Yes, Millet,elsedgwick it is Mealy bugs. I think the culprit is a Fern my Wife insisted we bring home from FL last March, dug up some an put in a lunch bag, Floridians call them weeds, it does look nice in a container. I saw the same white bugs last Winter thinking they were White Flies, I checked the Fern again, sure enough Mealy bugs in the middle of the fern!! That will not be saved for the Winter. What is Mealy bugs range? Did i bring a FL pest home to MI? never seen them before here in MI