It’s not your fault that mealybugs love the warmth and humidity of the indoors, and there’s nothing worse than a downright difficult mealybug infestation on your favorite houseplants. Save your ornamentals, citrus trees, and tropical plants; it’s time to learn how to get rid of mealybugs with neem oil.
Mealybugs come from the family Pseudococcidae. They’re closely related to scale insect varieties and derive their nourishment from the juice of tender plant leaves. The unflattering nickname comes from the white, sticky powder mealybugs secrete. It looks a bit like cornmeal and makes them easy to identify as the culprits behind compromised indoor plants.
Thankfully, you don’t need to resort to harsh pesticides. Neem oil is a pressed vegetable oil made from the seeds and fruit of the Azadirachta indica or neem tree.
Learn about Mealybug Control with Neem Oil
Freshly extracted neem oil contains a naturally occurring active insecticide called azadirachtin, which works on spider mites, fungus gnats, aphids, mealybugs, and more, without damaging beneficial insects like bees or butterflies.
Learn how to use neem oil to kill mealybugs and other unwelcome pests. Try neem oil to kill rust fungus and tackle powdery mildew – you may be surprised at the excellent results. Discover how this organic, biodegradable oil can enhance your pest-fighting routine today. Note that killing mealybugs with diatomaceous earth is also an option if you want to use it in conjunction with neem oil.
How to Get Rid of Mealybugs with Neem Oil and Dish Soap
Find out how to get rid of mealybugs or use a mix for aphids with neem oil and dish soap. Pure neem oil is hydrophobic, meaning it resists water, so it needs an emulsifying agent to transform into an effective foliar spray.
Dish soap is an excellent delivery system for neem oil that won’t harm delicate plant tissue, whether you are using neem oil for aphids on roses or have mealybugs on your other plants.
Neem oil spray works by ingestion and needs to soak into the entire plant to be consumed by mealybugs. Spray neem oil on houseplants and your plants outside.
Fill your spray bottle with a gallon of warm water, then add the dish soap. Carefully pour in one to two tablespoons of neem oil, always defer to the manufacturer’s recommendation, then give it a good swish to mix everything thoroughly. For one of the best natural ways to get rid of mealybugs, apply DIY neem oil spray daily for 14 days and measure the results on your affected plant.
Neem Oil to Kill Mealybugs and Other Things
Professionals always recommend using the right tool for the job, and neem oil is like a home garden multi-tool. It can be especially efficient to treat mealybugs on succulents and other indoor plants. Mealybug control with neem oil is common, but did you know neem oil spray is also a super-effective fungicide?
Powdery mildew, sooty mold, leaf spot, and many other common plant ailments can’t stand up to a concentrated application and disappear within about ten days. It works great for lawn fungus if spread across those areas.
Always look for high-quality, cold-pressed neem oil when you are repelling cucumber beetles with neem oil. Cold-pressed neem oil refers to the extraction method used to press the oil, which yields an additional 300 secondary compounds that provide consistent protection against plant pests.
In contrast, solvent-extracted oils from further refinement often produce low-quality neem oil that isn’t as robust and effective.
How to Get Rid of Mealybugs on Outdoor Plants
Although mealybugs are typically found on indoor plants, it’s not uncommon to see them outside in warmer climates. Find female mealybugs with their larvae on the undersides of leaves and along the plant veins, while the male mealybugs have wings and do the flying – no outdoor plant is safe.
Start by hosing down every infected plant you come across. Spray the undersides of the leaves and the stalks, be thorough and ruthless. Does neem oil kill mealybugs? Neem oil does kill mealybugs on contact most of the time but it sometimes takes longer.
Neem oil works against insect infestation by ingestion and dissemination to larvae. It’s not a kill-on-contact method; however, it will repel and prevent mealybugs and takes care of killing fungus gnats with neem oil when used as a daily foliar spray.
We want to include one other interesting way to control pest infestation in your outdoor garden: mealybug destroyers. Mealybug destroyers are raised commercially and shipped to gardeners in need.
Essentially, they’re a type of beneficial beetle that feeds on mealybugs and their eggs. Use mealybug destroyers and neem oil treatment as a double-pronged approach to pest control on outdoor crops.
How to Kill Root Mealybugs with Neem Oil
If mealybugs aren’t bad enough, there’s another variety called root mealybugs; they live underground and feast on the plant’s helpless root system. Fortunately, mealybug control with neem oil is possible even on hidden pests deep in the soil.
The average plant owner may not notice root mealybug infestation signals, though your indoor plant will look sad as the leaves begin to yellow and fall off until it eventually dies.
Only in severe cases are the mealybugs visible in the soil; however, they can sometimes be seen gathered around the base of the plant. If you’re suspicious, take the plant out of the pot and examine the root system for white powder and mealy bugs.
Use neem oil to kill mealybugs by mixing it with water and a teaspoon of dish soap and then pouring it into the soil over the root system every second day until the infection subsides.
If the infected plant doesn’t improve, take it out of the pot, wash the root system in warm water, and then soak it in neem oil insecticidal soap for a few days until signs of the mealybugs vanish.
DIY Insecticidal Soap with Neem Oil
We can’t talk about how to get rid of mealybugs with neem oil and not include a great insecticidal soap recipe. Effective insecticidal soap is always made with fat-based soaps that damage the insect’s membranes – regular dish soap won’t do for this recipe.
Mix water, Castile soap, and neem oil in the spray bottle until everything is emulsified and has a sprayable consistency. Substitute neem oil for horticultural oil if desired when you make this homemade mealybug spray. The important thing is to have a bolstering agent to disrupt the reproductive drive and appetite of the mealybugs.
We hope you enjoyed reading about neem oil, its applications, and how to get rid of mealybugs with neem oil safely and effectively.
Neem oil is biodegradable and doesn’t build up in the environment like other broad-spectrum pesticides, and it boosts mammalian toxicity levels, making it popular in the organic farming sect. Use neem oil to repel mealybugs, destroy infestations, and kill aggressive fungal diseases.
Remember that too much of a good thing usually isn’t good at all. While neem oil isn’t known to harm beneficial insects like bees, use it sparingly to prevent disruption to the natural ecosphere. Responsible pest control has never been easier.
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