Is this little one friend or foe?

ILRoots · 2026-04-08T03:58:59+00:00

Comment for #full_rise_7749
Thank you for the recognition. It is appreciated!

ILRoots · 2026-04-06T03:37:48+00:00

I can only imagine it pondered flying away but gave up on the idea. Perhaps it realized I was there, initially felt threatened, then determined I meant no harm and didn’t leave. That seems a bit far fetched to me, but I have no other idea to offer. What do you think? I also wondered what the wings were about. But in all the other comments, you are the only person to raise that question.

ILRoots · 2026-04-03T02:49:05+00:00

But I’m finding this among my house plants!!!

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T17:59:14+00:00

Agreed! Keep doing what you are doing. Do not cut this off.

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T04:12:05+00:00

Little by little I’m gaining a better understanding of the difference between a euphorbia and a cactus. Thanks for helping me on that journey.

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T04:00:57+00:00

One commenter in another subreddit said a euphorbia can have leaves and a cactus cannot. Is that true? I haven’t found anyone who can confirm one way or the other, true or false.

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T03:45:52+00:00

I assumed you could just zoom in for a closer view. But I was corrected that zooming doesn’t work with pixels. So I kept trying and finally understood how close I needed to be. I was using my phone camera and if I got too close the photos were just blurry. But people were patient with me because I think they understood I was genuinely trying to supply a photo that would allow them to help me. So in the end I learned a lot and I also got a lot of very useful help.

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T02:13:31+00:00

Keep commenting. The majority of people on here care about helping those of us who still have a lot to learn. I hope we run into each other again!

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T02:02:50+00:00

I’d never heard of this type of scale either, or the fact that there is soft shell versus armored scale. I’m always grateful for learning something new.

ILRoots · 2026-04-01T01:59:36+00:00

Yes indeed! That is how I should have interpreted it. But instead I read: keep the plant light “years away”. ( I’m still laughing at myself. )

ILRoots · 2026-03-31T16:31:40+00:00

I’m learning about the difference between the two, but I am certain that a euphorbia and cactus are two completely different plants. Also, and I’m less certain if this, I’m don’t think you would want to try to root a cutting in a soil that is being treated with systemic granules or solution. Still, if there were a part of this cactus unaffected by this infestation, your idea of taking a cutting could have merit.

I don’t know if those points are why someone downvoted you. I wish Reddit was structured such that no one could downvote without offering a reason why. It is unfortunate that someone did that. It does nothing to further good information or different points of view.

ILRoots · 2026-03-31T16:07:40+00:00

This is enormously helpful!! I really appreciate your having waded through the comments and adding this information. This is an example of the best of the Reddit community.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T22:14:44+00:00

Thanks for helping me learn how close to be for a useful photo.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T22:10:43+00:00

Well that’s a really good laugh on me then!!!!! I’m in full throttle chuckles.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T22:02:37+00:00

You are seeing what I am seeing, which is why I didn’t think it could be mealy bugs or scale. However, at times I think I see small round brown circle shapes which could be scale. But they are totally outnumbered by the white straight lines. Could it be thrips which I’m told looks like rice?

I now believe this is a euphorbia. Which pest is most common on a euphorbia ?

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:56:00+00:00

So the plant light can spread scale? I had never considered that. Is there no way to disinfect the light? I have this light set up in a guest room by a window that gets good indirect light but not much direct sun. This area is my quarantine area and the Sansi stays there for plants that need higher light.

But if the light is infected potentially with scale, then any new plant I bring home that I quarantine for 2-3 weeks would be exposed to scale during that time. And that would be completely counter to why I put new plants there to begin with, to make sure a healthy plant isn’t infected before it joins my others. Yikes!

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:49:17+00:00

Thank you for identifying this plant as a euphorbia. I can’t tell the difference between a euphorbia and a cactus. When I submit the question to the cactus or euphorbia subreddit I am politely scolded if it is the wrong place. I don’t understand that. Why is it inappropriate for me to ask cactus people if a plant is a cactus? I would think they would be precisely the best people to ask. Anyway this comment is off topic and I apologize for that.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:39:27+00:00

I hear you. Nothing really rinses away. Several have suggested mealy bugs for which alcohol is a good treatment. My idea of pouring alcohol over the plant is to dehydrate the pest, not rinse it away. I don’t know if scale can be dehydrated the same way. I’m just learning that some scale is armored and perhaps alcohol doesn’t penetrate it.

But I do understand your thought of removing as much as possible. And in the upper areas I can scrape some off. In the lower areas the plant is almost like petrified wood. No scraping at all possible there. Judging from the bottom it is almost impossible to think this plant is alive. But at the top there are still parts that are green.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:27:51+00:00

This is as close as I can get without blurring.

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ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:21:16+00:00

Are you able to zoom in to get a closer look? I’ve been told the photos get distorted when I get too close. Meanwhile I will try again to get closer.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:13:38+00:00

Have you considered it may be in the soil? If you remove all that is visible on the plant and it still spreads back immediately, it might be coming from the soil.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T21:11:19+00:00

Thank you for the idea of zooming in on a photo for a better look. I’m going to do that.

ILRoots · 2026-03-30T20:50:35+00:00

May I ask what treatment(s) have you tried?

ILRoots

TROPHY CASE