Critters on my hoyas...what do I do?

Well, upon close inspection of one of my hoyas, I have found some critters. There are three that I can see, but I may have missed some, though I checked VERY well. There were none on any of my other hoyas, or any other plants, that I could find. Can anyone tell me what these are and what I should do to treat and get rid of them? My first inclination is to put it under the kitchen faucet and wash them off, but I don't know if that's a good idea, and I'm sure that's not all I'll need to do. Following are several pictures.
Any help is most appreciated!
Thanks!
RG

Edited to add:
I have Safer insecticidal soap and rubbing alcohol if these are the types of pests to respond to that kind of thing.

This message was edited Dec 9, 2005 5:00 PM

Here's another one, hopefully brighter and clearer.

There is only one in the spot pictured above, but here are two more, way down next to the soil.

Another of the pair...

And so, as I was checking the plant, I noticed some peculiar places on the leaves and stems. Thought I'd ask about these as well, since these are my first hoyas and I really don't have a clue about all this.
Is this normal or a sign of a problem?

Last one...more odd looking places. These may be normal, but I just don't know. I don't want to lose this plant, or any of the others, for that matter, so I need advice from all you hoya pros!
Thanks soooo much!
RG

They're mealy bugs. The best treatment is alcohol and a cotton swab. Just dab a q-tip in alcohol and wipe them off.

You might want to move the plant away from others to make sure you don't spread the buggers to any other plants. Do this for a while, until you're sure they're gone.

If you're lucky, they're not in the soil or on the roots. That is more difficult to deal with.

I already moved it away from the others, but I had several plants (some hoyas, some other houseplants) all bunched up together, and the longer stems of this one draped over a few more. I can't find any sign of them on any of my other plants. Should I spray them all down with an alcohol/water solution or do I run the risk of harming some of the other plants by doing this?
*Sigh* I have heard all the mealy bug horror stories and I'm just sick about this.
Thanks so much, MaryEv.
RG

MaryEv is right on. They can be little monsters. I would give them a good shower, then watch them for a few days, dabbing with alchol. I also get my fingernails in there and make sure to get them off of the plants. They love new growth. Make sure and check underneath leaves and in little crevices. Good luck RG, death to mealies!!
Heather

RG. You can spray them with 100% full strength rubbing alcohol....or spray them with oil soap (I like the first one best). Spraying gets into all the little corners they can hide...and it will also dry up the egg casings. Then a good washing with some force in the spray can wash them away. Yuck...I hate them. Also, check the roots by gently easing the plant out of the pot with as much soil as you can...if you see white cottony stuff...they are rootmealies (often they go hand in hand). Only way to get those is a drench with Bayers Tree and Shrub thru the soil....

The marking on the petioles and the stem look like sort of "stretch marks" when the tissue grows fast and bends and it make little tiny breaks in the tissue. Not lethal!.

OK I got them all off with alcohol and a Qtip. Those were the only three I found, and there were a very few cottony places and I got them, too. Pretty much, if it was white, it got wiped with alcohol! I found two cottony places on the other Krimson, but none of the three ropes had anything on them. I checked them to the best of my ability, so hopefully that was good enough. Those rope leaves were a pain to examine!
I'll spray them down with alcohol, too, but how long do I wait after spraying with alcohol to wash it off?
I checked the roots on the two Krimsons and didn't see anything. I read in a thread here on DG somewhere that half and half alcohol/water with a few drops of soap would get them in the roots, but going by what you said, Aloha, that's not true, right?
Now to show my true ignorance...what's the difference in a petiole and a peduncule? Gee, don't you just love a newbie! LOL
**Thanks, all of you, for your help!** I just got a plant rack two days ago and I am so excited about it, but this almost burst my bubble. I sure hope I caught it in time to keep it from spreading to every plant I have.
Here's a couple pics of my plant rack. They only had four of the lights, and we got them all, so I'll have to get four more when they get more in stock, but I figure it's better than what my plants had before. :o)
RG

One more...

Dang, am I the only one that doesn't have one of those light up plant racks????

Well, I never expected to have one now. I had seen everyone else's and when my husband went to Lowe's the other day, I asked him to find out how much they were. He came home and we put up the items he had gone to get. I remembered the plant stand and asked if he had checked on it. He said he found a plastic Rubbermaid one, but he knew that wasn't what I wanted. I thanked him for looking for it and went on about my business. Then he said he had to go back out to his truck for a minute and when he came in he was carrying this massive box! It was an early Christmas present. He said he thought about keeping it til Christmas, but couldn't bear to make me wait that long. He is definitely a SWEETIE! He really did find the plastic one, he just left out the part about the one he bought!
RG

Edited because I forgot how to spell 'and' ;o)

This message was edited Dec 9, 2005 10:13 PM

RG...you don't have to rinse off the alcohol...I mentioned rinsing to get rid of the white cottony stuff so it doesn't drive you nuts. I have never used half water half alcohol for root mealies, so I can't comment....

You can also soak the rope vine in warm water with a mild detergent for about 5 mins....then rinse. the soap/water suffocates them.

Looks like you are well on your way to becoming a certified addicts....uh, collector!!!

Carol

I got all the white cottony stuff off with the Qtip. I think I'll spray them all, instead of soaking the ropes. I didn't see anything in the roots, so I won't worry about that right now, just keep a close eye on them. If they appear, I'll get the Bayer.
I'm already a general houseplant addict. I signed up here at DG on July 16 of this year and did not have one single house plant. What does that tell ya? LOL I've been very busy in the plant sections of my local stores. :o) It all started when I was just trying to find some information on an Angelonia plant I had outside.
RG

RG, you're gonna love it. I liked mine so much I went and got another (last year). For my taller plants I moved the shelves farther apart so that I only have 3 shelves on that unit. Then, with the shelf left over (since they're the same size) I moved the shelves closer together and put the shelf from first unit on that one giving me 3 shelves farther apart and 4 shelves closer together. I use shop lights on each shelf, 2 lights per shelf on some. This is the 'closer together' unit

this is the farther apart unit

On the unit with closer together shelves, I start seeds etc.

These are Pony Tail Palms. I should have plenty of trade material in a few months. This is my winter entertainment,

RainGazer, back to your original critter issue.
I'll be honest with you and tell you that you're best off using Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub. Reasoning behind this is that for one the mealies shown in your pics seem fully grown and most likely already had a few hundred offspring, secondly you're bunching your plants together which will give you a quick re-infection if you only missed one of those buggers with the alcohol/soap treatment.

Milan

I moved the two that had signs of mealies across the kitchen (probably 5 to 6 feet) from the rest of them and put each in its own windowsill, so they're not touching each other either. I realize they are still close enough to infect one another, though. I'm doing the alcohol spray on those two, as well.
It will probably be a couple days before I could get any Bayer, so I'll have to just keep an eye on them for now. Is it your opinion that every plant I have be treated or only the two hoyas?
Thank you :o)
RG

Treat every plant to be sure you eliminate those critters

This message was edited Dec 10, 2005 11:35 AM

RG, I have to agree with Milan. When I lived in Florida I had a greenhouse FULL of plants. I brought a new one in and missed a colony of these buggers. Found them a week or so later but then had to treat every single plant in the greenhouse because they had ALL been infected. Do it now and save yourself a few headaches and time later down the road. You won't be sorry.
And Welcome to the group! That's a great setup you have there.

Barb

RG, I like your plant stand. Did you know that mealies can fly? I am not sure of the cycle, but read on one of the forums that the female can fly. I read that it happens in September, but I have been battling mealies and I have seen them. They are white and don't fly very well. (If your thinking White Flies, they aren't) I have seem them all different times during the year, so even though you may separate plants to the other side of the room, it may not save your other plants from getting infested with mealies. Good luck. The best luck I have had, is if I look them over every day, and continue to spray them with the alcohol.

I am trying something new I got at a Hydroponics store, it's oily and really smells fishy. I am hoping this may work, it sure makes us what to leave. I sprayed some plants today, and when my Husband came home, he said, "you sprayed your plants again, didn't you?" The smell does fade in a few days. Will let you know if it works.

Deb

Not meaning to sound like a very old and broken record....Bayers' Tree and Shrub drench works!! Doesn't smell! Is not harmful (it's the same stuff used to put on dogs and cats against fleas...Advantage). One application works for almost up to a year....

I recently learned that the best way to apply it is to put the pot(s) in a tray and let them stand in the run off for a while, so they absorb it back into the pot. That's a lot of money running out of the pot!!! Also, drench when the pot needs water.....more effective.

Carol

Deb, only the males of this mealy species fly in the final instar but they require females to multiply thus cannot infect plants at other locations. Other flying insects like flies, bees,... etc on the other hand can sometimes carry the wooly egg structures of mealies by accident to other plants further away.

Milan

Carol, how strong do you mix the Bayer? I've used it on my brugs but haven't used it inside.

1oz per gallon of water....easy.

Carol

Thanks, I'll start the treatment.

Milan, Thanks for the update and correction.

Deb

OK I bought Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control. It says it works for up to 12 months. Is that the right stuff?
Now, for my list of questions. I might as well do it right the first time. :o)
Mix 1 oz per gallon of water, set the plants in a tray, water as usual and then let them set in the tray of runoff til the soil is fully moist. Is that correct?
I have over 100 pots to drench with this stuff, so can I pour the leftover runoff into different pots, or should I use fresh solution for each set of plants? I'm thinking fresh for each set, but why waste it if I don't have to?
Most of my plants don't need to be watered yet. Should I go ahead or wait til they need it?
I also need to repot several of them. Can I repot, then do their first watering with this? Or would it be better to go ahead and treat them, and delay repotting for a while?
Is this a one time per year or so treatment, or should I retreat again in a certain amount of time?
Should I still spray them with alcohol? If so, how often should I do that?
Are there any plants that I should NOT treat with this?
And my final (for now) question...is this a systemic so I don't have to worry about any more pests for a while or will I still need to treat topically?
Oh wait, one more...will this get rid of fungus gnats?
I hate to ask so many questions, but as I said above, I am new to houseplants, and therefore, completely new to pest infestations. I really don't have a clue as to how to do this correctly and I don't want to kill anything because of my ignorance.
I really, really appreciate everyone's help with this.
RG

Linda, I'm sorry, I seem to have failed to respond to your posts.
What a great setup you have! Thanks for posting the pictures. I've already got plans to get another shelf for my living room, as this one is in my kitchen.
I've got a lot of seeds I want to try to start, so I've saved some pizza boxes to set the trays on to raise them up to the lights. I'm hoping to have plenty of trade plants come springtime, myself. Give me a yell when you're ready to find new homes for those ponytail palms. :o)
RG

Another question...I was reading the Bayer T&S bottle and it says for outside applications only. Any concerns there I need to know about? Fumes or the like?
RG

Hmmmm. I use it in the Greenhouse and work in the greenhouse 8 hours a day and it does not bother me....remember...some 'caveats' are required by EPA. It is SAFE. I would use the run off over and over again. It does not lose it's potency as it goes thru the soil.... Use on thirsty plants. My plan is to use it when my plants need watering and then let them stand in the stuff for 15 mins....then move on. With over 1000 plants, I can't dally!!! It will probably NOT stop fungal gna ts, I am not sure. I would go ahead and use it when the plants need repotting....the Advantage becomes systemic and will travel into the new pot.

I am going to line my tray liner with alum foil....probably 10 at a time and process the plants in the early spring. I figure I can go 100 trays per day.

Have fun....

Carol

I had fungus gnats last year and the year before when I didn't use the T&S stuff. This year I have not seen a single gnat. Yeah. I LOVE that stuff. No mealies, no aphids, no gnats, not even all the little other unidentified bugs I used to get and spray for,... and all the plants look GREAT (except the ones that lost some leaves because I overwatered...ha).
I too had reservations about using it on so many plants in the house after reading that warning, but I decided it couldn't be any worse than all the stuff I had been spraying on them in the past to get rid of bugs that appeared from nowhere all winter. I have not had any noticable health affects so far from it and all my inside plants ALL had the drench in Sept. before bringing them in.
Just be careful handling the stuff (take care of all run off and be careful not to spill it around). Also store and dispose of extra with care. It IS poison so treat it accordingly. You may want to treat them outside or in a back room or basement, then move them to the household spots. It lasts a year, so you wont have to do it more than once. That is the good thing about it.
I am obviously sold on the stuff after using it this year, so I HOPE we don't find out any bad stuff comes from it. Ha.
Marcy

Wow, sounds like this stuff is the Ron Popeil of the plant care world..a set-it-and-forget-it kinda thing!
I wish the weathermen around here would schedule us a warm day in the near future, but since that doesn't look likely, I'm going to drench them all as soon as they need to be watered. The one time I WANT them to dry out a bit, they won't. LOL I am going to go ahead and drench the two hoyas though, and maybe carve out an hour or so to repot a couple plants that desperately need it and drench them, too.
While I'm thinking of it, I need some 6 inch pots and 6 inch hanging baskets. I cannot find them anywhere. Does anyone know where I can find some, preferably not worth their weight in gold? I did find a couple 6 inch pots at Lowe's, but they were over $4 each (one style was $11!!) and I can't afford that here at Christmas time. I'm talking cheap plastic pots and baskets. 10 inch baskets are the smallest I can find around here.
Thanks to all!
RG

Try this site..http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/3408/. I have ordered pots from her and was quite pleased.