Many gardeners are misidentifying the white insects on plant stems. In most cases it is planthoppers rather than mealybugs. The insect problems are interesting and diverse this season. The planthoppers are not destructive and jump away when touched. A water blast is all that’s needed for the planthoppers.

Mealybugs stay put. For mealybugs, I would probably try the EcoSMART insect control product. The line is in quite a few of the retail stores now. Another option is to spray the Mound Drench mixture. It has worked for me in the past. Mix equal parts orange oil, compost tea and liquid molasses. Use 4 oz per gallon of water for the spray formula. It can also be made by adding 2 oz of orange oil to the Garrett Juice formula. This method gives the plants foliar feeding as well as insect control.





Notice the adults on the stem in this shot.