St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Please help identify small white insect

This pest especially likes phlox, but has also been seen on cukes, potatoes, sundrops, coneflowers, to name a few. It is about 1/10-1/8 inch long, and appears both as round and brown with a little tuft of white sticking out its butt, and also as totally white, more oblong-shaped. Not sure if the first turns into the second, though they are both on the plants at once. They leave a trail of white silky material (honeydew?) behind. Often the white ones can be found disguised in a clump of the stuff. They are very hard to catch as they can hop fast and far. Are these a form of aphid? Scale? Mealybugs? Or something else?

Would love to be able to identify them for certain, and find out how to get rid of them. I think they took up residence in my neighbor's euonymus at the fence line last year, then crossed over into my yard. So far this year I have been very vigilant, looking for them every day and killing them when possible. But they are so fast it's hard to hit them with insecticidal soap, Neem, etc. I have sprayed to try to dissuade them from taking up residence, but they keep coming back. What to do?

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

Without a picture, we can only guess. What you describe, though, sounds like Acanalonia bivittata, which was identified in [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=139603#139603]this previous thread[/url]. You might want to take a look at that and see if it's the same.

If that isn't the insect on your plants, please try to get some pictures of the critters and post them for us. :)

St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

That's it exactly! Thanks so much. I will join the other discussion.

St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

OK, so the round insect with the white tuft out his rear is the nymph of a leafhopper. But what are the all-white, oblong-shaped ones that always seem to show up at the same time, on the same branch, leave the white silky stuff behind, and camouflage in it?

I know these pix aren't great, but it's the best I can do with my equipment. You might be able to pick out the nymph in the middle of one of the photos. The other is just the white bug after it emerged from the white silky stuff on the stem.

[img]https://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af14/lmkingwall1251/bugids_June20006-cropped.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af14/lmkingwall1251/bugids_June20017_cropped.jpg[/img]

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

It's probably some species of mealybug. They are in the Pseudococcidae family. The cottony masses you're seeing would be the egg cases, I think. The actual mealybugs are smaller.

This link may help:

https://extension.unh.edu/FHGEC/docs/Mealybug.htm

Sorry, but that's the best I can do. :(

St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

So it's just a coincidence, then, that I almost always find the planthopper nymphs in close proximity to the mealybugs (if that's what they are) and their honeydew? Hmmm ... That's interesting. Is there one thing I can do to discourage both of them from taking up residence in my plants?

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

I decided to go look for images of planthopper eggs. I couldn't find anything specific to the species you have, but other species do lay their eggs in a mass called a "plate", which is covered with a white, waxy secretion. My guess is that that's what you're seeing, rather than mealybugs.

A solution of 1 to 2 tsps of pure soap to a quart of water should take care of the adult plant hoppers, as well as any nymphs. Carefully read the label on whatever soap product you plan to use, to make sure it isn't a detergent. Detergents can burn the leaves. I use Dr. Bronner's for this purpose, but any good Castile soap should be fine.

Spray each plant very thoroughly, all the stems and the tops and undersides of the leaves. The egg cases are probably resistant to sprays, because of the protective coating. Therefore, it will be critical to repeat the spraying at 5 to 10 day intervals, to kill any new hatchlings. Usually, 4 or 5 consecutive sprayings are sufficient to clear an infestation.



HTH! :)

St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Every 5-10 days if it doesn't rain? Or more often if it rains the day you spray? We have had so much rain here this spring that I feel as though I'm wasting my time spraying, since it gets washed off almost immediately. Also, best time of the day to use soapy water? Is it like Neem, which shouldn't be applied in the heat of the day or in direct sun? (I usually apply Neem in the early evening.)

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

I rarely treat outdoor insect problems. I just let the predatory insects take care of them. I treat only my indoor plants, and that's because most of them are small and predatory insects don't have access to them.

A mature, healthy plant can usually handle a few planthoppers, scale insects or what-have-you without too much trouble. I don't ascribe to the philosophy that I must eradicate every creature with more than 2 legs that ventures into my domain. I make sure to plant enough of any species of plant, so that it won't matter if a few don't survive.

My usual method of control is just to use my fingers to wipe away things like egg sacks and scale insects, and pick off any caterpillars or other beasties I notice. Anything that doesn't move so fast that I can't nab it, anyway. Things like aphids simply I spray away with water from the garden hose.

I'm pretty laid-back in my approach to gardening, and life in general. :lol:

I'm sure there are many other members here who can advise you about spraying. :)

St. Louis gardener
Cool Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

I hear you, Kisal. I've been handling these white things (whatever they are) and the planthopper nymphs, and the Japanese beetles the same way. See them and kill them (or, in the case of the JBs, catch them in a jar in case I want to make bug juice out of them!) But I will have much less time to spend in the garden now that (I think!) I'm going back to work full time. So I may have to rely on organic sprays to keep them at bay.



Return to “Organic Insect and Plant Disease Control”