---
title: "Is this the sign of mealy bugs?? It wipes away but I don’t see…"
description: "Is this the sign of mealy bugs?? It wipes away but I don’t see anything crawling!"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/ZHb7O6bst0p11rKDaZslvJ"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Haileyy63"
published: "2026-01-12T23:11:54.047471Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kqsCqJZwhlDUCk7dlfGlGmMQH4_fApTMpPmujnK9Csk/OPlrjTzjSbyUQ66N0SwGRw.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md)

# Is this the sign of mealy bugs?? It wipes away but I don’t see…

_Posted by Haileyy63 on 2026-01-12_

Is this the sign of mealy bugs?? It wipes away but I don’t see anything crawling!

![Attachment 1 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kqsCqJZwhlDUCk7dlfGlGmMQH4_fApTMpPmujnK9Csk/OPlrjTzjSbyUQ66N0SwGRw.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kqsCqJZwhlDUCk7dlfGlGmMQH4_fApTMpPmujnK9Csk/ZPisH9dpR2u0a1GzdgPVAQ.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 3 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kqsCqJZwhlDUCk7dlfGlGmMQH4_fApTMpPmujnK9Csk/xrQ85M66Re6DJCKX-VZEOQ.webp?size=large)

## 1 comment

### Madison commented on 2026-01-13

It’s normal to not see mealy bugs actually crawling. The middle photo does look like a mealy bug to me, but some of the other spots look like normal little blemishes that just happen in the compact leaves sometimes.

You can dab a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and rub away at those spots to kill any mealy bugs. If it doesn’t come off with that, it’s probably just a normal spot.

After that, I’d probably give it a bath in some insecticidal soap solution to really kill off any lingering ones that you didn’t see, wait 3-12 hours, and then rinse the leaves off by spraying or dunking them into fresh water. Then set it in front of a fan to dry for 12-24 hours to prevent water from getting trapped in and rotting any of the compact leaves.

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