PLEASE ???what is this bug

[Swamper]

It does Royal, minus the wings, head, and antennas. The body does have that same fluffly appearance.

[Lorraine]

Ewwwww You guys are giving me the creeps! Now I have to go check all my guys since we have had so much rain. I'm going armed with the alcohol spray bottle

[Royal]

Originally Posted by Swamper

It does Royal, minus the wings, head, and antennas. The body does have that same fluffly appearance.

It could be a different type. If it's an insect, it will have all those parts, just maybe not visible or present at the current life-cycle stage.

I kind of agree with previous advice - it doesn't really matter, just kill em all!

[Swamper]

I was looking at another site that introduces other creatures/bugs that get rid of the bad ones. Toads, beatles, wait that's beetles. I'll have to find it. I was interrupted by a call that my father in law passed away. Kinda sad but Im kinda glad he's gone so he can rest now.He was a very great man. Sorry to vent here, I just needed to.

[bonsai1504]

sorry about your father in law .
i have never seen that kind of bug before so i consider myself extremely lucky. if i saw one of those on my 'chids i would pick it off with tweezers and spray raid on it. i wish i could help with identifying it but i am not a bug expert. good luck with finding out what it is!

[isurus79]

I have those same giant woolley mealies here too. They come in summer and dont ever really have high populations, so I just squish 'em as I see 'em. I always thought they were big mealies. They move REALLY slowly so a squirt with alcohol or squishing them with a stick works for me. I was really surprised to see one for the first time, THEYRE HUGE!!

[sucuz]

It may be that these are not 'bad' bugs. The curator of the tropical conservatory at Meijer Gardens uses 'crips' as part of IPM (integrated pest management) to combat mealies. I was diligently scrubbing plant leaves to remove the mealies when I was informed that these were actually mealie predators that I was trying to eradicate. I still ask whenever I see them as my instinct is to get rid of these fuzzy bugs.

They look like mealies on steroids. They do approach the size that you report. Another identifying factor is that they are quite mobile. You can see them move (albeit very slowly) whereas mealies move so slowly that they seem to be imobile. Also the fact that that you see fewer of them than you would expect to see in an infestation might indicate that these might be the predators. Are there smaller mealies present that they might be going after?

I will email our curator and ask if these might be crips and ask for the scientific name to pass on to you.

[Swamper]

Sucuz, I do not see any smaller mealies or any other type of bug.Overall my ourside plants have been doing great outside for years with some amazing roots all over all my trees.Mango trees,crate myrtles, and of course the gumbo limbos.
I do have ants, that's a battle Im not even choosing to get into, as I am highly out numbered. We have a deal, stay out of the house and you can live outside. Then of course the snails but that is being resolved as we speak.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by sucuz

It may be that these are not 'bad' bugs. The curator of the tropical conservatory at Meijer Gardens uses 'crips' as part of IPM (integrated pest management) to combat mealies. I was diligently scrubbing plant leaves to remove the mealies when I was informed that these were actually mealie predators that I was trying to eradicate. I still ask whenever I see them as my instinct is to get rid of these fuzzy bugs.

They look like mealies on steroids. They do approach the size that you report. Another identifying factor is that they are quite mobile. You can see them move (albeit very slowly) whereas mealies move so slowly that they seem to be imobile. Also the fact that that you see fewer of them than you would expect to see in an infestation might indicate that these might be the predators. Are there smaller mealies present that they might be going after?

I will email our curator and ask if these might be crips and ask for the scientific name to pass on to you.

Thats pretty interesting! I would never have guessed that they might be predators rather than mealies. I just assumed they were mealies on steroids and squashed them all. Whoops!! Keep us informed with what the curator says. Thanks for the info!

[orchids3]

I agree with the insectcidal oil - think Ultra Fine is a good one or at least I just bought some. Be careful Use it late in the evening or you will cause damage to plants if your daytime temperature are above 90 as it already is in Jacksonville. I talked to a professional nurseryman who used it in Homestead. Maybe the extension agent can tell you which oil to use but really be careful - something that leaves an oily residue on leaves can cause real damage on a hot day.