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In this post, let’s look into top 10 treatment options on how to get rid of mealybugs and aphids from your garden. Let’s see what happens to mealy bugs when you spray various solutions especially the cocktail mix for extensive mealy bug infestation.
Mealybugs: A Gardener’s Nightmare
Mealybugs are like a coronavirus. They spread quickly from plant to plant and sometimes it can be difficult to get rid of them. Also aphids, whether woolly aphids or white aphids are also a nightmare to gardeners. We will post a separate article on how to get rid of aphids permanently on our website.
What Are Mealybugs?
Mealybugs are in fact insects and considered sap-sucking pests in gardening. They are soft-bodied insects covered with a white, waxy, cottony material. Dissolving this protective waxy layer will kill these mealybugs. There are different entomological types of mealybugs, but in home gardening, we are mainly concerned with root mealybugs or ground mealybugs and the sap-sucking leaf mealybugs. This is a complete step-by-step guide on how to kill mealybugs in your garden in no time.
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Mealybugs and Ants
If you see mealybugs and ants together, then this is a serious issue and difficult to eradicate them. Because they have a mutual symbiotic relationship and these ants protect the bugs from predators and parasites. This also applies to aphids. The ants, especially the fire ants, help mealybugs by carrying them to the tips of growing plants, and in return, they get to eat the honeydew excreted out of their anus.
Mealybugs Treatment (How To Kill Mealybugs)
Having said that, let’s look into the treatments. Please follow the same order for treatment and resort to the last option only if you fail.
10. Move Your Infected Plant Away
Move your infected plant away from the other plants because it can spread quickly from one plant to another.
9. Pruning
This is the simplest treatment, especially if a group of mealybugs are concentrated at the tips of the branches. Remove those branches and dispose of them carefully or burn those branches if possible.
8. Bug Blaster Method
This means spraying water, preferably warm water with high pressure, to dislodge the mealybugs from the plants. This can be used to treat if the infestation is not so high and if there are no ants seen around them, else they tend to return back to the plant in no time.
7. Soap Water
This is another simple method if the mealybug load is not so high. Add 1 teaspoon of dish wash liquid soap or even some shampoo to 1 liter of water and mix well before spraying on the plant. This again works by dislodging the mealybugs from the plant. But do not use it when they exist together with ants.
6. Neem Oil
This is a universal, most commonly used broad-spectrum pesticide in organic gardening which not only kills mealybugs but also other pests like aphids. 1 teaspoon of Neem oil per liter of water + some 10 drops of liquid dish wash soap actually works for mealybugs. But remember to completely drench the plant with this spray and also spray on the topsoil surrounding the plant. This solution may take time to completely eradicate the bugs and you may have to repeat this every week until eradication. Please perform a patch test on a leaf before spraying on the entire plant. A patch test means spraying on a single leaf or branch to see the potency of your pesticide. If it wilts or is damaged in 1 to 2 hours, then you need to dilute it further so that your plant is not harmed.
5. Alcohol
Do not use any alcohol, especially ethanol and methanol, because they can damage your plant. The safest is the rubbing alcohol, which is 70% Isopropyl Alcohol. This works 100% on mealybugs. Do not worry if you do not have this rubbing alcohol. I will show you some easy alternatives shortly. So, how to use this on mealybugs? If the infestation is very little, just take a cotton swab and soak it with rubbing alcohol and wipe the mealybugs. If the infestation is high, then some recommend spraying directly on the plant using a sprayer. But it can damage some plants. To be safe, it’s better to dilute this with water in a 1:1 ratio and spray on the plants. Alcohol dissolves the waxy coating of mealybugs almost instantly, and they die in no time. Repeat this if required after one week. But remember to perform a patch test before spraying.
4. The Cocktail Method
In this method, we mix up many ingredients to make a cocktail pesticide solution. Take 500 ml water in a spray can. Add half to 1 teaspoon of Neem Oil. Then you add one cup or 250 ml of rubbing alcohol. If you do not have this, you can use hand sanitizer or even aftershave lotion. Then add about 10 drops of liquid soap to this. This is the most powerful mixture to destroy all the mealybugs in one shot. But please perform the patch test on a leaf before spraying on the entire plant.
3. Diatomaceous Earth or DE Powder
Reserve this as the next organic option because if it’s a flowering or fruiting plant, pollinators may be harmed especially if you sprinkle this powder on flowers. This powder is particularly useful if you also have ants in symbiosis with the mealybugs. Sprinkling or dusting this powder will take care of both these insects.
2. Insecticides for Mealybugs treatment
Insecticides like Malathion, carbaryl, and other organo-phosphorous compounds kill these bugs. But the use of chemicals is not recommended. If only one or a few plants are infested, destroying your plant is another option recommended by some gardeners so that it doesn’t spread to the other healthy plants.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide
This is great especially for root mealybugs and also root aphids. Use 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide or 1 cup of 6% peroxide per liter of water and water your plant with this solution and repeat after a week if necessary.
Please watch a detailed video demonstrating how to kill mealy bugs instantly below:
