ECHOcommunity Conversations

Root mealybug infestation

#1

Every plant we pull up in our community garden is covered in root mealybugs. Any tips on how to get rid of them?

Just doing an initial internet search I see that in North America this is more of a potted indoor plant problem and solutions talk a lot about washing roots. But am located in Medellin, Colombia where the climate is springlike all year and we have a whole garden full of these, all under the surface of the soil. Any ideas of amendments I could add to to the soil before planting this year?

#2

Thank you for your question, Drew. We have pulled together a few resources on this difficult topic. We would appreciate hearing from network members about their experiences.

#3

Thank you! I’ll post here about what we try this year and how effective or not it is.

This is what every plant I pull up looks like:

IMG_20210220_090441288
IMG_20210220_090441288.jpg1200×1600 791 KB

#4

I noticed this mealybugs in my PINEAPPLE farm what I did was to uproot the affected pineapple and cut the base off, then replant them.
Please if anyone has a better way to go about pineapple mealybugs i am willing to learn… thanks

#6

Hi Drew!

I have experience in controlling mealybugs on the shoot system, but not as much on the roots of plants! I was able to find some helpful information though, which I will summarize below:

biological control

  • Apparently the mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) will go to the root-shoot interface and still prey on root mealybugs! These are small, gray beetles that feed on mealybugs at all life stages (larval and adult). Be careful not to kill the larvae, they look a lot like mealybugs, but are gray (not white).

cultural control

  • Before transplanting, inspect roots thoroughly for eggs (little white specks) as they can easily come from your greenhouse.
  • Before planting you can increase the temperature around the root ball of the plants between 110-120 degrees F for about 10 minutes to kill root mealybugs. This has been shown to even kill eggs!
  • Plant on time! Dense root balls encourage feeding by root mealybugs
  • Sterilize all pots and garden tools with hot water and soap after working in infected soils

natural chemicals

  • neem soil drench (there are different reports of rates to use and amounts of plant material depending on if you use leaves or seeds). OISAT has several different formulations you could try. I’ve had success with their leaf extract. Does anyone else have experience using a specific neem pesticide formula?
  • Mixing diatomaceous earth into the soil when prepping a bed or potting mix
  • Insecticidal soap soil drench. I’m the most skeptical about this one - I’m sure the soap will kill a lot of beneficials in your soil as well. Has anyone else in the community tried this?

synthetic chemicals
There are lots! I don’t know what you may have available, but the synthetic pesticides that are labeled for mealybugs are almost all effective against root mealybugs as well. I looked up 4 and they all were able to be used for either pest. Your local agrodealer or agricultural store hopefully has information and a label for pesticides that are available in your region.