Mealybugs may look like harmless cotton balls. But, never believe those fluffy cotton ball-looking things can do no harm. Mealybugs will suck the life out of your adored plants, and these tiny pests can cause more damage to houseplants than you can imagine. However, you can certainly get rid of mealybugs naturally.
Organic gardening saves your garden from getting attacked by chemicals that can cause immense harm. And you can kick out mealybugs naturally. So, let’s check out how to get rid of mealybugs bugs naturally.
Causes Of Mealybugs
What causes mealybugs? This question must be running around your mind. And you must ask this question just to keep your plants safe. High-nitrogen levels attract mealybugs, and your plant may experience high levels of nitrogen due to over-fertilization.
Moreover, mealybugs are simply attracted to various outdoor and indoor plants. You must be cautious if you have Jade, Ficus, or Orchid plants. Mealybugs are infamous for attacking these plants. However, natural mealybugs treatment will make sure to push these bugs away from your plant. And you will get rid of mealybugs naturally.
8 Ways To Get Rid Of Mealybugs Naturally
To have a healthy-looking garden, ensuring that no pesticide is used is essential. Thus, let you have a green and lush garden; here is a list of organic ways using which you can get rid of mealybugs naturally.
1. Neem Oil
Neem oil is one of the most effective insecticides out there, and it can throw off these fluffy bugs without any extra work. Moreover, neem oil will not harm the pollinators like bees. Preparing a spray for mealybug treatment using neem oil is relatively easy.
Take a big gallon of water, add 4 teaspoons of soap water and then add 2 more teaspoons of neem oil. Your spray is ready to use. You can apply this spray on jade plants to kill those annoying mealybugs on jade plants.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
To control mealybug, you must know how effective Apple Cider Vinegar is. ACV can be used as a powerful mealybug killer spray. Making an Apple Cider Vinegar spray is relatively easy.
In four parts of water, add a mild one-part ACV, and your spray is ready. Use the spray to destroy all the mealybugs on succulents. This gentle solution will not damage your plants in any way.
3. Diatomaceous Earth
Kill these annoying little mealybugs and every insect that crawls with Diatomaceous Earth. DE kills the mealybugs by dehydrating them. After the application of Diatomaceous Earth, within 48 hours, all the mealybugs will be gone.
Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth all over your houseplants and see the mealybugs on houseplants disappear. One of the best ways to get rid of mealybugs naturally.
4. Soap and Water
A readily available homemade remedy soap and water will quickly kill these bothersome little mealybugs. Although dish soap can be used, usage of organic liquid soap is much preferred.
Soap kills these mean bugs by suffocating them. To create the soap and water spray, add a tablespoon of liquefied soap to a quart of water, and you have your spray. Apply this spray on any plant under the attack of mealybugs and get rid of mealybugs naturally.
5. Beneficial Insects
Some insects really love eating the irksome mealybugs. Buying these bug-eating insects and planting them on your plant under mealybugs’ attack will help clean off all the mealybugs from your plant. Isn’t it a perfect and helpful way to get rid of mealybugs naturally?
6. Pruning
You may not love this natural method, but it is pretty effective. Cutting off the mealybugs’ affected parts will give your plant a new life and strengthen it. Cut off the affected pieces and burn them. The safest way to get rid of mealybugs naturally. Even if you have no other extra stuff to use to keep your plant safe, simply cutting the destroyed part will save you from any other additional work.
7. Essential Oils
Essential oils help you get healthy skin, but do you know essential oil can keep mealybugs away from your much-loved plants? Yes, essential oils are known for this feature too.
Creating an essential oil spray is relatively easy. Take a cup of water and add around 12 drops of essential oil; you can use any essential oil of your choice. Your spray is ready for you to use. Now go and get rid of mealybugs naturally!
8. Hose Them
Another easy method to get rid of mealybugs naturally; hose them. Clean off all the mealybugs by hosing them off. You can use any type of garden hose; you just need to use the hose carefully and destroy those tiny little annoying bugs. This is one of the best mealybugs treatments when you don’t have any extra usable tools.
Conclusion
Mealybugs can literally eat away the lifespan of your plants, and you certainly won’t want that. It is tough to know what kind of plants exactly attract mealybugs. The majorly known are houseplants and plants with high-nitrogen levels. Mealybugs are harmful to plants, but using pesticides will instead damage your garden.
You can resort to natural ways to get mealybugs out of your life. The list of organic methods above will help you get rid of mealybugs naturally. Use any of the ways and see the magic.
FAQs
Q1. Are mealybugs harmful to humans?
Although mealybugs harm plants, these bugs do not cause any kind of harm to humans. Mealybugs cannot bite or spread disease, and humans are safe from mealybugs.
Q2. Will dish soap kill Mealybugs?
Yes, dish soap can kill mealybugs, and a dish soap spray will suffocate bugs and kill them. Though, using organic liquid soap water is a much better choice.
Q3. How often shall mealybugs be treated?
Mealybugs must be treated every ten days to stop them from coming back and infecting plants.
Q4. Do mealybugs fly?
Male mealybugs have wings, but female mealybugs who are responsible for creating more bugs do not have wings and thus, cannot move.
