White waxy cotton like patches on my cotton stems and leaves, mealybug?

White cottony waxy clusters on stems, joints and growing tips with distorted plants and ants tending them is mealybug, often starting at field edges from weeds and field bunds. The wax coat protects them, so simple sprays wash off. First remove and destroy heavily infested plants and weed hosts like Parthenium on bunds, since these carry the pest. Control ants, because they move mealybug around and protect them from natural enemies. Spot spray the patches with a recommended insecticide mixed with a wetting agent so it penetrates the wax, and repeat as the label allows rather than one heavy dose. Avoid moving workers and equipment from infested to clean fields. The natural enemy beetle Cryptolaemus is very effective where available. Confirm pest and spray with your KVK or Junagadh Agricultural University.