Root mealybugs

[Mrs.Green]

I have a few thoughts and questions about these bugs. First my experience with these critters.

I have read several places that they prefers dry substrate/ soil. That may be but in my experience they do wonderfully in soaking wet soil too. Begonias and Pelargonias kept outside in the summer and forgotten , stood on the veranda in pots, in rain that lasted more or less for a couple of weeks. It’s safe to say that the soil was not only moist but soaking wet. Thinking of taking the plants back inside, I always check the roots first. I have never seen such thriving colonies of RM in dryer soil, the soil and pots inside was covered in blue/white’powder’ and bugs.

On a wall in the hallway ( across a window) a Hoya carnosa and a Rhipsalis pilocarpa(?) hangs about 40 cm from one another( the pots). These plants have not been repotted for at least 5 years and have had no new ‘neighbours’ in this time either. A few of the stem segments of the Rhipsalis touched some of the Hoya’s leaves.

Repotting both I found a small infestation of RM in both plants. Were did they came from and why were there so few of them? Since I am carefull with not touching soil or plants in fear of transmitting unseen bugs , I don’t think I am the culprit here . But off course I can’t be 100% sure.

If the RM infestation isn’t new ( if so I really wonder were it came from) it’s interesting that it apparently were so few bugs. Based on the fact that there was very little ‘discoloration’ on the soil and pots walls.

Can RM eggs stay dormant for shorter or longer periods of time? If so that would be bad news, since in teory you could buy soil with dormant RM eggs in it.