Mealy bugs is likely to be returned to your new cotton crop, if this field was infested by the mealy bugs last years. Thus, to minimize the attack of mealy bugs in this year, follow some of the agricultural practices before sowing of cotton.  Weeds like Indian abutilon, Parthenium, Cocklebur etc. are generally grown on field boundaries of the cotton field where mealy bugs are survive in off season.  Therefore, such weed plants should be completely destroyed before the sowing.  Do not carry these infested weed plants after uprooting from one place to another.  Do not throw these uprooted weed plants in running canal water.  Burn them on the same places.  If ant colonies are seen at the time of soil preparation, destroy them. These ants help in spreading the mealy bugs from one place to another.  In mealy bug potential area, apply quinalphos 1.5% dust @ 20-25 kg on soil and then cultivate or give chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2-4 lit per hectare through irrigation given for soil preparation  Prepare one meter wide strip of quinalphos 1.5% dust around the field boundaries so that mealy bugs coming from the fencing may destroy before the entry in our field.  Find out the ant’s colonies in the field and drench the solution of chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 20 ml per 10 lit of water. Repeat the same after some days, if required.  After using of farm-tools like plows, cultivator, harrows in infested fields, clean them properly with the help of jet of water or with any insecticidal solution and then allow them in healthy fields. Source: Agostar Agronomy Center of Excellence Farmer friends, if you find the information in the video useful, then don’t forget to Like and Share it with your friends.