Mealy bugs can be controlled by 1) eliminating the ants that often "farm" them in the garden and 2) using a sharp blast of water using a Bug Blast hose end nozzle and blasting plants with water on a regular basis to interrupt the pests' reproductive cycle.

All the insecticides recommended are general insecticides that kill off the beneficials along with the pests. The goal is to have a balance between predators and prey, but if you eliminate the predators, the prey populations can explode and make your problem worse

With insecticides, less is more.

Aren't we all past the point of using these kinds of pesticides?

Nan