Gray fuzzy patches--fungus, or some kind of mite?

16 years ago

Hi:

I bought a Mandevilla vine this summer, and brought it indoors. As the leaves dropped off, I noticed that the wooden support it grows on has large (1 inch by 1 inch) areas of gray fuzz. Then I saw smaller areas on the vine and leaves. The individual spots or colonies start very small, then get larger to about 3/16", and they are oblong. An area will have fuzzy spots of varying size. I thought at first it is a kind of scale, but if I pick it apart, the patch is just light gray fuzz, maybe with granules in there too, if so they are the same color. I will take a photo tomorrow.

Any ideas of what this might be, and how I can kill it if it's bad? It is spreading onto my other plants.

Thanks

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Comments (7)

Kimmsr
16 years ago
These may possibly be Mealy Bugs, cousins of the scales. Your first step in control is to try and knock the wee buggers off the infected plants with a sharp water stream, followed, if necessary, by an Insecticidal Soap spray. Since these wee buggers lay eggs that will hatch into more of the same you probably will need to repeat this treatment several times.
jean001
16 years ago
Do you have your picture as yet? It will surely help us if you do.
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stage_rat
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your replies. I took pictures today. (my home computers died, so I'm a little slow with follow-ups, sorry!)

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stage_rat
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmm, I've just read a little about mealy bugs. I haven't seen any of the actual bugs, but the light gray cottony stuff looks right. Maybe if I mess with more spots I'll see the bugs? I'll report back tomorrow!
norma_2006
16 years ago
I vote for mealies, use a soapy dish water, insted of letting go down the drain bottle it and spray it on the plants. if that doesn't work use a mixture and alcohol abut 25% alcohol the rest water. Spaying with spray of water will not work, you may try Neem, or Windex, 50-50% water, you may use Mr. Clean, any of this stuff will work, yardly hair shampoo with coconut oil, it also kills ants that spreads them. I use diatomaceous earth in the soil for the soil mealies, ants, fleas, cockroaches,earwigs, any other crawling bugs, it works like a charm. I had some huge beetles that I didn't know I had and found them dead on my benches. Product 409 is super to get rid of ants, so is Murphy's oil. Norma
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
They don't look like mealybugs to me but one of the many species of cottony or wooly scale insects.
stage_rat
Original Author
16 years ago
I wiped the plants down with an alcohol and water mixture, and in one spot I saw the mealy bugs, or what I think were mealy bugs--they were a bit curled up already. I didn't know about the cottony scale possibility then, or I would have saved the leaf the were on.

Looking at cottony scale vs mealy bugs, some photos make me think mealy bug, some make me think scale. Most cottony scale photos don't look right, but I saw one that looks quite a bit like the bugs I saw today. Horticultural oil is supposed to be effective on both, so I will get some and try it.

The bugs were on the mandevilla, an orchid, jasmines, coleus, and there was one spot of it on an aloe. There did not seem to be bugs on my passionflower, asparagus fern, or tradescantia which were also on the same table. Does this provide any useful information?

Thanks for your input, everyone.