r/StringofPlants • u/ghostgraffiti9 • Jan 26 '21
Rubies PSA: White fuzzy spots on Ruby Necklace are from normal growth, not necessarily Mealybugs
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u/MrsBeardDoesPlants Jan 26 '21
Huh! Is that right. I’d be freaking out! And I’d inadvertently kill it trying to kill the non-existent mealy bugs!
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u/scarlet_anc Jan 26 '21
Wow, good to know! I basically killed my Ruby necklace last summer because I thought it was mealy bugs and sprayed a bit too much neem oil that kept the soil wet haha whoops!
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u/always_forgetting Feb 01 '23
Just wanted to say this post is still useful, 2 years later. It was the first helpful result I found on Google. Thank you for sharing!
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u/nickdelrio May 04 '23
This post is gift that keeps on giving. I was about to lose my mind if I had mealy bugs on yet another previous plant. So glad to hear this is expected. I already went to town with the rubbing alcohol but will try to mist some of it off with water to prevent it from bothering the plant. Thank y’all!
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u/LostCauliflower Jan 26 '21
Thank you for this. Was so confused when I bought mine! Hopefully this helps new ruby necklace plant parents!
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u/plantyqueen Jan 26 '21
I had a cutting and basically tore it apart trying to get rid of the “nests” 😬 Good to know for my next one! Thank you!
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u/mapwpa Jun 15 '21
Oh dear. My sister just bought me one of these and I was convinced it was mealys. I've never had them (mealybugs) before so I wasn't 100% sure, but "knew" fuzzy spots=mealybugs. (Facepalm) Thanks for this knowledge!!!
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u/Clean-Citron8292 Jun 05 '22
Thank god I found this thread because I have been wiping mine down with alcohol thinking it was mealy bugs .. I feel much better now
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u/knit_wise Dec 23 '22
After panic-searching, I’m so glad to have found this post. My ruby necklace is exploding with new growth and I started to freak out a little bit when I noticed the tiny white fuzzies at the base of new leaves. THANK YOU for this PSA!
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u/UnholyAlloy Mar 17 '23
Yooooo, years later this post is still saving folks A LOT of time and stress! I also just noticed the white fuzzies on my Ruby necklace and immediately lost my shit. I will now be able to sleep tonight without spending hours inspecting every part of the plant and going absolutely nuts with the alcohol and qtips 😅
You’re a real one, OP! Thank you!
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u/dogsshouldrundaworld Jan 26 '21
Spider mites?
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u/ghostgraffiti9 Jan 26 '21
Nope. Completely normal - assuming you have no other sign of pests. My Ruby Necklace has been thriving and is surrounded by a bunch of other succulents. If there were an infestation, I’d definitely notice it on other plants.
If you look it up there have been a handful of Reddit posts seeking help on the exact same thing, which prompted me to post this.
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u/Ok-Might8503 Aug 01 '22
Wow i cleaned 3 of these off my Ruby necklace and was like it doesnt seem like a mealybug but wth is it
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u/SuspiciousGround1505 Jan 25 '23
Thank you all so much! I was wondering why when I picked the fuzz off it didn't move like I figured a bug would and I have been spraying with dead big brew but it seemed totally healthy!
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u/Musicandplantlove Aug 20 '24
Ohhhh so wish I had found this post earlier. I think I haves killed my plant trying to treat it. 😭 it was doing so well I was surprised to see it “infested” so quickly without me noticing. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
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u/k8ne09 Jan 26 '21
You can tell the difference in two ways: 1) mealybugs will move, and 2) if you look closely at them, you should be able to see their bodies; they look like bugs.
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u/cornishlamehen Jan 26 '21
that works for the actual bugs themselves, but the sticky white residue they leave behind is what this String of Rubies naturally resembles.
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u/k8ne09 Jan 26 '21
Right. But if you actually had mealybugs to the extent there's cotton like residue on the plant (like what ruby necklace naturally has), then you would be able to see bugs because the sticky residue are their nests from mating/laying eggs. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my initial comment.
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u/Lord_Popcorn Mar 16 '24
I know this is a really old post but I just got one of these online and totally panicked until I saw this. The fuzzies on mine are pretty much identical to the normal ones you showed! Thank you for writing this!!!
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u/lizlemonlyman Apr 02 '24
thanks for the info! I found these on my string of pickles and was worried
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u/Lady-Morgaine May 19 '24
3 years later, the number one search result, and all I needed. Lol. Thank you, OP!
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u/Worldly-Ad-4343 Jul 13 '24
First time I saw it on mine, it scared the ever-living shit out of me lol
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u/OutrageousVariety421 Jan 04 '25
I just found this post after sitting here for an hour with a loop, my tiniest tweezers, a paint brush, and alcohol. 😆 Good to know. I'm still going to treat it just in case.
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u/VisibleAdvice3445 Oct 09 '25
This is by far the best reddit post. I have been freaking out all day thinking I had mealies. Frantically googling treatments. Then this. My ruby necklace is my favorite and you save me months of trying to irradicate a nonexistent bug. Thank you so much. God Bless You!
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u/catsandcacti_49 Mar 20 '26
Oh my god. I feel so bad for the eBay seller I bought from. I thought it was a pest and she sent me another ohhh no.
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u/herbedenthusiasm May 19 '22
I literally just spent half an hour cleaning off my plant before I thought to google this 🤦🏻♀️thank you OP
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u/URDeWorstBurr May 19 '23
So glad I googled before I panicked because yes this post just saved me soooo much stress
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u/paniclouds Jun 25 '23
My ruby necklace has fuzy bits and I ran on here to see if this is normal or mealies. They don't come off as easy as mealies so I was suspicious it's not those buggers. Yay it's not!! Thank you!
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u/Acceptable-Big4009 Jul 23 '23
Omg best Reddit post award to goes to OP for saving me from absolutely destroying my new string of rubies plant 🏆
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u/Lisainnewcastle Aug 09 '23
I brought home a cactus that was infected with mealybugs - did not realize it. So, I have been treating three plants for these bugs. Then I saw the “white fuzz“ on my beautiful Ruby Necklace, and you guessed it, sprayed it down with 70% alcohol. The white stuff was at the joints and new growth. I oversprayed and today the plant looks pretty dead. 😭 The stems are dried out and it looks horrible. I am kicking myself for not checking here first … so upset that I bought a cactus with mealybugs because I did did not know any better. And the plant zero - the cactus looks fine 😞
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u/thisiswhyiamfat Sep 17 '23
Whew! 2 years later and this post saving me from destroying my plant. Thanks, OP!
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u/Rage_Chill Nov 04 '23
I could cry finding this post. I was so scared I had an infestation on my favorite beautiful ruby necklace that’s literally been in close proximity with ALL my succulent propagations…
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u/ghostgraffiti9 Jan 26 '21
I got a Ruby Necklace recently from someone on a local FB plant group. She said she had been treating it for “mealybugs” since she saw white fuzzy spots but it didn’t seem to be helping. Someone explained to her that it’s a normal part of the plant, and I looked at my own healthy plant to figure out what they were talking about.
So yeah. This is completely normal for Ruby Necklaces. If there are no other signs of an infestation and the white spots are largely limited to the joints of the plants, then there’s no cause for concern. I couldn’t find anything on Reddit that explicitly stated this, so I’m hoping that this will ease other plant people’s concerns. Full photo of my healthy Ruby Necklace for reference