosts,

including: black-eyed peas, cow peas, green

beans, pole beans, runner beans, snap beans,

lima beans, and soybeans.

Feeding habits and damage: Both adult and

larval Mexican bean beetles skeletonize leaves,

leaving only the veins intact, and occasionally

feed on flowers and developing beans. Larvae are

most often found on the undersides of the leaves.

Physical controls: Handpick and crush both the

larvae and adults when you find them. Though

the larvae have spines, they’re soft and pliable.

A tiny, non-stinging beneficial, predatory wasp

(Pediobius foveolatus) from India is regularly

released in several Eastern states to control

Mexican bean beetle numbers. You can purchase

the larval wasps for release in your own garden

when Mexican bean beetle larvae are present.

Product controls: Citrus oil, hot pepper wax,

and spinosad.

The spiky yellow larva of the Mexican bean beetle can

quickly skeletonize bean leaves, but it’s easily crushed

between your fingers.

Adult Mexican bean beetles look like ladybugs on

steroids. But unlike ladybugs, these guys aren’t good

for the garden. They feed on all types of bean plants,

including pole, runner, lima, snap, and others.

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