Have your houseplants or conservatory plants got mealy bug?
*The pest: tiny (approx 0.5mm long) pale pinkish grey critters covered in white, waxy fibres. Usually found clustered together, often in leaf axils and other hideaways, looking rather like tiny clumps of cotton wool. They feed by sucking a plant’s sap, so weakening it (often killing cacti) and also producing sticky honeydew. This in turn attracts black sooty moulds, so your plants are damaged AND there is a grim, sticky mess to deal with!
*The Solution: A brilliant ladybird called Cryptolaemus. Both the the adults and the larvae are voracious predators of mealy bugs. The adults looks rather like the garden ladybirds, their larvae look rather like giant mealy bugs! When they’ve had plenty of your mealybugs to eat and they’re mature enough, the ladybirds will start to breed and so you may well spot their offspring after a while.
*How and When: Cryptolaemus need a daytime temperature of at least 16C (61F) and work best when mealy bug numbers are low. So, as soon as you see the pest and temperatures are high enough order these predators. When the ladybirds arrive just follow the instructions and position the ladybirds on the infested plant(s), near the clumps of mealy bugs.
*You will receive TWENTY FIVE adults. Always try to catch the problem early and introduce the predators as soon as you spot the mealy bug.
