Instructions for preventing mealybugs in pepper

Mealybugs attack both the roots and the aboveground part of pepper, both sucking sap and creating black mold. Instructions for identifying two types of aphids, biological measures and rotating drugs for orchards in the Central Highlands and Southeast.

Summary: Mealybugs are common pests on pepper but are often overlooked because they do not cause rapid plant death. In fact, mealybugs suck sap, weakening the plant, and secreting honeydew creates conditions for sooty mold (black mold) to cover the leaves. Severely affected orchards reduce productivity by 15-30%. This article guides the room according to the form of bedbugs + companion ants.

Applies to: Pepper orchards in the Central Highlands (Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Dak Nong) and the Southeast (Ba Ria — Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc).

Duration: Monitor all year round. High pressure in March-May (end of dry season + beginning of rainy season).

Difficulty level: Medium.

Estimated additional costs: 2-3 million VND per hectare per year for periodic rooms.

Two types of mealybugs on pepper

Root mealybug (root mealybug)

Features:

• Lives underground around the root collar and main roots.
• There is a layer of white wax covering the body — protects against drugs.
• Absorbs sap from the roots — plants weaken, leaves turn yellow, productivity decreases.
• Difficult to detect early — must dig to check the root collar.

This is a more dangerous form because it is difficult to detect and difficult to destroy.

Mealybugs on branches and leaves

Features:

• Lives on branches, leaves, fruit chains on climbing stems.
• The white wax layer is easily visible to the naked eye.
• Honey secretion — sooty mold (black mold) covers the top = leaves turn black.
• Sucking in sap causes stunted fruit chains and flat seeds.

The role of companion ants

A special point — mealybugs have "ally" ants:

• Ants eat the sweet nectar secreted by aphids.
• Ants carry young aphids to other plants — spreading the epidemic.
• Ants repel natural enemies of aphids (ladybugs, parasitic wasps).

Therefore, controlling mealybugs must also control ants. Spray for aphids without managing ants — ants bring young aphids back into the orchard within a few weeks.

Early detection

On the branches and leaves

• Look for small layers of white wax on leaf stalks, branch nodes, and young fruit chains.
• Observe the leaves with sweet nectar spots — slimy to the touch.
• Leaves are "black" due to sooty mold — this is a sign that aphids have been present for a long time.

On the root collar

• Every 3-6 months, lightly dig around the root collar of 5-10 pillars in the orchard.
• Look for a layer of white wax around the root collar + main root 10-20 centimeters deep.
• If you see 1-2 plants with root aphids → prevent the whole orchard immediately.

Count to decide

Count on 30 random branches at 5-10 posts:

Biological measures — priority

Protect natural enemies

Natural enemies of mealybugs:

• Ladybug (small and large): eats young aphids. One insect eats 30-50 bedbugs per day.
• Mealybug ladybug *(Cryptolaemus montrouzieri)*: specializes in eating mealybugs, can be raised freely.
• Parasite wasp: lays eggs in mealybugs, larvae eat aphids from the inside.

How to protect:

• Restrict widespread spraying. Prioritize selective drugs that are less harmful to natural enemies.
• Plant orchard plants with small flowers — echinacea, basil — as shelter for natural enemies.

Ant control

• Whiten the base of the pillar to a height of 80-100 centimeters — ants cannot climb over the lime.
• Place ant-proof ring around the post — a rope soaked in lubricant or specialized glue.
• Destroy ant nests in the orchard — find and treat nests on orchard edges and supporting tree stumps.

orchard cleaning

• Cut diseased branches and branches that touch the ground → separate the spread of ants and aphids.
• Clear the dense grass around the base of the pillar.
• Gently peel off the wax layer by hand if you find a small bedbug nest.

Spray when needed

Effective active ingredients

Aphids on branches and leaves:

• Pyriproxyfen (insect growth regulator): inhibits molting, highly effective against young bedbugs. Less harm to natural enemies.
• Buprofezin: similar to pyriproxyfen, specialized for mealybugs.
• Spirotetramat: penetrates the plant through the leaves, moves in the sap — kills aphids in hard-to-reach locations.
• Imidacloprid (neonicotinoid): effective quickly but easy to resist if used too much.

Original bug:

• Imidacloprid root irrigation: penetrates roots, kills underground aphids. Most effective against root aphids.
• Chlorpyrifos root irrigation: choice when aphids are resistant to imidacloprid.
• Combination Imidacloprid + Buprofezin for root irrigation + foliar spray.

Root spraying and watering techniques

Foliar spraying:

• Spray in the cool afternoon.
• Spray evenly on both sides of leaves + stems + fruit chains.
• Repeat after 10-14 days, change active ingredients.

Watering the roots (for underground aphids):

• Mix the treatment with water according to the label.
• Irrigate around the base at a radius of 50-80 centimeters, 10-15 centimeters deep.
• 3-5 liters of solution per cylinder.
• Repeat after 14-21 days if live bedbugs are detected.

Seasonal Management

The end of the dry season (March-April)

• Check for aphids — lightly dig 5-10 posts.
• Whitewash the original.
• Destroy ant nests if there are any.

The beginning of the rainy season (May-June)

• Young bed bugs thrive. Watch carefully.
• Spray if the orchard has a history of mealybugs.

Rainy season (June-September)

• Monitor every 2-3 weeks.
• Spray locally when detecting bed bugs.

Late rainy season (October-November)

• Clean the orchard — cut diseased branches.
• Broad-spectrum spraying if the crop has an epidemic.

Treating severely damaged trees

The tree has aphids at the base + branches and leaves at the same time:

Step 1: quarantine. Mark trees with colored strings, restrict passing.

Step 2: water the roots with high dose *Imidacloprid* from the label.

Step 3: 5-7 days later, spray leaves with high dose *Spirotetramat* or *Buprofezin*.

Step 4: 14 days later, check. If there are still aphids, repeat with another active ingredient.

Step 5: organic fertilizer + Trichoderma for plant recovery.

Follow

• [ ] Count the percentage of branches with aphids every 14 days during the peak season.
• [ ] Check for aphids every 3-6 months.
• [ ] Watch for sooty mold — a sign of long-standing aphids.
• [ ] Number of natural enemies in the orchard — ladybugs, parasitic wasps.
• [ ] Is the anti-ant ring still effective?

Common mistakes

Only spray leaves, ignore root aphids: root aphids exist, but a few months later flare up again.

Skip ant control: ants bring young aphids back into the orchard.

Spraying the same active ingredient multiple times: aphids are resistant. Rotate 3-4 active ingredients.

Spray in strong sunlight: evaporates, low efficiency.

Use broad-spectrum crop-protection products to spray the entire orchard: kill natural enemies, making epidemics difficult to control in the long term.

Take notes

• Discovery — date, extent, location.
• Medications used — active ingredient, dose, date.
• Effective after 14-21 days.
• Number of natural enemies observed.

References

• *Prevention of mealybugs on pepper* — Plant Protection Department, 2022.
• *Handbook for pepper pest management* — Vietnam Pepper Association (abbreviated name VPA), 2023.

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