Mealybugs (grrrr) on my 2nd tallest aloe

Mealybugs are the most persistent pest in our garden. Like aphids, they're often farmed by ants who feed on the sugary waste the mealybugs produce. And since Davis is built on a giant ant hill, as I like to say, ants and mealybugs are a fact of life.

Typically, mealybugs are the most active—and hence the biggest problem—from late spring to late fall when it's warm and dry. Mealybugs cannot survive freezing temperatures, but since we rarely have hard frosts, I suppose they just hunker down in their cottony cocoons.

It may be December, but the days have been sunny and warm. I'm sure that suits the mealybugs just fine. They don't seem to be inclined to go into hibernation just yet. In fact, to my surprise, I noticed quite an infestation in our second tallest aloe, 'Erik the Red'. 

From a distance, 'Erik the Red' looks great:

But look inside the center of this one rosette:

And behind it: 

I have no clue why mealybugs prefer 'Erik the Red'. We have many different aloes in our garden, and only a few of them are mealybug targets (Aloe vaombe and Aloe excelsa are two others). 

My first line of treatment is a strong spray of water. This is an easy way to get rid of the infestation, but of course only in the spots where the water goes. 

This is the same rosette you saw earlier after cleaning (notice two inflorescences emerging):

While water gets rid of lot of the bugs, it's never completely effective. Plus, 'Erik the Red' is too tall now for me to thoroughly clean all the rosettes. That's why I decided to add a second line of treatment: a systemic insecticide. I don't resort to chemicals casually, but enough is enough. 

Bayer's BioAdvanced 12-Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed is a mouthful, but many people swear by it, so that's what I used. That's what the bucket you see in the photo below is for. I filled it with 2 gallons of water and added the recommended amount of concentrate. The bucket has a few small holes that allow the solution to trickle out. If I had poured it out all at once, some of it would have run off, seeing how the mound is sloped towards the sidewalk.

I'm also going to treat the Aloidendron 'Hercules' in the same bed. It's 10 ft. tall now and there's no way I can look inside the rosette. However, I've seen ants crawling up its trunk, so it's possible there's a mealybug colony among the leaves.

Of course, the best thing to do would be to get rid of the ants, but that's a futile undertaking, considering they're everywhere, not just in our garden.

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