I've found scale :-( and I have not had much luck keeping those in check using imidacloprid. OTOH, Orthene (acephate) has worked for me on orchids. Problem is, there are 1 or 2 orchid genera that hate Orthene, so I'm wondering if some hoya species might also hate it. Does anyone have experience?
thanks.
is orthene safe for hoyas?
Keyring, I just found the hardshell brown scale on 2 of my plants. I asked an expert who said to just use rubbing alcohol in spray form, which I did, and used qtips then sprayed the plant with water. I did it again 2 days later and I can't find any more. I will keep these plants away from their buddies for a while to make sure they are gone. I have never seen scale like these before but reading on the epiforum about scale, they claim there is over 5000 different types. eegads!
Wait for the experts to chime in, they know what they are talking about! God bless, -joanne
Alcohol works for me! So does BTS drench. (see former posts)
Orthene is safe for Hoyas, all the ones I've used it on (the common ones) have been fine. Smells ungodly, though.
had I known about the scale prior to the massive dunking I did (in orangeplus water - takes care of mealies and a few other things), I would have done it in BTS. Ah well......
Another suggestion I got was to put them in an enclosure with a strip of No Pest (formerly sold under the name Vapona - I think it's the same thing) for one night. Apparently the scale just falls off after that.
hmm..... which method to pick.....
scale has a way of reemerging in a few months time, and Orthene has been the most reliable on the orchids. But, yes, it stinks. and it's toxic.
Hey Keyring , how about trying two of them. My first choice would be the alcohol, then wipe them off with an alcohol soaked cotton ball (not a Q tip). When you think you have them all off, there will still be a hundred or more babies that you can't see with the naked eye. That's the time to put them in a tightly closed plastic bag with the no-pest strips. Leave them in there for at least two days then take them out and wash them thoroughly with a spray of warm water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid (Dawn, Ivory, or whatever you wash dishes by hand with. Rinse thoroughly and watch ALL your plants for awhile. These pests can travel to any plant in close proximity, and are harder than sin to get rid of.
Annie W.