Question
I am new to indoor plant infestation, but my dragon plants have a white web where the leaves attach to the stem. After wiping off the white fluff, I realized that the leaves where turning somewhat yellow underneath these parts of the plants.
I have been trying to look this up on the web, but I cannot decide whether these are spider mites or mealy bugs.  How can i tell and what would be the respective treatments?  Or could it be something entirely different?
Also, I have quarantined all my other plants from the dragon trees now, but I worry that whatever this infestation is will also spread to my other plants.  What are the earliest signs of this?  Thank you for any help you may have!


Answer
Miriam,

Spider mites are tiny spiders that are so tiney you need a strong magnifying glass to see them and they create fine webs over part of the plant that you can only see in bright light. Mealy bugs are soft yellow creatures that wrap themselves in bits of cotton so they look like little bits of cotton balls stuck to your plant.

Either insect can be sprayed with either rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle or a tablespoon of dish detergent in a quart of room temperature water in a spray bottle. Make sure you spray the fronts and backs of all leaves. Repeat the spraying every three days for 3 weeks. then repeat it once a week for 3 more  weeks to make sure you kill any insects that hatch from eggs. It is best to keep it separate from your other plants for 2-3 weeks. Insects usually attack plants that are under stress from either being over or under watered or not getting enough light. What you are seeing is usually the earliest signs. Persistance is the key to getting rid of them. Good luck.

Darlene