i give up--what is it??

cubbie

my malpighia has had ants, then aphids. all responded nicely to Safer's soap. Yesterday I go out and the underside of almost every leaf is covered with these white "things" that appeared virtually over night. HELP!! WHAT ARE THEY ALIEN LIFE FORMS

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plant_dr27

It looks like some kind of mutant grub/scale/ mealybug thing.

Did you ever see the movie "Evolution"? An alien microbe comes to earth on a meteorite and basically changes from a single celled critter into these monsters that threaten all human life. The more the people tried to destroy the creatures the bigger and more evolved they became.

I think you better leave those guys alone or else tomorrow they might be the size of a cat... and then who knows what? LOL

__________________
"I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and... I went ahead anyway" Crow T. Robot, MST3K

cubbie

I've already crafted a helmit made of aluminum foil to prevent the aliens from reading my thoughts...... COCOONS!! how about that movie COCOON? the mother ship arrived to take back their "family".... maybe i should contact NASA?

thanks, you've elevated a simple insect infestation to a major threat to national security. Living in FL, i know enough not to rely on FEMA, but should i alert george bush???

or, any suggestions out there as to what this dang things are and what i can spray on them????

AWOL_loki

They look like australian mealy bugs but the biggest ones i have ever seen. They are usually big but this is crazy.

Regards
loki

DrDirt

Looks a lot like cottony cushon or cottony maple scale. Just pick them off if possible and consider treating with a systemic insecticide (imidicloprid) to reduce the chances of future problems. It's a bit too hot for hort oil and some other foliar sprays right now.

cubbie

thanks for your help...... Florida is bug friendly, every morning is a new surprise! one thing i've learned is to shake out your garden shoes before putting them on...... pygmy rattlers are pesky critters! wish we could get some more rain....