Gardenia Bugs That Are Fuzzy White

Although particular about where they will grow, the gardenia's rewards are great.


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Gardenias, a common name referring to many shrubs in the genus Gardenia, are stout evergreen plants that produce white flowers with amazing perfume in gardens in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7b through 11, depending on cultivar. These plants are bothered by few diseases, but do attract insect pests, such as the fuzzy, white insects known as mealybugs.


Mealybugs are tiny, soft-bodied insects no more than 1/5 inch long. Their segmented, gray bodies are covered in white mealy or cottony wax, giving them a fuzzy appearance. Low numbers of mealybugs may go unnoticed, but once populations grow, plants experience yellowing foliage, death of twigs or leaves and become unthrifty. Sooty mold may develop on the sweet, sticky honeydew these insects excrete. While sooty mold does not feed directly on plants, the colonies can grow so thick that they interfere with photosynthesis.

Ants and Honeydew

Like sooty mold, ants are highly attracted to honeydew. These industrious insects often farm mealybugs to create a steady supply of the nutritious material. If ants are tending the mealybugs on your gardenias, they will be well defended from insect predators and ants may help them spread to plants they would be otherwise unable to reach. Gardeners regularly destroy these farming ants with sugar baits left on either side of the ants' trails -- the baits contain a slow-acting poison that workers will carry back to the colony and feed to other ants, slowly eliminating the population.

Safer Control Options

Once ants are under control, mealybugs are often easy to destroy. Blasts of water from a garden hose may dislodge these sap-feeding insects, who have trouble reattaching before they starve to death. Neem oils or horticultural oils are used to smother the insects and their eggs while they are actively feeding. These oils can be used anytime the ambient temperature is below 80 degrees. Test an inconspicuous spot at least two days ahead of treatment to ensure your gardenia will not have a reaction to the chemical.

Conventional Options

The use of conventional pesticides creates a significant risk to predatory insects that would keep smaller populations of mealybugs in check. However, very heavy mealybug populations or populations on valuable plants may require a swift solution. When you've weighed the options and conventional treatment is required, try foliar insecticides that contain pyrethrin, acephate or cyfluthrin. The systemic insecticide imidacloprid is slower-acting, but will destroy any sap-sucking pest insect that feeds upon a treated plant.

About the Author

Kristi Waterworth


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