I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol to 7 parts water and spray it on plants affected by aphids, mealybugs, thrips, whiteflies, etc. My recipe for homemade mealybug spray is 1 tsp of Dr. Bronner’s Baby-mild Liquid Soap per 1 liter of water. So they end up throwing off the whole natural balance in your garden, which can lead to a huge outbreak like this, because mealybugs and other pest insects can build up a resistance to these chemicals. Not only will it kill the bugs, it’s also great for residual pest prevention as well. Alcohol. Although it will usually take a long time for them to kill a plant. My brand new book Vertical Vegetables is now available for purchase!! Never use any type of chemical pesticide in your garden. Mealybugs are tough to get rid of, and the process can be super frustrating (trust me, I’ve been there many times myself)! Share your mealybug treatment tips in the comments below. The alcohol will melt the protective wax that covers certain insects and dries the soft body parts of others, leading to their death. It grows around the stem and sometimes even the leaves. These elusive plant pests like to hide, so check the plant from several angles, and also under every leaf. Even though neem oil has a residual effect to help keep houseplant pests from coming back, it can still take several applications to get rid of mealybugs. Harsh detergents and degreasers found in some types of dish soap can cause major damage to sensitive plants. After that, take a cloth or cotton and manually remove all the mealybugs. The alcohol will melt the protective wax that covers certain insects and dries the soft body parts of others, leading… Remove the plant from the area and clean any crevices where mealybugs could be hiding. Then I inspect the pot from top to bottom, and along the soil line to see if there are any hiding mealybugs, and wash the drip tray with soapy water. As with any other plant bugs, mealybugs can come from anywhere. Step 5: If there are no new mealybugs found after several weeks of inspecting the plant, I’ll add it back to my collection, but try to put it in a new spot just in case. Insecticidal Soap. First and foremost, be watchful while planting. My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. Small infestations can be attacked by soaking a Q-Tip in the alcohol and giving it a little scrub. But definitely test it on a few leaves first to make sure it doesn’t cause damage to your specific plant(s). Rubbing alcohol is much more affordable. So be sure to thoroughly inspect that too, you may find some mealybugs hiding there. Simply spray the succulents thoroughly and leave it there. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a good way to go. If the infestation covers a lot of the plant, use a spray bottle and just drown that bad boy. It’s far easier to kill one or two bugs than to eradicate a full-blown infestation. Do not worry if you do not have this rubbing alcohol. First, it acts as a solvent, which means it eats away the bug’s outer shell. Use cotton swabs or cotton balls daubed into 70% isopropyl alcohol to wipe down the leaves of your orchid and kill off any mealybugs that may reside there. Step 4: Dispose of the cotton swab or paper napkin. Rub Isopropyl Alcohol. How To Get Rid Of Mealybugs On Houseplants, My Proven Process For Long-Term Mealybug Control, How To Prevent Mealybugs From EVER Coming Back, how to get rid of whiteflies on your houseplants. Mealybugs spread quickly and you don’t want to risk other plants getting infected. Since the eggs and nymphs are so small, and it takes a while for the population to become large enough to be noticeable, most people don’t discover mealybugs on their houseplants until after the population explodes. One homemade insecticide that can really do the job is 70% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol). Use 70 percent isopropyl alcohol for the task. Article adapted from one published on March 6, 2016. Also, will rubbing alcohol kill mites? If it’s a small plant, you might be able to put rubbing alcohol on a cotten swab and use it to kill each bug one at a time, to immediately get rid of most of the adults. One way to kill mealybugs on houseplants is by touching them with a cotton swab that’s been soaked in rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol will kill the bugs on contact, but in order for it to be effective, it must come in direct contact with the mealybugs. Optional: Some people use 1/2 ratio of isopropyl alcohol to 1/2 water. Alcohol evaporates quickly, so you don’t have to worry about the moisture hurting your plant. This! Some types of plants are very sensitive to sprays, and they can cause more damage to the plant than the bugs. If you’re talking about the Dr. Bronner’s baby mild, then yes. I have treated it twice now. You can also make a mealybug killer spray by diluting 1 cup of alcohol with 1 quart (1 l) of water in a spray bottle and apply to the affected plant. The first thing to do is quarantine the affected plant(s) so that you can prevent mealybugs from infesting your other houseplants. The alcohol kills the bugs and makes them easier to remove from the plant. I recommend following the steps listed under the “My Proven Process For Long-Term Mealybug Control” section to help get rid of them faster. This treatment is most successful against nymphs and adults, but, depending on the species being treated, doesn’t always work on eggs and pupae. That’s the baby brand that Amazon has. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees through links to Amazon.com. The alcohol will kill any eggs and bugs that are in the soil while leaving your roots unharmed. Without their covering, the insects soon die from fluid loss. Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol to 7 parts water and spray it on plants affected by aphids, mealybugs, thrips, whiteflies, etc. Added Oomf / Additional Bug-Killing Power The first rule of successfully ridding plants of mealy bugs is to catch them early. Repeat as necessary. *I don’t but I have used straight ethanol rubbing alcohol (70%) for spidermites and mealybugs (in addition to this above recipe). Mix Dawn soap and alcohol in a spray bottle and spray down the plant and the top of the soil. The alcohol will melt the protective wax that covers certain insects and dry the soft body parts of others, leading to their demise. As an alternative to neem oil for mealybugs, a pre-mixed horticultural oil or hot pepper wax spray, and they also work very well when used directly on mealybugs. Isopropyl alcohol is very effective in getting rid of mealybugs. This method is effective, but extremely time-consuming. Mealybugs don’t crawl very often, and it’s rare to see them moving. But if you’re sure it’s not mealybugs, then it could be thrips or aphids (click the links to read about and see pictures of those). Download your copy today! Bugs die immediately as soon as they come in contact with alcohol. The white winged bugs flying around are most likely whiteflies. The most common causes are…. I have these on a small tree in my yard and first hosed of the tree because it was just so gross! 4:31. Here are a few mealybug treatments that work: – Rubbing Alcohol. This treatment needs to … I have found Ajax dishwashing liquid with vinegar and lime really useful. Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol with 7 parts water and spray it on plants affected by aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, thrips, whiteflies, etc. When mealybugs steal too much sap from your houseplant, your plant can die. For any stray mealy bugs you come across, squish 'em or dab with a paintbrush dipped in alcohol (vodka strength and above works well). As you treat a houseplant, make sure to inspect underneath all of the leaves, around the leaf joints, in folds and at the base of the plant for mealybugs. Others are always hiding in places where you can’t see them and soon the infestation is back again, as bad as ever. There is no problem with using it outdoors, but always ventilate the room when you use it indoors. For a mealybug infestation outdoors, and of that size, your best bet is to recruit the help of beneficial bugs like ladybugs or lacewings to control them. Mealybugs are scale insects that suck the sap out of the leaves and stems of plants, resulting in stunted or deformed leaf growth, yellowing of the leaves, and leaf drop. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I have the white powdery looking stuff on the stems mostly, but there are white winged insects flying around the area. The shape of the pot and the tightness of the plants to one another would make it difficult for me to rinse easily and get the bugs off in a tub or sink. How to I keep it from returning? Works great! The thing about using neem oil is that it takes some time to work. Booo! Yes, directly touching the insect with alcohol will kill it, but you’ll only be reaching the most visible pests. Mealybugs can live in the soil of a houseplant, so if a plant is plagued by recurring infestations, you could try removing the top inch of dirt from the pot and replacing it with. Do they live through the winter? How can I attack such a huge problem? Mealybugs can also appear brown or cream colored, and waxy in immature stages. Do note that diluted alcohol won’t harm plants … but don’t use rubbing alcohol full strength, as it sometimes can. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. 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