These strange white spores have stared to appear on a couple of my plants and they don’t seem too happy about it. Any ideas on what it could be?
These strange white spores have stared to appear on a couple of my plants and they don’t seem too happy about it. Any ideas on what it could be?
Looks like Cochineal, it's a pest
좋아요 1개Ah I see. Thank you so much, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was
좋아요 1개The issue, especially on cacti is people mistake it for a natural cactus feature. Like the puffy white glochids. And these guys are extremely prolific like mealy bugs.
2개 좋아요Of course, that makes sense. Thankfully in some ways I’ve never come across it before. I did have a gnat problem but I solved that with a sprinkle of cinnamon haha
좋아요 1개I've never heard of cochineal! You learn something new everyday. You must live in the southwest because I don't think I've ever seen them around me in Iowa. They look like a close relative of mealy bug. Since you have seen them on more than one of your plants I would treat everything and then treat it again in a few days. If they are anything like mealy bugs you have to stay on them in order to eradicate them. Good luck.
2개 좋아요Google it. Cochineal are a huge part of the food, drug and paint industry. They produce a natural dye. It’s known as Carmine Red in paints named after the carmine acid the bugs contain. It’s in lipstick, cheetos, tomato based processed foods and many others because it’s a stable dye. A lot of the lab created red dyes have been banned because they can cause cancer. They are not welcomed on houseplants. They remind me of mealybugs too much. 🍀🪴
2개 좋아요I’d never heard of them either. I had a succulent gifted to me recently and I think that’s where they came from. They’ve definitely moved to another of my plants. Fingers crossed I can keep it under control
좋아요 1개Treat everything nearby! And make sure to wipe down the bottom of the pots too.
좋아요 1개I am so glad that I do not wear red lipstick or eat Cheetos.
좋아요 1개