what are mealy bugs?

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what mealy bugs are and how they look like.
I have the answer to cure your curiosity.

Mealy bugs (mealy bug) mealybug: scale like plant-eating insect coated with a powdery waxy secretion; destructive especially of fruit trees  and are common on greenhouse and indoor plants.The visible mealy bugs are actually the females. They are small (about one-tenth of an inch) insects with fringes around their bodies and, depending on the species, twin tails. Male mealy bugs are tiny winged insects that are rarely seen on plants. 

There are many ways to get rid of these pest, one of the easiest ways is to wash them away. Mealy bugs can be dislodged with a steady stream of water. Repeat the treatment as necessary. Here are some pictures to show you exactly what you are looking for.

The first picture shows the mealy bug up close.

On the plant it looks like mold the leaves.

I hope that this helps all of you would do not know what mealy bugs are. Let me know if this helped.