This pest is kind of beautiful but also terrible. What is it? Any tips for how to get rid of it, besides cleaning all the leaves?
This pest is kind of beautiful but also terrible. What is it? Any tips for how to get rid of it, besides cleaning all the leaves?
They look like a sort of mealy bug to me. Spray isopropyl alcohol on them and if they turn red then definitely mealy bugs.
Get a cotton swab, spray it all down with alcohol and wipe them away and that should clear them up! Luckily they are pretty large and easy to see (at least more than other pests).
Ok, will try that. Thanks!
Be careful with alcohol. It can damage the plant tissue quite a lot.
Better use organic pesticides.
To be fair, alcohol is organic. There’s carbon in it (meeting most scientific uses of “organic”), and its production doesn’t have to include nasty pesticides (meeting most legal uses of “organic”). As things that kill bugs go, it’s marvellously safe to use.