Types

• Hibiscus are often infested with pink hibiscus mealybugs, which primarily damage tropical plants. First identified in 1994, pink hibiscus mealybugs are small and pink in color. Mealybugs are covered in fine powdery wax, which extends out in filaments behind their bodies. Crushing pink hibiscus mealybugs reveals body fluid that is also pink in color. Greenhouse whiteflies are also found on hibiscus, even those growing indoors. Adult greenhouse whiteflies are winged and coated in white wax. Whitefly nymphs are clear and not agile.
  
  

Signs And Symptoms

• Hibiscus infested with pink hibiscus mealybugs may have malformed or twisted leaves from the toxic salivary fluid they inject into host plants. The tips of newly formed shoots often have a bushy appearance and black sooty mold may develop from honeydew excretion. Black sooty mold is crusty or velvety and often covers the entire hibiscus, causing it to become unsightly. Hibiscus with mealybug infestations often become stunted and heavy infestations can kill even healthy plants. Greenhouse whiteflies feed underneath plant leaves, causing reduced vigor and premature leaf loss. Like mealybugs, whiteflies excrete honeydew causing infested hibiscus to develop sooty mold.
  
  

Cultural Control

• A variety of natural predators can control pink hibiscus mealybugs and greenhouse whiteflies. Lady beetles are one species of natural predatory insect that feeds on these pests. Greenhouse whiteflies can be trapped using yellow sticky traps hung close to your infested hibiscus. If mealybug infestations are light, you can place a cotton ball soaked in alcohol on the bug and wipe it from your hibiscus. This method is not practical for large numbers of mealybugs.
  
  

Chemical Control Methods

• Insecticides containing permethrin or bifenthrin can control both pink hibiscus mealybugs and greenhouse whiteflies. These products are in spray form and must come into contact with the insect to eliminate it. Soil drenches with the active ingredient imidacloprid are often an effective way to control mealybugs and whiteflies. Applying neem oil to your hibiscus leaves may help reduce the number of feeding nymphs.