Mealybug

What you see

Soft oval insects covered in white mealy wax, usually clustered in leaf axils, under leaves and where stems fork. They look like small blobs of cotton wool that move slowly if you watch.

Damage

White cottony masses in the crevices of the plant. Sticky honeydew, sooty mould, yellowing and stunted new growth.

Lifecycle on this coast

Continuous generations in mild conditions. They hide in root balls, pot rims and bark cracks, which is why an apparently cured plant relapses.

When to act

Act on the first colony - they multiply slowly but are very hard to eradicate once they have spread into the root zone.

Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Plants it bothers

Citrus, Orange, Lemon, Bay laurel, Tangerine, Aubergine, Tomato

Natural enemies

Ladybird (Cryptolaemus), Lacewing, Parasitic wasp

Remedies

Horticultural oil (white oil), Insecticidal soap spray, Neem oil spray

The thing people get wrong

The wax coat is waterproof, which is precisely why plain sprays run off and fail. A cotton bud dipped in alcohol dissolves it instantly and kills on contact - for a potted citrus or bay, ten minutes of dabbing beats any amount of spraying, and you can see exactly what you have treated.