Mr. Thanh shared that mealybugs are pests that damage all parts of the durian tree in symbiosis with ants. During the dry season, ants will bring mealybugs to the ground to hide and suck, causing damage to the tree's roots. When it rains, ants bring mealybugs and mealybug larvae to the tree's trunk.

The time when mealybugs multiply rapidly is when durian begins to bloom and produce young fruit, lasting until harvest. If gardeners are not observant and do not control effectively, in just a short time, mealybugs will multiply rapidly, covering young fruit, leaves and tree tops in white.

Not only sucking nutrients causing leaf curling and fruit drop, mealybugs also create a favorable environment for sooty mold to develop, reducing the quality, yield and aesthetics of durian. This is also one of the pests that affect fruit products when officially exported.

Having cultivated durian using ecological and safe methods for many years, Mr. Thanh has always been concerned about finding effective ways to prevent mealybugs without using pesticides. Through observing the symbiotic habits of mealybugs and the movement of ants, Mr. Thanh thought of creating a protective barrier right on the tree trunk.

Accordingly, he used medical tape soaked in mosquito net impregnation and wrapped it around the tree trunk a few times, about 30-80 cm above the ground. After wrapping medical tape around all the plants in the garden, Mr. Thanh also controlled the canopy, preventing ants from moving from plants outside the garden or other intermediate paths.

Every 3 months, he uses a small spray bottle to add diluted mosquito net impregnation according to the manufacturer's ratio to the elastic bandage positions.

This method has been effectively applied by Mr. Thanh on his family's durian garden for the past 3 years, with the cost of preventing mealybugs for a durian tree being only about 4,000 - 5,000 VND/year.

After each harvest, he removes all the elastic bands, washes the moss and reuses them for the next crop. In addition to the effectiveness in preventing mealybugs, since implementing the solution of wrapping medical elastic bands and controlling the canopy, Mr. Thanh has also noticed a significant decrease in the amount of fruit that has been gnawed by squirrels and mice.

According to Mr. Thanh, this is a cheap, easy-to-implement and environmentally friendly solution that gardeners can refer to to protect their production results. In addition to applying it to durian trees, this solution can also be applied to other fruit trees and perennial plants to proactively prevent mealybugs from causing damage, especially in the current increasingly erratic weather and climate conditions.