African Violet Question

[Patrick]

Anyone know what a dandruffy-white looking powder on an African Violet would be caused by?

Patrick

[Cereus-validus.]

Mealy bugs perhaps?

[Volfie]

Mildew would be my guess. Did you wet the leaf while watering the plant? or is it in a too humid area?

Giselle

[Phisherman]

Look under magnification. It may be mealy bug.

[Cereus-validus.]

Go tell Giselle.

Actually, mealy bugs are active at night. That's when the creepy crawlers are moving around!!!

[Volfie]

Huh? Tell me what? I'm sticking with powdery mildew. Mealy bugs have a webbing at the leaf/stem joint and are usually underneath, not "dandruff" on top of a leaf.

Giselle (and it is treated by brushing the leaves with sulfur that you buy at the drugstore, btw)

[Cereus-validus.]

What webbing?

You must be confusing Mealies with spider mites. They are not the same at all.

You shouldn't be huffing "head and shoulders". That stuff will rot your brain.

[Volfie]

Aren't mealy bugs covered in a white cottony camouflage? THAT "webbing". If you touch it with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol, the webbing/cotton disappears and you see the bug inside.

No, I'm not.

You don't say?

Was that an attempt at humor?

Giselle (oh)

[Cereus-validus.]

Oh, Giselle. Try to lighten up a bit. Get that giant mealy bug out of your posterior!! Or were you bitten by a dyspeptic spider mite?

Yeah sure that mealy covering is really effective camouflage, isn't it. If it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have noticed the little bugger. More likely it is intended to make them less appetizing to predators.

The alcohol; trick doesn't work very well. Its best to kill them with a real insecticide.