Mealy bugs on Crassula Ovata (Jade plant)

I have two lovely jade plants that live in Cologne which I bought last March to celebrate an anniversary. When I arrived here for the Christmas holidays I was shocked to discover loads of white, cotton-bud looking things all over the bigger Jade. I discovered on the RHS website that she's got mealy bugs (AKA woolly aphids) - "common sap-feeding pests that infest a wide range of houseplants and greenhouse plants. Mealy bugs weaken plants and excrete a sticky substance called honeydew (mealy bug poo) onto the foliage, which allows the growth of sooty moulds." YIKES. My sweet little plant is being sucked dry! The females lay their eggs under a mealy, white wax where the bugs remain for life, protected from dehydration and predators by this waterproof barrier. That's the key to eradicating mealy bugs - breaking down this waxy coating so the insects soon die from fluid loss.

The plan of action: I always try non-chemical control methods first and since the infestation is low-scale and not on the root system, I handpicked the cottony bug-gers off with tweezers and cleaned the plant thoroughly with water and whisky as a substitue for isopropyl alcohol. I applied the 50/50 mixture with cotton buds which are great at reaching into the axils where the bugs seem to love hanging out. This way is more time-consuming than simply spraying the plant but I think it's necessary to clean as many eggs and as much honeydew off as possible for the first round of treatment. Another good non-chem control method is ladybirds, which are natural predators that can be introduced to plants to munch down on the mealy bugs, although they're more suitable for enclosed spaces like greenhouses. I'm going to keep an eye on the plant for now and if the bugs don't take the hint I'll try either a homemade isopropyl/insecticidal soap/water mix applied as a spray, a systemic insecticide like thiacloprid (suitable for use on ornamental and some edible plants) or acetamiprid (only for ornamental plants). Ciao mealies!

For more info:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=201

Photo credit: Radicleii

Mealy bugs on Crassula ovata