Mealybugs are pests that affect marijuana plants, although they rarely affect indoor crops and are much more common in outdoor crops.
How to detect Mealybug infestation in crops.
In the first phase of the infestation, it’s a very easy pest to eliminate but the situation becomes more complicated after flowering, as the buds hide the mealybug and producen unpleasant effect on the final product.
Mealybugs can be detected by:
- Seeing the insect itself, usually attached to the trunk, although in vegetation we can also find it attached to the leaves.
- Seeing the shiny sticky leaves with honeydew (aphids and whiteflies also produce it).
Mealybug damage
- Direct damage: The plant loses vigor as the mealybug absorbs the sap.
- Indirect damage: Caused by the sooty mold fungus, which settles on the honeydew they excrete. This also weakens the plant as it blackens the leaves, impeding photosynthesis.
Mealybug control
To control this pest, you should:
- Eliminate severely affected parts of the plant.
- Prepar a 50/50 mixture of water and alcohol and manually clean the Mealybugs with a cotton ball soaked in this solution.
- Biological insecticidal treatment with Potassium soap and Neem Oil.
