Mealybugs, surely if you are a gardener you will be worried about this, and you will be thinking that how can be safe from this. This is one of the most common pests of our houseplants, which is found on almost every plant in your gardens like Philodendron Gloriosum and many others.
If you are having a huge plant-like Philodendron Splendid or other big plants, you can easily spot this pest over them. Many solutions and sprays are available in the market but don’t worry today at growncares you will read a complete guide about how to get rid of mealybugs.
In the top sections of this article, we are going to discuss how can you get rid of this, and after that we will discuss how can you prevent them, so your plant will no more be affected by them.
How To Get Rid Of Mealybugs From Your House Plants?
At first, when yous pot a few mealybugs on anyone of your house plat, make sure to keep them away from other plants. So it will not spread more and other plants will be safe from that, same as it works for slugs but you can easily get rid of slugs.
Treatment Against Few Mealybugs
First, we will discuss some easy methods which are mostly used in the case of a few mealybugs. If you have spotted a little or about 20-30 mealybugs on your houseplant then this method is suitable.
- Use a fast shower and spray water on the spots where mealybugs are found and it will remove all the mealybugs from your plant.
- Or simply use a piece of cotton and dip it in 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and rub it over every single bug. After applying this two or three times, all the mealybugs will be gone.
Treatment Against Many Mealybugs
If your plants are badly affected by mealybugs and still bundles of them are available on plants, you can use this more effective method to get rid of them, which is listed below step by step:
Neem Oil
It is the natural way to get rid of different pests and Mealybug is one of them:
- Spray this all over the plant or use it according to the guidelines mentioned on the label. Spray gently and make sure that all the leaves are covered also spray at the bottom of the leaves (mostly you can find mealybugs there and they also lay eggs).
- Before applying to the whole plant, first, test it on two or three leaves, maybe it’s not good for a few plants.
- It is very effective against insets of your houseplant, but it works after some time this natural way is not effective and will prevent pests from growing and they will die in a few days. First, I recommend you to use neem oil because I am also using this because it is very effective and totally safe.
Horticultural spray
After neem oil, you can try this one. It is easily available in the market but instead of using it on your whole plant, like neem oil first test it on a few leaves. After a successful test, if you get the best results, try it for all the plants and it will also work on many other plants in your garden against mealybugs.
Does Mealybug Live In The Soil?
Yes, Mealybug can be found in the potting mixture of your plant, or in the potting soil, try out the best way and get rid of mealybugs completely.
Use Insecticidal Soap
Recipe
- 250ml water
- One teaspoon of dilute
Mix these are now your spray is ready, Now spray it on the leaves front and back, before using it on the whole plant like always test it first on a few leaves.
Remember you will not be safe from mealybugs after one spray. It can take about 2 or maybe one month to be completely safe and continue to use these things after every week or ten days.
Can We Get Rid Of Mealybugs Through Vinegar?
Yes, you can, But don’t use the pure form of vinegar, mix it with 75% of water and use it safely, your garden will be free from all the mealybugs.
How You Can Make Plants Safe From Mealybugs?
Instead of that, you have to move toward the treatment of mealybugs, it will be better to have safe plants. Some safeties against this are here:
- Always have a healthy plant and it is just possible under the proper care, if your plant is weak then it can easily face some pests attack.
- If you are changing the pot and you have to use an older pot or new pot, make sure to clean it with hot water before use.
- After buying a plant make sure that it does not have any disease and keep it away from other plants for about 7 days.
- Always buy plants from any best and trusted seller, so your plant will be safe from pests.
How You Can Recognize Mealybugs?
It is a scale-type insect and it is mostly found in the warm temperature you will not spot this pest in winters. It stays connected with your plant and drinks its juice. Mealybugs are more annoying than other pests and you will never wish to have them on your plants.
Its color is white and mostly found in the shape of the group like a small cotton piece. It is mostly available on the leaves and attached to the different stems of your house plant.
Most females are found on plants and they grow very fast means they lay eggs and change into babies within a few days. Male bugs have wings and it’s very rare to find them on plants but it is necessary to take action against them when you spot them because they will grow very fast and you can face difficulty later.
At the start or for new gardeners it can a little challenging to spot mealybugs at the initial stages. Make sure to check for any pests under the leaves after every 7 days and take instant action.
Read More: Natural Bug And Insect Repellent For Plants
From Where Mealybugs Comes On My Plants?
Many gardens ask this question to us but mainly we surely don’t know any perfect reason behind this, but we have mentioned some ways through which these pests can come:
- Ants Or Insects
- An Open medium like windows
- From a new plant which is bought by any open place
- Eggs in your market-packed soil mixture
Every gardener loves to have healthy and safe plants from pests, but instead of proper care maybe you have to face some pests. So don’t worry about them and do your best against them, surely you will see good results. Enjoy gardening with Growncares.
