I am so aggravated. I found mealy bugs on one of my favorite AVs (Witch doctor).. They had gotten to the crown, so I stripped all the leaves and cleaned them with alcohol. If they all root, I'll sure have a bunch since there were 25. That plant was so pretty :-( The worst part is that now I have to unload all the AVs and check them. bummer
Does anybody have any other way to deal with these creepy critters?
Sharon
fighting mealy bugs
Oh that's so awful to hear. I think that is almost enough to scare me into stopping growing them. I haven't done much buying or trading but I'm certain that one day I'll be fighting some horrible beast.
I do have to say that I love Witch Doctor and I'll happily take a baby if you need a home for them. As to dealing with them I have had them on other plants but not AVs. It sounds like these are the ones on the leaves right not the ones in the soil and I've used Safer soap on the leaf one on other plants but I don't know if it will control them enough. I found this site that I look at sometimes and it has some interesting methods that I thought I might try if I needed them. http://carolsavs.miniviolet.com/tips.html
Yes, they are just on the leaves. I've seen no evidence of them in the soil, so have just attacked them with alcohol, cotton swabs and toothpicks. I'll check out that web site. Thanks
Just checked out all the info and will try it if I have further problems. Thanks!!!
Sharon, I'm sorry to hear you've got these evil little critters! They are a bear to deal with on non-av plants, particulary when the infestation is heavy. With AVs, though, it is very difficult to eradicate foliar mealies. They hide babies in nooks and crannies you cannot imagine and just when you thought you've beat them, they're back! The egg sacs can stay dormant for a long time too. It's better to toss the plant and buy a new one than risk infecting the others in your collection. If I had that plant, I'd send you a leaf or two in the Spring!
Separate it from the others, mealy bugs can be nasty. Most regular insecticides do not kill mealy bugs. So go to a garden center that knows their chemicals. I had the same thing but it takes 3 applications of insectides about a week apart. Keep doing the alcohol with insectides in between to clean eggs/crevices. Use q-tips with alcohol to keep cleaning it, make sure you get crevices this is where the eggs hide;underside where bugs are. If you see the eggs you can always smush them with your fingers. This is what reinfests them. you have to keep up on it to kill them so be prepared for a month of baby-ing.
At least alcohol is cheap :-) I use q-tips and toothpicks to get the really tight areas. I have some of the plastic toothpicks with brush ends that work great, but this is still time consuming and a pain. Where do these things come from, anyway?
Have you brought in any plants from outside or maybe bought any plants or been given any plants or leaves recently? I think it's likely the eggs that are on new plants and they hatch and then they move and pretty soon they are all over everything. Because it's eggs we can't see them and we think everything is fine which is why it's very important to isolate any new plants and leaves before moving them to be with our other plants. Someone told me of last year that if we garden outside some things can get on our clothing and come inside with us. He told me that wearing red and yellow and orange is a bad thing because it attracts some nasties and then they ride into the house with us.
Hi,
I have never had them (thank God) on Gessies,but I know in some of the old posts a lot of members use Systemics (SP) to prevent them.
I'm not sure how they get started,other than from bringing outdoor plants in and not spraying or using unsterilized things in your mix.Also,if you grow other plants they are really drawn to,it can cause problems.
We posted at the same time Anna LOL.
Things do get on clothing....and even hair and skin.It's never a good idea to go near Gessies for a half hour or so after being outside.Some things die that quickly without their host plant ot leaf....but travelers can hide in a fold of clothing so easily or your shoes!!
After talking with my brother, he said the best thing to do besides the alcohol is to spray first with an insecticidal soap. Then spray with something stronger and then do a systemic. Make sure the systemic kills mealy bugs and remember that it takes 10 to 14 days for a granular systemic to go through the plants , this is why it is last. Houseplant systemic kills alot of the bugs that houseplants get, I know there is a good rose systemic that you can use for containers but some do not kill like spidermites, so check the directions before buying.
Hope you get rid of them they are nasty!
I'll get a systemic today. I thought I still had some of the rose stuff, but can't find it. There were no new plants close to this one, and so far the ones closest don't seem to be affected - go figure.
Hi All ,
I have not posted in a long time because of the lose of some good people here but I miss all of you and posting and reading what everyone is doing and what their plants are doing .
I have pretty much done all the things you have done to be rid of mealys with success most of the time but as has been said you do have to keep after them to be really rid of them and keep the guy with them away from your other precious plants .
I did want to say that if in the Spring you need a leaf or baby of Witch Doctor Sharon , I have several plants as it is one my favorites too :)
Hi Shanika , I am glad to see you posting again , I miss our chats , I hope you are all well and getting through this Winter with health and happiness , I hope Haiti can recover from the pain and misery it's dear souls are having to deal with , it just makes me heartsick :( May God So Bless the souls that have survived this utter pain .
Warm Hugs and Well Wishes To You All ,
Connie
Welcome back Connie ^_^!!
The Haiti situation is so tragic I can hardly bear to read about it. I cannot even imagine how those involved in are feeling.
Lynn
Hi Lynn , Thank you for the welcome back , my thoughts about you and my well wishes for you all never left :)
Connie :)
I'm sure of that Connie!!
OMG, ((((((Connie!!!))))))
It's so good to see you again!!!! I've missed our chats as well:(((((
I've been potting, grooming, e.t.c since 9:00 this morning! I'm still not done yet! I started with AVs and now I have a few Streps that need to be potted up. They are getting dry too fast!
Gonna go finish that stuff and be back here later.
Hope everyone is having a good Sunday. Anyone else doing plant stuff today?
Shanika
Shanika I did some trimming today and potted up a new baby last night. One of the leaves I got in the Round Robin, Kentucky Gooseberries, has at least 4 or 5 babies and one was large and in the way of the other little guys getting light so I removed it. I have a few others from the Round Robin with babies too but they are not large enough to move yet. Senk's Snowy Egret babies are very cute. The Senk's Neverland Dreams babies are very yellow so I will start spraying them soon. Unfortunatlely the Sora Kalissa leaf just started to die so I won't get babies there and the Heartland's Heirloom Lace died awhile ago. I think I managed to keep at least 60-70 percent alive to I'm happy but wish I hadn't killed any of them. Some of them still haven't had any babies but I guess waiting is part of it.
The Christmas Cactus start that you sent me is doing well and now adding a leaf or two. A piece broke off in shipping and I rooted it but it's looking a bit peaked right now maybe it's too dry as I keep forgetting about it.
I cleaned all my trays today too so everything is all organized and clean.
Stownes, I just want to say that you really have to be careful when taking leaves from an already infested plant. You can wind up with a problem bigger than the one you had before. Please watch your leaves carefully as they root and grow.
If you are keeping your plant, BATS(Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub) is an excellent systemic that kills mealies and other things, too. It is worth the $24 per bottle investment. It will last you a long, long time.
Good Luck and Good Fighting!
I've been away a couple of days. I did use the Bayer. Ended up tossing the AV and kept some leaves and they are all separated and away from everybody else. Looks like the alcohol bath on the leaves may have done the trick - now I just hope to get some rooted. for some reason, Witch Doctor seems more tricky than others.
Please be careful when using the systemic. Once it is in the soil you need to think of the soil as being hazardous to your health. Don't get it on your hands or inhale it. I'm sure you're not snorting potting soil, I mean be careful if the soil dries out and becomes airborn. This happens easily if there is peat, perlite or vermiculite in your mix. Also check your pots, benches shelves and other hardscape for hidden mealybug egg sacs. They'll do that, those crafty devils. Finally, if you grow succulents be aware that anything in the Crassula family ( that's most of the commonly grown ones) seems to attract mealybugs. Of course if you grow succulents you're probably already an expert on mealybugs ; - )
Wandy,
I used to grow a lot of succulents and still do a few.For me it was whiteflies,especially if I had taken in any coleus for the winter.It's weird how every one of us encounters different problems.....sigh.With Cacti it was spider mites and sometimes I could not see a thing wrong until the whole thing was dessicated (sp).
Lynn
Ugh. I hate whiteflies. I will never buy another pointsettia because of white flies. The plant could look perfectly healthy and fly-free upon arrival, and then without fail, around March or April some time, just when I'd start to congratulate myself for getting the thing through the winter, the white flies would appear...