Content
- Recognize mealybugs on the palm - and fight them successfully
- General
- The damage picture
- Combat lice successfully
- Treat palms in the conservatory with beneficials
- Tips
Lice are very fond of palms
Recognize mealybugs on the palm - and fight them successfully
Unfortunately, Wollläuse like to nest on palm trees. They hide under a protective layer of white wax and feed on the sap of the plant. As a result, the annoying pests can weaken the attractive plant so much that it even enters.
General
The harmful insects, which are also called lice or root lice, occur worldwide and belong to the subfamily of scale insects. The one to twelve millimeters large insects but a white, waxy, wooly substance from which covers the animal like a small cotton ball and protects it from environmental influences and predators. They are able to reproduce single-sexed and thereby multiply, they find optimal conditions, explosive. After the Wolllaus has sucked on the host plant, it usually lingers under its protective layer in one place.
The damage picture
Mealybugs not only weaken the palm by drinking the sap. It also removes toxins that negatively affect the vitality and growth of the plant. The excreted honeydew also favors the infestation with Rußtaupilz.
The leaves of the palm become yellow, wither and eventually fall off. Strong Wolllausbefall inevitably leads to the death of the plant.
Combat lice successfully
In an infestation, it is important to act quickly. Follow these steps:
Treat palms in the conservatory with beneficials
In confined spaces, beneficial insects such as the lacewing larvae, the Australian ladybug or the hatching creature call the bugs to fight. You get these animal helper, which are applied directly to the plant, in the specialized trade.
Tips
So that it does not even come to infestation with lice, you should ensure a good indoor climate. Ventilate regularly and spray the palm fronds daily with warm, lime-free water.