Mealy bugs?

Question

is the any way to permanently get rid of mealy bugs on my cacti? there are a lot of them :( and why they are there?

Answer 1

Mealy bugs are very common in cacti.

They are a type of soft scale and cannot be eliminated permanently. Soapy water or horticultural oil will work, but you can buy products at WalMart or Home Depot that are more effective in controlling scale insects. Try Sevin or Merit, if available as these products are more effective.

Keep an eye out as mealy bugs are persistent, you may need to re-apply after 2 weeks to gain control.

Answer 2

I don't know why they are there, but here is a simple way of getting rid of them if the catus isn't too big.  Fill a bowl with tap water with dish liquid in it.  Wrap newspaper or paper towels around the soil on the catus and invert it and gently swish it through the soap water.  If it is not too bad you can use a Qtip with soapy water to gently wipe them away.