We gardeners face many bug and pest issues with our plants, especially when the temperature rises. Most bugs and pests love warm and humid climates, but mealybugs can spread like fire even in non-humid climates. In this article, I will guide you on how to get rid of mealybugs on plants and trees with my tested working methods.
I hate it when people try to find the solution to get rid of these small whitish insects and they land on pages that show us multiple methods. I have tested each method myself and it's sad to see that most of those do not even work on mealybugs at all. Some of those may work for a short period and they come back again. Isn't that frustrating?
I have created some self-made methods and after failing multiple times, finally I came up with 1 home remedy that actually works and 1 easy method that will help you kill mealybugs.
Note: The most successful method till now is applying alcohol on mealybugs and infected areas. Will explain in detail.
Let's start with the best home remedy to get rid of mealybugs
Let's make our solution:
- Water
- Hot spicy red chili powder or Cayenne Pepper ground. ( The grains must be small so that they don't stuck in the sprayer pipe )
- Liquid dishwashing soap.
That's all you need.
Take 1 liter of water in a sprayer bottle. Add 15 ml of liquid dishwashing soap to the water. Then add 3 tablespoons of spicy chili powder and 3 tablespoons of turmeric powder.
Now close the bottle and shake well to mix the solution properly.
You are all set, now spray the solution on the infected plants. You can directly spray on the mealybugs.
Apply the same solution 2 times a week and continue the same process for 3 weeks. ( I know this takes a lot of hard work and patience )
Home remedy takes time and patience. But it will worth trying.
In the image, you can not see the mealybugs. Here's how they look.
Another alternative that will surely clear the mealybugs
If your small plants or small indoor plants are infected by mealybugs, take a small tissue or cotton bud ( q tip) and dip it into alcohol.
Rub the tissue or cotton bud on all the infected areas thoroughly and you will get the results within 3 days.
If they come back do the same again. But this time don't forget to check the soil. They can climb up your plant from the soil. Clear them from the soil as well.
Sometimes they lie on the soil like small eggs and gradually crawl up to the branches of your plants.
Have you ever noticed ants near mealybugs or on the mealybugs? Ants don't eat the mealybugs. Actually, ants love mealybugs as ants drink the juice produced by mealybugs.
What to do if you don't have alcohol?
Find something that has a good percentage of alcohol.
For example, hand sanitizer or some cleaning sprays. ( You can check the composition of the product to find the alcohol percentage ) Alcohol above 30% will work nicely.
Tip: No need to wash your plants after applying alcohol. Alcohol will vanish quickly as it evaporates rapidly.
If the plant is large enough you can use a sprayer bottle to spray alcohol on the plants.
Share this article with other gardeners as well.
Was it helpful to you? Test the methods yourself and once you get good results, subscribe to this site. It's free. I will be back with another gardening tip soon.
