Pesticides for Control of Mealy Bugs
If not properly controlled, pests become the bane of any gardener's existence. Mealy bugs can infect plants for generations and spread diseases to neighboring plant species. Most pests can be controlled through careful use of pesticides, but it is of utmost importance that you take time to understand what kinds of pesticides to use and how to properly to use them if you wish to control your mealy bug problem and avoid environmental, health or other undesirable effects from using pesticides improperly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Mealy Bugs
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Mealy bugs are a species of aphid that commonly infects cactus and other types of plants. Mealy bugs inhabit both the above ground and below ground portions of the plant and can spread diseases, viruses and other afflictions to the plants that stay for multiple generations. These bugs also use the plant to reproduce, using a cotton-like net to cover eggs until they reach maturity. Mealy bugs are attracted to succulents (plant species that have evolved a particular ability to retain water due to the climate conditions in which they grow), thus the pests are primarily found in dry, arid and desert climates in which plants are more likely to have developed strong water-retention traits.
Natural Mealy Bug Control
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The means by which you control a mealy bug infection without chemicals depends on factors such as the size of the infection. Small infections can be cleared away with pruning shears or dabbed with a cotton-tipped swab dipped with rubbing alcohol. You can buy other insects -- ladybugs and lacewings -- to inhibit mealy bug infection and apply them your plants. Neem oil soap, Hot Pepper Wax and Garlic Barrier also work as repellents when applied to infestations; they give the leaf an offensive flavor, impelling the mealy bugs to leave the plant in search of another.
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Pesticides
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Commercial pesticides are effective at controlling larger mealy bug populations, but be sure to use a liquid pesticide or one that can be mixed with a liquid component to guarantee that it will get inside the wooly mealy bug nest. Insecticidal soap like that manufactured by Bon Neem can be sprayed onto plants; the soap contains potassium fatty acids that kill mealy bugs within a matter of hours.
If the pest population is still out of control, move to a stronger insecticide like Takedown, Azatrol EC of Doktor Doom. These products contain pyrethrins or other substances to kill mealy bugs and other pests. General pesticides sold in gardening stores always label each specific species that they control, so if you buy one of these verify that it is toxic to mealy bugs.
Preventative Control
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Avoiding over-fertilizing plants, because mealy bugs love a nitrogen-rich environment. Washing your plants regularly with pressurized water is an effective means of controlling pest populations on your plants; just be sure to use a water pressure that is not so strong that it damages your plants as well. The water can wash mealy bugs away before they are able to settle on leaves, or more importantly before they are able to breed on leaves.
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