Types

• According to Colorado State University, plants commonly infested with mealy bugs include ferns, palms, ficus, pothos, philodendron, jade and African violet.
  
  

Signs

• If you see a white fluff or white powder near your houseplant's stems or leaves, it has mealy bugs. Plant leaves turn yellow and fall off when the mealy bugs suck their sap.
  
  

Treatment

• Small infestations can be controlled if you swab the leaves with rubbing alcohol. For larger infestations, use insecticidal soap. Several treatments may be needed to remedy the problem. You can also prune off heavily infested areas. Severely infested plants should be thrown out, since they can be too damaged to save.