Wełnowcecan be a real nightmare for orchid and succulent owners. The heating season is the time when these troublesome pests are particularly numerous and they quickly move from one plant to another.The body of the mealybug is covered with a pale, wool-like dischargeThis woolly coating makes the chemicalcombating mealybugswith spraying ineffective. How to deal with them then? Here are the3 proven homemade mealybug remedies !
Home remedies for mealybugs
1. Washing plants with soap and alcohol
An effective way to get rid of mealybugs is to wash the leaves and stems with a cotton swab soaked in an aqueous solution of gray soap or alcoholPreparation for washing plants by mixing with 1 liter of water about 20g of gray soap or 100 ml of denatured alcohol or spirit. We can add a few drops of washing-up liquid to the alcohol solution to make it easier to remove the wax coating on the body of insects.
Thishomemade mealybug remedyis effective but time-consuming. For the treatment to be effective, you must thoroughly wash each leaf of the plant on both sides. After each single stroke with a cotton swab, replace it with a new one so that pests do not move to other places.
Mealybugs often hide in hard-to-reach places , such as forks in a stem or twigs and in leaf axils. It can be difficult to precisely reach such areas with a swab.Cotton buds will be helpful in such a situation Soak the cotton at the end of the stick with alcohol diluted in water (in a ratio of 1: 2), and then rub it on hard-to-reach places on the plant. As in the case of cotton swabs, always replace the stick with a fresh one.
In order for thismealybug control to be effective , we must repeat it every 3-4 days for a period of several weeks, until the symptoms of mealybug no longer appear.
Mealybugs on the leaves of the plant
Fig. 19754, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
2. Rinsing plants in the shower
While in the case of plants with large leaves, washing with a cotton swab is quite simple, in the case of, for example, cacti, such a procedure is practically impossible. In this case,home treatment for mealybugs is to rinse the plants with a strong stream of warm water from the shower.The plant should be rinsed thoroughly on each side to wash off all pests.
The mealybugs, which feed in the roots and on the root neck of plants, are a big problemThey most often attack succulents grown in gravel ground. If we notice their presence,take the plant out of the pot and rinse its roots with running waterThen plant the plant in a new substrate and a clean pot.
A good way to get rid of the mealybugs from succulentsis to dip them together with the roots for 30-45 minutes in 55 ° C water. To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, we can add dishwashing liquid to the water (we give 2-3 tablespoons of liquid for 10 liters of water). Rinse the plant thoroughly after bathing in water with washing-up liquid.
3. Lubricating leaves with paraffin oil
Anotherhomemade mealybug remedy is to lubricate the leaves and stems with paraffin oil .
Paraffin oil is readily available in pharmacies. We just have to ask the pharmacist for liquid paraffin (Paraffinum liquidum).To prepare an effectivepreparation on mealybugs based on paraffin oil , mix paraffin with water (in a 1: 1 ratio), adding a few drops of washing-up liquid. All the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together until a homogeneous mixture is formed. Then, with the help of a soft brush, apply the preparation to the bodies of mealybugs, woolly flocs and all the hollows in the stem and leaves of the plant.The oil prevents the access of air to the body of mealybugs and their eggs, which causes the pests to die.After a few days, thoroughly rinse the plant with warm water under the shower. We repeat the treatment every time we notice pests on plants.
We will achieve a similar effectby sprayingmealybugs, available in garden stores, with the Emulpar Spray oil preparation. It is a ready-to-use spray based on natural ingredients. Convenient and safe for use in the apartment.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
