what are they!? poor pansy.

I think root mealybugs, but recent heard about root aphids so maybe them!

Sucks so much bc you don't know they are there until you plant is half dead!

yikes. i have to google them. i have something similar (not as soft looking but not pill bugs), but they just eat decaying wood ... as far as i know ... at least that's where i always see them. i'll have to go read about those little suckers.

you're right ... they are root aphids! ugh! they look completely different at other life stages. wow i need to start looking around for those creepy crawlies. they did a lot of damage to your pansy ... well .. killed it. :(

http://www.greenhousemag.com/article/gm0114-pests-root-aphids-mealybugs/

i just read that organocide garden spray will kill them. i broke down and sprayed my citrus with organocide last week because of the scale insects slowly killing my younger trees. first time in my life i've sprayed anything on anything except maybe soap and hot sauce.

i'm glad you posted the photos. i learn something new everyday!

faq on organocide. it says you drench the soil to kill root aphids, but i wouldn't want to hurt my worms and other sweeties i love so much. http://www.yourplantdoctor.com/organocide-3-in-1-garden-spray-blog/

I have them on my night blooming jasmine, neem seams to work well on them and so does a high pressure blast of the hose.

But it would be a lot of work to dig them up and spray the roots clean all the time!

I will have to look into trying the organocide as a soil drench!

i'd be afraid to use neem oil because i have a 1/4 acre pond that my property runs off into and i just read neem oil is moderately toxic to fish and other aquatics. i generally err on the side of caution and don't use anything. i try to keep a balance and let nature take care of the baddies, but then again my property is really natural and i plant mostly natives. i do love night blooming jasmine! what a fragrant flower, and the moths love it!

Sharon I can see that I use as little as possible but sometimes I have to to balance things back out. I do prefer to let nature take care of things.

i didn't mean anything by my comment either way ... just saying i didn't want to hurt my fish or frogs. neem oil sounds fantastic compared to insecticides, but after i read about it maybe hurting aquatics i would be afraid to use it because during the rainy season my entire yard can flash flood and it all washes into my pond. i wonder if tea tree oil can be used on bad bugs. i just haven't read up on using essential oils in the garden, but i use a lot of them in my home. guess i'll have to do some homework.

Torenias (aka Wishbone Plant) resemble pansies to me. They do very well here in 9B. They are available in the color of your photo and pastel and deeper pinks. You might have more luck with them. I got them last year at Home Depot.

ICK! I have never seen such huge mealybugs in my life! Isnt there a REAL soil drench you can put there before you plant? Not the organic junk. Unless you are on a pond/lake,....I am a chemical poison lover, kill the bugs, don't cuddle them to death! Kill them with chemicals!!

Sorry, but it works!!! Are they coming in from like Lowes? Or are you growing them from seeds? As hard as they are to grow from seed, I hope they are from Lowes/Home depot...you can get your money back, and get new plants, once you get rid of those mealybugs!!

They have a year guarantee on them...dont they? At least you can replant and not have to spend more money, if they are from them. That means the bugs came in FROM them!

PoohBear you are right about returning plants to Home Depot. I just returned a coconut palm which I purchased last July. I had the receipt and received an instore credit for almost $20 because it was past 90 days.

Well $20 is $20 to use in the garden shop! THEY offer the guarantee, so take advantage of it! i assume it applies to annuals to...but maybe thats their loophole!

It really can buy a lot and they're just getting stocked for planting season. Our Home Depots get their plants from a distribution center here in Central Florida so that's a positive for me.

well good luck. i have to grow my petunias and pansies inside in my indoor AeroGrow garden. To hot here and WAY to many root eating grubs in the soil.

Poohbear, that's why I love the purple Torenias so much because they remind me of Pansies which was a favorite of my dearly departed sister. I have one growing now that just appeared. I didn't plant it so it's a wonderful surprise.