Can neem oil be your solution to a mealybug problem? Does Neem Oil Kill Mealybugs?
The white sticky stuff on your plant leaves and stems can be a telltale sign of a pesky mealybug infestation problem.
Don’t panic; Neem oil for mealybugs is a natural solution to keep these pests at bay in your greenhouse, home, or garden.
In this article, we’ll we’ll cover every aspect of mealybugs and neem oil, including mealybug treatment neem oil.
Understanding the Mealybug Invasion
A sign of mealybug infestation is:
- Stunted growth
- Yellowing and wilting leaves
- Distorted stems and new growth
Mealybug pests are tricky to spot as the nymphs are tiny and hard to see. The females hide their eggs in the sticky substance they produce. In turn, the eggs can hatch into nymphs, bringing forth several generations of these pests.
Female mealybugs typically gather on the undersides of leaves. In contrast, male mealybugs have wings and often fly around. [ncsu.edu]
A plant infestation usually “appears” when the plant is already infected. An infestation requires immediate attention.
Mealybugs damage plants by sucking on the plant sap. They leave sticky honeydew that can create sooty mold. Ants love honeydew!
But worry not. But, using natural neem oil for mealybugs is a fantastic remedy. You will find plenty of mealybug remedies out there. These remedies often contain chemicals harmful to beneficial insects and your family’s health.
But worry not, as there are natural ways to control mealybugs, and neem oil for mealybugs is a fantastic remedy.
There are plenty of mealybug remedies out there. They often involve chemicals harmful to beneficial insects or create health risks for your family.
Neem oil is a natural remedy popular among indoor and outdoor plant enthusiasts to control plant pests. The question is, can neem oil kill mealybugs?
Using Neem Oil For Mealy Bugs Control: How Does It Work?
Before discussing using neem oil on mealybugs, let’s look at how Neem oil works on these pests.
Baby mealybugs, called nymphs, take about 7 to 10 weeks to grow into adults. This short growth cycle means their population increases rapidly.
Neem Oil is our FAVORITE natural organic insecticide. Control aphids, mealybugs, plant scale, Japanese Beetles and more. It can also be used as a soil drench.
Neem Oil and Mealybugs
Will neem oil kill mealybugs?
Neem oil is made primarily from the seeds of Indian lilac (Azadirachta indica). The seeds contain Azadirachtin, a natural insecticide. Azadirachtin can affect insects at various stages in their development.
- Azadirachtin disrupts an insect’s feeding habits. The disruption prevents larvae (nymphs) from reaching the next growth stage.
- Neem oil clogs the airways of soft-bodied mealy bugs, causing adults to suffocate.
Disrupting the feeding habits and clogging the airways makes Neem a great mealybug destroyer.
Applying Neem oil insecticides directly on mealybugs can help eliminate them, especially younger nymphs with less wax accumulation. [ucanr.edu]
When properly applied, Neem oil helps control a mealybug infestation with minimal risk to humans, pets, or beneficial garden species. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is a beneficial insect known as the mealybug destroyer.
Two key ways to apply neem to an infected plant:
Always read and follow the labeled instructions when using a manufactured neem oil mealybugs product.
Related:
Choosing a Neem Product For Control Of Mealybugs
There are many mealybug neem oil products on the market. All work well on controlling mealy bug pests. But, many contain extra chemicals that can prove harmful. The best choices are using:
- Cold-pressed raw or crude neem oil
- Clarified hydrophobic neem oil when buying a pre-mixed spray.
Clarified hydrophobic neem oil is a neem variation where the Azadirachtin is removed. But the mealybugs neem oil is still effective against many pests, including mealies, beetles, fungus gnats, and whiteflies.
Neem oil is sensitive to heat, so cold-pressed is generally more effective.
Three commercial brands that are considered safe for garden use are:
- Dyna-Gro Pure Cold-Pressed Neem Oil
- Garden Safe Neem Oil Extract
- Safer Brand BioNEEM
Applying Neem Oil Spray For Mealybugs
Use a Neem soil soak on edible plants or houseplants where you don’t want a toxic residue.
Due to its rapid degradation, always apply foliar neem oil insecticide sprays to outdoor plants around dusk or dawn.
The rapid degradation reduces the risk of pollinators, natural predators, bees (read neem oil and bees), and beneficial insects like ladybugs or lacewing visiting the plant during the day or night.
Homemade Neem Spray Recipe
To make a Neem foliar spray at home:
- Put a few drops of Dawn dish soap in one quart of water.
- Allow the water and oil to mix
- Add one teaspoon of neem per quart of water
- Use a spray bottle or sprayer to apply as a foliar oil spray
- Coat the entire plant, making sure to get all crevasses and the undersides of every leaf.
Remember to use liquid soap so it’s mild.
How Often To Spray Neem Oil For Mealybugs
The neem oil will dissipate after 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reapply every other day for 14 days or as directed on the label.
Applying Neem Soil Soaks
A neem oil soil soak is perfect for:
- Large, difficult-to-spray outdoor plants
- Edible plants that are not nearing harvest
The main difference between a spray and a soak is that the soak is poured directly on the soil and absorbed by the plant.
As a result, the oil becomes a systemic pesticide. Any insects like aphids piercing the plant tissue ingest the neem directly without harming pollinators or beneficial insects that land on the plant.
Soil drenching lasts up to 22 days before requiring another application. This makes it a poor choice for vegetables, other food plants, and edible flowers, even though neem oil isn’t toxic to humans.
How To Use Neem Oil For Mealybugs As A Preventative Insecticidal Soap
Catch infestations or bacterial and fungal infections before they become a problem.
Apply a fresh application of neem oil every 14 days to your indoor plants or outdoor ornamental plants, especially if introducing a new plant.
Reapplying soil soaks to large outdoor plants will also aid in protecting plants from a potential infestation.
Finally, you can use neem cakes, a byproduct of creating neem oil, to add to your compost or plant food.
The cakes provide nutrient-rich organic material. These cakes retain trace amounts of Azadirachtin, which plants absorb as a systemic insecticide.
Moreover, if you want another effective way to eliminate mealybugs aside from neem oil, you can simply wipe the plant leaves and other parts with rubbing alcohol using a cotton swab.
Ants Mealybugs And Their Symbiotic Relationship
Ants and mealybugs have a symbiotic relationship. They help each other out. The ants keep away bugs that could eat the mealybugs. In return, the ants eat a sweet liquid (honeydew) that the mealybugs make. This relationship can often lead to an increase in mealybug populations, which damage plants.
Life Cycles of Mealybugs
Knowing the life cycle of mealybugs is important for effective pest control. Their life has three main stages: egg, nymph (young mealybugs), and adult. The adults lay eggs under leaves, and the nymphs come out of the eggs. These nymphs mature into breeding adults.
When gardeners know the life cycle, they can choose the best control measures to fight the bugs. Neem Oil on mealybugs is an excellent natural pest control option.