| My 8' jatropha is infested with mealy bugs. I plan to cut back the entire tree as I know it will have leaves again in 3 wks. After raking up all the leaves in the bed, should I spray with insecticide? Thanks. Boca Raton, FL |
| I think you'll get adequate control of the mealybugs if you simply prune the plant back. Mealybug babies will have already moved onto their own part of the plant, and they attach themselves securely so they won't be dropping off or falling off onto the soil. You might want to use a systemic soil drench, though, to keep your jatropha a little safer from from another infestation. Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control, applied according to label directions, should help. |
