Pest identification
What's eating my cinnamon bunny ears?
Mealybugs
Signs: White fluffy deposits around the glochid clusters and pad margins; shriveling or yellowing pads.
Control: Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; spray the whole plant with diluted neem oil weekly for a month.
Scale insects
Signs: Brown waxy bumps fixed to pad surfaces; honeydew and possible sooty mold on affected pads.
Control: Carefully scrape off (use gloves for glochids), treat with insecticidal soap spray every 10 days.
Spider mites
Signs: Fine webbing across pad surfaces and very faint speckling in hot, dry rooms.
Control: Raise humidity, wipe pads gently with a damp cloth (use tongs/gloves), apply neem oil spray.
Keep cinnamon bunny ears pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Cinnamon Bunny Ears pests — FAQ
What is eating my cinnamon bunny ears?
Cinnamon Bunny Ears (Opuntia microdasys var. rufida) is kept as a houseplant and is most threatened by mealybugs and scale insects, which hide near the dense rufous glochids. Spider mites appear in low humidity. The pads' textured surface makes pests hard to spot — look for sticky residue or discoloration as the first sign of infestation.
How do I get rid of mealybugs on cinnamon bunny ears?
White fluffy deposits around the glochid clusters and pad margins; shriveling or yellowing pads. Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; spray the whole plant with diluted neem oil weekly for a month.
How do I get rid of scale insects on cinnamon bunny ears?
Brown waxy bumps fixed to pad surfaces; honeydew and possible sooty mold on affected pads. Carefully scrape off (use gloves for glochids), treat with insecticidal soap spray every 10 days.
How do I get rid of spider mites on cinnamon bunny ears?
Fine webbing across pad surfaces and very faint speckling in hot, dry rooms. Raise humidity, wipe pads gently with a damp cloth (use tongs/gloves), apply neem oil spray.