I have never in all my gardening days seen these things before. I guess they'd be mealy bugs? What should I use to get rid of them?
If it's not one thing... it's another!
PoppySue,
It is hard to tell from the picture, but if they are soft body bugs I always use SafeSoap
or dish washing liquid mixed with water (a thick mixture)
& spray. I use this on my Orchids & anything that has soft
body bugs.
Hope this helps.
Honeybee
They look like what I always call cellar bugs, they like moist places. Can you put some dry sand, or put slug bait on the dirt. Do not think they can "fly", so got to stop them before they crawl up. I use Murphy's liquid soap/water and spray, or pick them off, if not too many.
They aren't mealy bugs. We find these here a lot in the summer after picking up a pot or piece of wood that has laid on the soil for a while and where it is damp under them. These bugs don't harm anything that I know of, but they are ugly and some people call them artillery bugs because they look like little tanks when they move along the ground. Nothing to worry about, but I would hand pick them and get them out of the house or greenhouse just so you don't have to look at them.
I found them... they are mealy bugs. http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/Mealy.htm
Playing with my camera. Here's a close up.
You gals must be talking about pill bugs?
Here are pill bugs http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=pill+bugs&sa=N&tab=wi I get those too.
Poppy , those are not mealy bugs, Mealy bugs look like teenie white puffs of cotton.
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I had MB's on house plants once and just touched each one with a q-tip dipped on rubbing alcohol, they almost evaporate before your eyes. Their fuzzy bodies are waterproof almost , that's why the alcohol works.
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This message was edited Nov 17, 2003 8:23 PM
They look like these ones...
http://www.biopol.nl/UK/MealyBugs.htm
OK, they looked brown to me in your first pic =)
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woodlouse
Look like white specks
No, I looked up woodlouse and they look the same as pillbugs to me. My picture looks dark but these are white. I think they are this one on the left, the obscure mealy bug... http://collections.ic.gc.ca/gardens/Horticulture/BUGS/Mealy%20Bugs.html
One more picture... I lightened it so you can see they're white.
ACK!!!! That's some camera ya got there..but still...ACK!!!
lol
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Poppy, scooterbug is right. Dab them with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. It will kill them.
The kids used to call the other ones roly-polys, the farmers around here call them dung beetles, they can be found when you pick up a old doggie poo in the yard. they will devour the poo and I have heard that some peeps buy them like ladybugs or wasps so they can do their job around the yard.
Okay... I did the Q-tip alchohol thing and they came right off. I hope I don't have a big outbreak in the house. I'm paranoid now and have been checking all the plants.
Thanks everyone for the help!
Yep, I thought they were brown and knew that mealy bugs weren't brown. Sorry about that Sue!!
Forgot to say that roly-poly was what we used to call them as kids too and then someone this summer told me another name was artillery bugs. What ever one decided to call them, they will still be UGLY bugs to me.
This message was edited Nov 17, 2003 9:03 PM
I can see the white fluff under the 3 bugs in your last incredible closeup. If they come back, try Neem Oil Sue. It smothers them.
poppysue, if you are able to get a insecticide with the ingredient Imidacloprid, it will take care of them. It works systemic either through the roots or by spraying. I prefer watering. It needs about a week before it helps but this way you will get all of them.
Ugly little buggers. We also called the others rolly pollys. Have never had the to mess with my plants. Hope you can get rid of them before they cause to much damage
thanks Jeanne!
Yuck Mealy's. You can also look for Marathon same as Merit but granular, with a 90 day residule. Spray them with the alcohol and water mixture till you can get something else plus it takes a while for systemics to get all through the plant.
DH says to let loose some lizards in the GH and they'll eat all them mealy bugs up...just so happens..one or two lives in mine.
He also mentioned of people/farmer's buy the lady bugs and have them shipped in just to eat the bugs. Not the plants!
This message was edited Nov 18, 2003 2:47 PM
If ya got any lizards send them up here!!!
Tried to find some when I was in Alabama last spring but didn't see any.....
LOL CC wish I could, I only know of only 2 in there at the moment, think they came from the front porch plants. They were everywhere out there. I was dodgein em'
They are soooo cute!!!
Hehehe, wants some toads??? They camp out all in my dirt by my porch, then they stroll out into the moonlight and just sit in the walkway. It's no wonder they end up roadkill :-(
I have some Marathon that contains Imidacloprid. I think I'll wait too see if any others pop up first before I get out the big guns. I only found those few on that one plant... no signs of any others.
It looks like it's going to be a bad winter for bugs. I found a plant loaded with aphids! I didn't see one aphid all summer long. Now I've got a plant full of them. I've also noticed some fungus gnats flying around.
Mealy bugs are a pain in the butt! However if you only found a few I would just spot treat the plant. I just take them out with a q-tip and some alcohol. Not the good stuff LOL but rubbing alcohol.
How did you get such a great close up?
I had break out of aphids in my basement too. They pop up out of nowhere. Nasty things! I was very good about spraying plants before they came indoors too.
I took the picture in the largest setting and cropped it down to size. I'm not very good taking pictures in the house. The different lighting throws me all off!