These white bugs i thought where springtails and i read were "harmless" however you can see from the leaves that this clearly is not the case as the leaves are drying out.
Are they mealy bugs?
Anyway my course of action i want to double check is to slip pot and treat with a neem oil drench.
it does need a re pot and the soil is too organic and holding onto to too much moisture. - but given the time of year and its distress i will only slip pot.
Its still pretty mild here in the uk about 19 degrees in the day 11 at night.
I do have lime sulphur for a more nuclear option but am worried on causeing more damage.
Any input would be grately recieved.
Thank you

 

Hello!

Yes, those are mealybugs, which is a type of cochineal/scale...

You can use any inseticide...
And also, people often "sufocate" them in soap foam, that's valid.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping for a remedy for these little white fuzzy blobs on my ficus. I've never seen them before and I'm concerned. I'm in western Canada and we're in the middle of a heat wave that may or may not have something to so with them. 
 

I'm new to bonsai and especially the pests. Looking at Google, it could maybe be a mealybug? 

The first pic is was taken 3/31/2024 when the tree was healthy. The second pic is from April 26th 2025 after it got sick. The third picture is also from April 26th 2025 with a close up of the mealy bugs infestation. I’ve sprayed it once a week for 3 weeks so far with a "Ready to Use” Neeam Oil; but they have been persistently difficult to get rid of, all though they are much fewer in numbers. I’ve quarantined the tree and also started placing it outdoors; easing it slowly into direct sunlight over a few weeks. It has been indoors at a south facing window supplemented with a grow light. 
when I bought it in July 2024 I was told that it would not need repotting for two years. I bought it as an artist curated tree and I didn’t check the roots this past spring like I should have; and as you can see it is very root bound.
The last 5 pics are from today, 5/29/25 and as you can see the leaves have been falling off faster than the new sprouts are growing. I’m worried that it’s not going to live. I water it about once a week or so as the soil gets almost dry. And I’ve started fertilizing it every other week with a liquid fertilizer with an NPK of 3-3-3 instead of monthly like recommended since it’s been sick.
I would greatly appreciate any advice from you all as what more I can do to save it if it’s not too late for the little guy. 
Also I don’t know if I should slip pot it with its poor health. 
thank you Bonai Empire Forum in advance.

Can't see what it is you are talking about, if it is mealy bug you would find a sticky substance especially on the underside of the leaf. Will it rub off? It could be residue from watering.

 Hello,

I’ve noticed some white dots on my serissa bonsai and have no clue what they are. I don’t think it’s mealy bugs or a fungal infection. I’ll attach some images. Anything helps.

Thanks!

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Have you checked under the leaves? Mealy bug are easy to see, It looks like an insect infestation, possibly White Fly. It is looking very bad so you need to do something now if not sooner. It is going to lose all the leaves by the look of it. I would spray with a WEAK solution of washing up liquid, one or two drops in a litre of water.

Hello, recently one of my fukien tea trees has developed a white, "speckled" spots on the leaves with weak, brittle leaves following after. I have read this may be honey dew or a mealy big infestation. However, I havent seen any bugs on either of the trees. I had to bring them both in due to an impending freeze and my other tree seemed to develop the same pathology shortly after, indicating it had spread due to close proximity. 

I have attached images below , any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.    

You don't say how long you have had this plant. Is has not grown well if it is that age, You don't say where you keep it or how you water or when it was last re potted. Have you checked the leaves for scale or mealy bug? With some more information we might eb able to say more.

I have never had mealybugs on trees. But quite often on cactuses. I use the mealybug destroyer, cryptolaemus montrouzieri, to combat it. Very efficient.

Hi everyone! 
I have a big podocarpus macrophyllus indoors, under grow light and can't get rid of mealynugs. It's getting more and more, with almost all crowns affected now.
I used neem, soap, neudosan, some compo sana products but they keep coming back.
Someone suggested to spray with strong pesticide and wrap the tree for a couple of days but I'm not sure about it.
Any suggestions?
Help is very much appreciated!
Best wishes, Alicja 

Stress from repotting/relocation: The tree may be adjusting to its new environment, causing spotting.

Watering: Ensure consistent moisture without overwatering; check deeper soil moisture.

Pests: White bugs may indicate pests like mealybugs; continue spraying or use insecticidal soap/neem oil if needed.

Fertilization: Avoid additional fertilization right now to prevent over-fertilizing stress.

Conclusion: Likely stress-related, but continue monitoring watering and pests for improvement.

you should be watering as needed, twice a day sounds a lot. 20 is hot. Tit sounds like wooly aphid or mealy bug, the best way to get rid of them is with a cotton bud and methylated spirit. The species is very difficult to keep alive for very long, it needs sunlight and humidity. A picture would help.

My eyes is not good enough to even identify any white fluff on the picture.

But I can see an unhelthy jade. The combination unhealthy jade and white fluff makes me think mealybugs. Not the sole reason for the bad health, The tree was in bad health before and the bufet was there for the mealybugs to enjoy.

Hi everyone,

I have had a Ficus bonsai for almost three years now, and after some initial fine tuning, it has been doing really well in our office.

However, a few months back I noticed mealy bugs and had to treat my tree with some pesticide. After this, the mealy bugs have vanished but leaves have continuously been turning yellow and falling off.

I havent changed anything else (light, water, etc) so I would assume the pesticide is the cause, but I am not sure about this. Something entirely unrelated may be the cause as well. The pesticide I used is biological insect spray from Pokon which active ingredient is "pyrethrine" and rapeseed oil. It's advised for this type of use.

Attached you can see some pictures of the issue. What is noticeable to me is that in the same period the leaves have been turning yellow, there has also been a massive increase in new young leaves and offshoot. You can see fresh new leaves all around but still leaves are turning yellow, then brown and falling off. This happens mainly to older leaves but also to younger leaves.

This bonsai means a lot to me so I would hate to see it willow any further. Is there anyone who has experienced something similar and can offer help or a solution?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!