Mealybugs are also known as mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) because they have white, woolly and greasy hair. They are closely related to scale insects. The harmful insects attack almost all parts of the plant, right down to the roots. This is where they get stuck. The infestation often begins on the underside of the leaves and spreads from there to other areas. These are plant suckers that deprive the boxwood of important nutrients by removing the plant sap and thus cause the plant to die.
How do you recognize and combat mealybugs on boxwood?
Mealybugs on boxwood can be recognized by white, cotton-like webs and yellow, stunted leaves. Fight them by collecting individuals or spraying the plant with neem or rapeseed oil preparation. If the infestation is severe, cut back affected parts and repot the plant in fresh substrate.
malicious image
You can recognize a mealybug infestation by the cotton-like white webs of wax that the pests use to protect themselves from their predators. The oval, up to seven millimeter long animals with the characteristic transverse grooves mainly bite on the leaves of the boxwood and suck out the nutrient-containing plant sap. In addition, mealybugs, like other plant suckers, excrete honeydew, which in turn attracts fungi and often leads to the transmission of infections. Infected leaves turn yellow, shoots wither and dry up, and in the event of a severe infestation, the growth of the entire plant can be inhibited.
Mealybugs are multiplying rapidly
Mealybugs must be fought quickly and repeatedly as they multiply rapidly. The animals lay their eggs, which are surrounded by a waxy shell, in the warm season. A female mealybug alone produces up to eight generations a year, each with more than 100 eggs. These are extremely resilient and can survive even at temperatures of up to minus 40 °C.
Combat
Regularly checking the boxwood for pest infestation is an important task that should not be neglected for various reasons. You can still collect individual animals by hand or dab them with a cotton swab dipped in neem or rapeseed oil or in high-proof alcohol (e.g. vodka). If the infestation is already more advanced, this procedure is recommended:
- Spray the plants completely with a preparation based on neem oil or rapeseed oil.
- The affected boxwood should be soaked so that the agent drips from the leaves and shoots.
- Shade the boxwood as treatment with oil in a sunny location can cause burns.
- Cut back severely infested populations, otherwise the animals will keep coming back.
- For boxwoods grown in pots, repotting into fresh substrate is also recommended.
Tip
If you discover white wool threads on your boxwood, it could also be the boxwood psyllid. A typical feature is the spoon-like bent leaves.
