Found a clump of white bugs on the tip of a lemon tree...any idea what they are?

The are mealybugs.

This worked for me, just make sure you check all your other plants carefully for any signs of them spreading.
https://garden.org/ideas/view/...

I agree, they are mealybugs which can be a common pest of Citrus. I found this short article about mealybugs listed under Pest Control in our Learning Library section which can be accessed via the tab is at the top of the page: https://garden.org/learn/artic...

And you have very clean fingernails. Great close-up focus.

Thank you all so much! I think they invaded the soil! Now the tree is losing its leaves!

Did you get rid of the mealybugs? What was your treatment? I doubt they are in the soil.

DaisyI said:Did you get rid of the mealybugs? What was your treatment? I doubt they are in the soil.

I think so! I used a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap and added a small amount to water and sprayed it on the leaves for a few days.

However, a couple of weeks after that is when the leaves started falling off. So I inspected the soil. I saw a whole bunch of tiny white bugs crawling in the soil so I did an emergency evacuation and transplanted her with new soil...just not sure on what to do next

You probably burnt the leaves right off your tree with your home brew, especially if you used it multiple times and in the sun. Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent (remember peroxide blonds) and dish soap usually contains a degreaser so takes the waxy coating off the leaf surface. Both bad ideas for bug killing as the plant usually dies too.

The white crawlies in the soil are not mealybugs as mealies don't move fast enough for you to notice they did. They may have been fungus gnats or the nymph of some other insect.

The repotting added another layer of stress to any already stressed plant. Take good care of it and it will hopefully recover. New leaves in spring.

Daisy gave you good advice. I think you should toss it and maybe buy another one.

DaisyI said:You probably burnt the leaves right off your tree with your home brew, especially if you used it multiple times and in the sun. Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent (remember peroxide blonds) and dish soap usually contains a degreaser so takes the waxy coating off the leaf surface. Both bad ideas for bug killing as the plant usually dies too.

The white crawlies in the soil are not mealybugs as mealies don't move fast enough for you to notice they did. They may have been fungus gnats or the nymph of some other insect.

The repotting added another layer of stress to any already stressed plant. Take good care of it and it will hopefully recover. New leaves in spring.

Omggg I meant dish soap and vegetable oil!! Not hydrogen peroxide 😵 I added 1/2 tablespoon
of that mixture to a cup of water or something like that. But yikes I should've asked before I did anything. I sprouted this tree from a seed too!! It's been over a year 😔 should I even give it water with plant food?? Or just regular water...

Don't toss it yet. As long as there is green, there is hope. Just plain water - fertilizer is not medicine and will cause even more stress.

For future reference, if you want to make your own Insecticidal Soap, use soap, not detergent and nothing with an added degreaser. Leave the oil out. Mix one tablespoon of SOAP (I use Castile soap) per quart of water. After you spray, rinse. I'm SO glad you didn't add peroxide.

So the lemon tree is growing new leaves...but they are still falling off...I backed off on the watering...I am wondering if it is due to nutrient deficiency?

Maybe give it some fertilizer, all my lemon trees were lackluster last year, they struggled to survive. So last fall I gave them fertilizer, they are now come back full of young leaves and flower buds.

The rule is, never fertilize a dying plant.

Now that your plant is recovering and growing new leaves, it is safe to fertilize.