How to Get Rid of Mealy Bugs (aka Woolly Aphids) on your Plants

Once mealy bugs invade a plant or garden, it's important to start treating the affected plants and get rid of the mealy bugs as soon as possible. Left untreated, a colony of mealy bugs can destroy a plant or garden. The techniques used to get rid of the mealy bugs range from various poisons to several eco-friendly home remedies. Which ever you choose, be vigilant until you're sure every woolly aphid has been killed.

Dimethoate can be combined with water, according to the directions on the package. Dimethoate can be purchased at most garden centers. Due to the waxy outer covering that mealy bugs have, it will take several treatments to get rid of the problem and kill all of them.

For mealy bugs that have infested root systems, you can mix the dimethoate with water and drench the soil several times over the course of a few weeks, until the problem is gone. If your plant is in a pot, put the potted plant in to a bucket large enough to contain the pot and then fill the bucket with a mixture of water and dimethoate. Leave soaking for at least an hour.

Though time consuming, you can use a small paint brush (such as those that come with children's water color sets) and apply an insecticide that contains Malathion to each individual mealy bug to kill them. This will allow you to get rid of the problem, without burning or otherwise damaging your plants. This is especially helpful when you have mealy bugs on your cactus or other succulent plants.

Use a mixture of warm water and dish soap and warm water. Mix approximately 1 tablespoon of soap per one pint of water. Use a spray bottle to apply the mixture while the water is still warm. The soap will help penetrate the waxy coating and will kill the mealy bugs. Some mealy bugs may be underground when you treat and kill the first batch of bugs, so it's important to retreat about one week after the first treatment.

Use jalapeno juice, Tabasco sauce, or a mixture of hot water and cayenne pepper. Parasites that infest plants in your garden can often be eradicated with simple pepper juices from your home. Woolly aphids can often be killed with garlic as well, so if you have any garlic extract in your home, put it in a spray bottle to use on the mealy bugs.

Rubbing alcohol and soap. Mix straight rubbing alcohol (no water), and 1/2 a teaspoon of dish soap. The dish soap, again, works to break down the waxy coating, and the rubbing alcohol will dehydrate the mealy bugs, killing them.

Other soaps, diluted 1 tablespoon to 1 pint water. Besides dish soap, you could mix water with the Murphy's Oil Soap or Dr. Bronner's organic peppermint soap. Not only will this kill mealy bugs, but it will keep other pests away, because parasitic insects don't like the strong scent of peppermint.