Help! My Pepper Plant is Infested with Mealybugs – What Can I Do?

Have you tried searching for solutions in your local language? That often brings up more useful results. You might find a simple dish soap works—mix it with water in a spray bottle and give the whole plant a thorough spray. Also, you could create a 1% solution of alcohol and spray that on too. It's usually easy to get those ingredients.

You can whip up a homemade insecticidal soap using Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap, a dash of rubbing alcohol, and water. Just pump or spray it onto your plant, rub it into the leaves (make sure to get both sides), and let it sit for a bit. You can also use the mix in a regular spray bottle as a preventive measure later on.

You could look into Azamax, which has azadirachtin as its active ingredient. It's similar to neem oil but much stronger. While it's effective, you might still need to use alcohol to deal with the mealybugs directly, since Azamax doesn’t always break through their protective layers well. I usually apply it to the leaves and do a soil drench too. Just remember to do it three times, spaced a week apart, for the best results.

Since it’s just one plant, if you’re up for it, you could try using an old toothbrush to gently scrub off the mealybugs. It may take some time and repeated efforts, but it might just save your plant if you’re patient with it! Now, if your pepper plant is really big, you might want to consider a different approach.