How to Get Rid of Mealybugs on a Gardenia Houseplant

Mealybugs are one of the easiest pests to recognize on a gardenia plant. They look like puffs of cotton or sprinkles of powder, often found at the point where a leaf attaches to a stem. Their appearance, along with the fact that they spend most of their life in one fixed location, leads many people to believe that they are a growth on the plant rather than an insect. It’s easy to remove a few mealybugs from a gardenia plant, but a serious infestation presents a challenge, even for experienced growers.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton swabs
• Alcohol
• Syringe
• Insecticide

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Kill a few mealybugs from gardenia plants by dabbing and rubbing them with a cotton swab saturated with alcohol. Repeat the process weekly as long as you continue to find mealybugs on the plant.

   • 2

     Fill a syringe with lukewarm water and use a forceful spray to dislodge mealybugs.

   • 3

     Spray an insecticide if you can’t get control of the infestation with alcohol and syringing. Choose a product that is labeled for use against mealybugs on houseplants. Insecticides containing insecticidal soap, neem, bifenthrin, permethrin or resmethrin are effective.