What is this white puffy stuff on my African violets? How do I get rid of it?

I have several violets that I have propagated from leaf cuttings. They were fine until a friend gave me another violet. Then I noticed a white fuzzy, puffy substance on all of them. It has destroyed one of the plants and covers most of the others. What is it? How do I get rid of it while still keeping the violets? Some of them are over six years old!

What is this white puffy stuff on my African violets? How do I get rid of it?
yes these posters are right- sounds like they are mealybugs. i grow orchids and this is a very common pest too the orchid. i am NOT trying too sound negative, but once infested it is very hard to get rid of these little buggers! the swab with alcohol will work temporarily, but will not eradicate (like someone has pointed out) safer soap is good, but i have found that the bugs almost become resistant to the soap and manage to come back! some suggestions;



1) if you can bare to part with the plants, just throw them away. it will spare other plants from infestation. trust me- i know it can be hard. when i first started with orchids I had this problem. i would hate throwing them out. but then you realize there are 100's of thousands of different types of plants (at least for orchids. but i'm sure violets have been throughly hybridized) and throwing them away is really no big deal. it kind of gives you the opportunity to try new varieties.



2) if you are in love with the plants, start with a safer soap or some other spray. make sure you read the directions and apply accordingly. monitor the plant closely and if you see the mealybugs come back, switch to a different type of spray (neem oil, pyrethen, fatty acid salts, etc) this way you challenge their ability to be resistant to only one type of spray.



hope this helps. and i hate to say (TRULY: from one plant lover to another) but your best bet is to discard to plants.
Reply:Well Craig, I'm sorry but those are Mealybugs,and will kill them. Use a Q-Tip and Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of them. Just touch them with it,and they will die. Than, with a solution of warm water and a little soap(not detergent) give your plants a bath. Wash off their leaves, then rinse in clear warm water. They will be fine than! Next time , put any new plants in a quarantine area for one week,before introducing them into the others. Bye
Reply:I think your African violets may have a common plant pest called mealybug. First of all you should seperate these plants from any other plants you may have nearby, so they don't infest them too! You can take a cotton swab with alcohol and wipe off the bugs. This will help to control them, but probably won't eradicate them as they are good at hiding. Go to a garden center and buy a spray for houseplants. I prefer Safer's soap, because it's nontoxic to you. follow the instructions on the label. Follow-up sprays are very important.

Good luck!
Reply:Pull them up and plant something else.