Natural Remedy for Mealybugs

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What you'll need:
  • Cotton Swaps
  • Cotton Balls
  • Rubbing Alcohol
  • Dish washing Liquid
  • Water
  • Cloth or Paper Towels
  • Baking Soda
  • Spray Bottle

These little critters are really a pest, pun intended. You can rest a sure if one of your plants is infested so are the rest of your plants. Begin by inspecting your plants. Early detection can be yellowing or wilted leaves. Normally mealybugs love to hide under leaves and hard to reach places on new growth. Mealybugs are plant feeders and will infest most parts of the plant. You might be wondering what attracts these devastating pest.

Normally high nitrogen plants attract them like bees to flowers. So make sure that you are not over fertilizing your indoor plants. Fertilize when needed. Another possibility is that ants might also be the culprit for your infestation. Ants are attracted to water so over watering your plants can be another reason. When you have ants rest assure that they will bring with them mealybugs. Why you ask? Well mealybugs excrete a sticky honeydew like substance that is sweet that ants feed on. A single adult female can produce 300-600 eggs which continues for up to 2 weeks. So how do you get rid of them?

There are natural ways to control these bugs. I will be teaching you one way today.
  1. First you want to begin by removing the mealy bugs. You can do this by using a cotton ball or swap dipped in rubbing alcohol.
  2. Once the mealybugs are removed kill them by squishing them. I know this sounds gross but a good mealybug is a dead one.
  3. Prune any yellowing or wilted leaves. Discard these in the trash. Do not let infested leaves or plant parts remain in your pots. 
  4. Spray both top and bottom of your leaves. Include spraying the stems and the top of the soil. Do not water your plants. Allow them to dry out between waterings to prevent future breakouts. 
  5. Discard all dead or infested parts of the plant in the trash immediately. If your plant is completely covered with mealybugs you should throw out the entire plant. Wash the pot in warm soapy water with Clorox. Let your pot air dry completely before it using again.
Recipe:
  • 1 Gallon Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
  • 2 Tablespoons of Dish-washing Liquid
  • 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • (optional) 1/4 Cup Cooking Oil - The oil coats the mealy bugs which leads to suffocation, thus killing them.

In a separate bowl mix 1 cup warm warm water with your 2 tablespoons of baking soda. This will help dissolve it completely in your solution.  Once your water becomes clear add it back into your gallon water jug. Next add your 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. At this point if you wish to add your cooking oil you are welcome to. The last part is the add 2 tablespoons dish washing liquid last. Leave about a couple inches from the top so you can shake all the ingredients together. Once everything is well incorporated pour into your spray bottle. Give your plants a good spray down.

Prevention:


Before bringing home any new plants from nurseries, friends, etc inspect your plants! You can quarantine your new plants for up to 2 weeks. Use this spray recipe you learned today to prepare them to integrate your new plants indoors. Use this spray once a week until your plants are in the clear. I hope you found this useful. If you liked this post make sure to subscribe and share this post on whatever social media you use.





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