Plagues are the greatest enemies of cannabis growers. An infestation can ruin months of hard work, therefore, it’s very important to know how to identify these pathogens, prevent them and/or neutralize them. In this case we are going to learn how to get rid of mealybugs, one of the easiest plagues to detect, but at the same time, one of the most dangerous for cannabis plants.
How to identify mealybugs
Mealybugs are relatively big insects (in comparison to other plagues). They are white or gray, oval and their body features a cottony layer. This species sucks plants’ sap, therefore, it usually infest the parts of the plants that are richer in this substance: the stem and the back of the leaves.
Mealybugs have a low colonization capacity, therefore, they take their time in occupying the entire plant. They are also quite easy to detect and are visible at plain sight. This insect is way more common in outdoor crops than indoors, where it is very rarely seen.

Another reason for this insect to infest out plants is if they aren’t fed properly or if they suffer stress. This insect feels a special predilection for young stems and it’s likely to attack weak cuttings that have a nutritional deficiency or haven’t been planted properly.
How does this pathogen affect plants?
Mealybugs can infest a marijuana crop during the growth or the flowering stage. Colonized plants during the early stages will see their development affected, the leaves will wither and they won’t grow properly. On the other hand, if the insect shows up during the flowering period, the buds will lose their flavor, aroma and quality, causing serious damage to the crop and decreasing the yield.
On top of everything, mealybugs, like other insects, such as aphids, segregate molasses that attract other bugs, like ants, flies or fungi, specially sooty mold, so if the grower doesn’t react on time, it’s quite probable that plagues will multiply, making it impossible to get the crop back to a healthy stage.
The best insecticides to get rid of mealybugs
Multiprotection Boom, by Boom Nutrients
Multiprotection Boom, by Boom Nutrients, is a nitrogen and amino-acid based product that improves plants’ defenses by increasing their resistance while preventing and getting rid of any possible harmful organisms.
Dose:
- Preventive: dilute 2 ml/L and spray every 10 days
- Infestation: Dilute 3 ml/L. Spray three times in the following order; spray twice with an interval of two days between each spraying, and then wait 7 days after the second dose in order to spray again
- Indoors spray with the lights off
- Outdoors spray before sunset or first thing in the morning
- Use water with 6-7 pH
Composition:
- Total nitrogen: 0.7%
- Free amino-acids: 6%
Soap Boom, by Boom Nutrients
Soap Boom, by Boom Nutrients, is an excellent phosphoric soap that improves plants’ defenses and keeps insects, such as mealybugs, at bay.
Composition::
- Total nitrogen: 9.7%
- Ureic nitrogen: 8.6%
- Ammoniacal urea: 1.1%
- Phosphorus pentoxide soluble in water: 8.3%
Available in the following formats:
- 30 ml
- 250 ml
The marijuana cultivation market has evolved a lot over the past few years and there are lots of specific insecticides capable of preventing plagues and general guidelines recommend using them to stop plagues from ruining the crops. However, if the grower hasn’t used a preventive product and the crop is already infested; there are other products that can actually get rid of insects like mealybugs.