Mealybugs on Houseplants: Find Them and Get Rid of Them

To get rid of mealybugs on houseplants, isolate the plant, remove the insects you can see by hand, rinse and prune it, then keep inspecting weekly, because eggs and hidden insects survive a single treatment. A severe infestation is often better discarded than treated again and again.

What mealybugs look like

Mealybugs are small, soft, oval insects covered in white powdery wax. They gather in cottony clusters, which can include egg sacs. Newly hatched young, called crawlers, are yellow to pink, lack wax and move around before settling to feed, according to UC IPM.

They favor sheltered places: leaf axils, leaf sheaths, the crown of the plant, where stems fork, leaf undersides and stems near the soil. University of Minnesota Extension adds the undersides of saucers, especially unglazed terracotta.

Other signs include sticky honeydew on leaves or the surface below, black sooty mold growing on it, reduced vigor, stunted growth and early leaf drop.

Mealybugs on succulents and orchids

The RHS lists cacti, succulents and orchids, especially Phalaenopsis, among common hosts. On an echeveria, look deep between the leaves at the center of the rosette. On a jade plant, check where leaves join the stems and around the trunk at the soil line. On orchids, check leaf bases and flower spikes.

Knowing which plant you have matters when you choose a product, because labels often list plants that may be damaged. If you are unsure of the name, the Plantive app can identify it from a photo.

Root mealybugs

Root mealybugs live on the roots, so the leaves can look clean while the plant slowly declines. NC State Extension describes them as tiny, bluish-white insects with a white, fluffy bloom that move slowly. Their wax can give the mix a bluish tint, and they sometimes crawl out of drainage holes after watering and reach nearby pots. To check, slide the plant out and look at the roots and the outside of the root ball.

Mealybugs or something else?

What you see	Likely cause	How to tell
Cottony clusters in leaf joints, sticky leaves	Mealybugs	Lift the wax with a toothpick; insects or eggs are underneath
White fuzz spread across damp potting mix	Fungal growth	Thin threads, no bodies, no honeydew
Hard white or yellowish crust on soil or pot rim	Mineral or fertilizer salts	Crunchy and dry; does not smear
White granules mixed through the soil	Perlite	Hard, lightweight, never moves
Flat white powder on leaf surfaces	Powdery mildew	A coating, not raised clusters of insects
Tiny white insects that fly up when touched	Whiteflies	Winged adults on leaf undersides

UC IPM notes that woolly aphids, cottony cushion scale, soft scales and whiteflies also produce wax and honeydew and can be confused with mealybugs. If the white material is only on the soil, work through white mold on plant soil instead.

How to get rid of mealybugs: a checklist

1. Isolate and inspect

Move the plant away from other plants now. Check every neighbor it touched or shared a tray with, including stakes, pots and saucers.

2. Remove what you can see

Pick off clusters by hand or prune out the infested parts, as UC IPM advises. UC IPM also describes dabbing individual mealybugs with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, but advises testing it on a small part of the plant one to two days beforehand to check for leaf burn, and repeating weekly until the infestation is gone.

3. Rinse and prune

Rinse small plants in a sink and larger ones in a shower, aiming at leaf undersides and joints. Tilt rosette succulents afterward so water does not sit between the leaves. On sturdy plants, UC IPM says a forceful spray of water can reduce exposed populations when repeated every few days. Cut out heavily coated stems, bag them, and clear dead leaves from the soil.

4. Use a labeled product if needed

The waxy coating repels most contact sprays, and hidden insects are hard to reach. If you use a product, choose one labeled for mealybugs and for indoor use, check its list of sensitive plants, and follow the label for coverage and repeat applications.

5. Keep monitoring

Adult females of most species lay 100 to 200 or more eggs in cottony sacs over 10 to 20 days, so a plant that looks clean after one round often is not. Check the plant, pot and stakes weekly until you find nothing for several checks in a row.

When to discard the plant

UC IPM suggests considering discarding severely infested houseplants rather than repeatedly treating them with insecticides. That makes sense when wax covers most stems, clusters return after several rounds, or root mealybugs run through the root ball. Bag the plant before carrying it through the house, and do not reuse its potting mix.

How to prevent mealybugs

• Inspect before buying. Look at leaf joints, undersides, the stem base, the pot and, if the seller allows, the root ball.
• Quarantine new plants as part of your first-week checklist for new houseplants.
• Check plants coming inside for winter. Clean pots and saucers when you bring plants indoors for winter.
• Look in the hiding spots routinely. Add leaf axils and stem bases to your weekly houseplant care routine.
• Keep ants away, since UC IPM notes they protect mealybugs from natural enemies.

Indoor plants are especially vulnerable because mild temperatures suit mealybugs year-round and natural enemies are usually missing. Fine webbing and speckled leaves instead of wax point to spider mites.

Sources and further reading

• Mealybugs — UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
• Houseplant hitchhikers: Mealybugs — University of Minnesota Extension
• Mealybug (glasshouse) — Royal Horticultural Society
• Root Mealybugs — NC State Extension