Hi everyone. I got home from work today and went to check on the plants. That's when it started......moving. (yuck!). There are little bitty off-white or beige bugs on my leafpots. : ( I have taken a picture. Can someone tell me what this is? Maybe a mite of some kind. My AVs look healthier than they ever have, even the leafpots, so I am not sure what's up. No shriveling plants or tight centers. Please look at the circled part of the picture and see if you can help me. Thanks so much!!!!!
The bug is on this leafpot....
Sorry, I don't know what it could be. It looks too big for a cyclamen mite or broadmite. Maybe a spider mite? Though spidermites that I get on some plants are not that big. maybe one of the other expers will chime in here. could it be a mealy?
Looks like mealy bug to me.
Joanne
Thanks, I will check into that. : ) I appreciate it!
Just take a q-tip and dip it into rubbing alcohol and apply to the mealy bug and they will disintegrate.
Joanne
Hi, I forgot to add that make sure they are isolated from your other plants. They do travel.
Good luck.
Joanne
Eww..... : ( Me no likey. HA HA I guess I know what I will be doing this weekend! Thanks.
I agree it is a mealy bug..and easy to get rid of ..its thouse old spider mites that is almost impossible to kill off..
If it is mealy bugs the rubbing alcohol with do the trick. I had them last week and one treatment sent them packing. At least so far. The only way I recognize mealies is when the eggs are covered with the cotton.
Wow, Gingerose.....you either stayed up late or got up early. : )
Nanna, I went back and looked at that thread. Your mealies look a little bigger than what I have, I think. I should have been using the diatamatious earth (however it is spelled) that I have. Thanks.
Pam,
It could be mealies they are different sizes and they even give birth to live babies as they travel along, and they do travel yet slow they can move fast when they want too . There is foliage and soil mealies and it is very possible to have both for a long time without knowing.
Although the alcohol may do the trick to your eye the ones you see but they are smart and hide. They can even hide on wicks when drenched.
A speck of dust on potting bench can be an egg. Eggs can lie dormant when it's coold or waiting for male host. When treating use the hottest water you can. Do you have neam oil ? This does not kill them but smothers them and makes your plants so they can not eat them.
Spraying Marthon ?? I can't spell three week treaments.
I posted a link from Rob's he says they are the hardest to get rid of. His help is well worth reading. Another link I posted was from MSN I think by Nancy she shines the light on them real good. And other link I posted forget from where there all in Mealies thread and sticky. It shows a healthy plant filled with mealies blooming away .
When plants share water trays , containers they travel fast in the water .
I hope you can read the special links from Rob, and Nancy they are of big help.
Your plants are beautiful love your cute baby .
Good luck .
Thanks, Allison. Oh well, at least I have something to keep me busy until the plants in the leafpots are ready to be separated. : ) Yes, I will read Rob's. They have a good culture section on their site. How is Florida today? I bet it is sunny! Have a good one. : ) Pam
Hi Pam Florida has been warm high 84 yesterday but not much sun cloudy. today will be about the same. Here are all excellent links on Mealies Foliar and soil all worth reading and helpful. Good Luck.
http://www.robsviolet.com/faq_page_3.htm#mealy
I don't know why this link is not going to correct area. it's question !
Question: I am experiencing a white "gooey" substance around the crown of some of my violets. Could you please tell me what this substance might be and how to get rid of it?
For great answer from Rob you may have to scroll down a bit.
http://www.robsviolet.com/faq_page_3.htm#mealy
with two good links on Mealies one is Rob's.
Optimara has god info too
Leaf Mealy Bugs: Sometimes called Foliar Mealy Bugs
http://optimara.com/optimaraglossary/l-lea.html#anchor3073758
Soil Mealies bugs sometimes called blind mealies and you can have both.
http://optimara.com/optimaraglossary/sen-soi.html#anchor1290091
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR NEW PLANT
First and most important, isolate your plant. ( what ever link you go to, What ever book you read, NUmber one thing to do with new plants and leaves Isolate) Please read this whole link and please go to the link with the healthy blooming plant the owner had for a year before noticing. She will have it on it's private water holder for atleast a couple years.
http://www.plantsonpurpose.com/CULTURE.htm
CHECK THE ROOTS
Soil mealy bugs are wide spread in the commercial African violet market. Look for cottony masses in the root ball, these are the egg sacks. You may also see white waxy material in the root ball, on the pot, or floating in the water reservoirs. Soil mealy bugs are only 1-4 mm in length so they are hard to see without a magnifying glass. (The wire of a medium size paper clip is about 1 mm in diameter).
" On this link you see a little blue face mouse on it please or go to this link to see a very healthy blooming plants that was full of mealies.
http://www.plantsonpurpose.com/mealy%20bugs.htm
****** This is a photo of soil mealies floating in a container of water. I found these guys in the reservoirs of a plant that I had owned for a year. Soil mealy bugs are so small, it is easy to have them and spread them throughout your collect before you know it. Even if your new plant looks 'clean', keep it on it's own reservoir for a year or two
OVER ALL INSPECTION
Aphids are pear shaped sucking insects. They are 1-5 mm in length (about 1/8 inch). They can be green to yellow, black or pink. They have long legs and antennae.
Foliar mealy bugs are white and mealy. They can be found on the foliage, stems, and crown on the plant. They lay their eggs in cottony masses.
Mildew looks like fine powder dusted on the foliage and blossoms.
If you find a problem, contact the cooperative extension service or your favorite nursery or gardener
Another link excellent well worth reading please.
This is another good link from Sticky.
One thing I never thought of I read replace wicked after treating Mealys can find refuge there when plants are drenched. .
This is a very good informational link.
http://groups.msn.com/TheVioletVoiceTestSite/mealybugs.msnw
Edit trying to get links to work :))
This message was edited Jan 5, 2007 9:29 AM
Didn't somebody recently post that adding Physan to the water (if you wick water) will take care of mealy bugs? It's possible it will mostly affect soil mealies, although I can't imagine that it would be a delight to the other kinds either.
I don't think it kills them ? Physan ? But is good to use in trays and wicking areas and cleanig tools and more it does disenfect and help keep Mildew and Algea and fungus away.
I don't think it kills them ? Physan ? But is good to use in trays and wicking areas and cleanig tools and more it does disenfect and help keep Mildew and Algea and fungus away.
Here is excellent information about what Physan 20 is and it's uses.
http://www.physan.com/
In this other thread on mealies, http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/680403/#new, Nancy says that she hasn't had them in 8 years and credits her use of Physan in the water. I hadn't been having much trouble with algae, etc, but this information made me think that perhaps I should go look for a little bottle of Physan....
Yes I read that ! PHYSAN 20™ is a broad range disinfectant, fungicide, virucide, and algaecide which effectively controls a wide variety of pathogens on hard surfaces and plants
Keeping areas clean and disinfectant , isolation are precautions of keeping pest away. The best thing is to keep them away ..but once you have them it is not going to kill them.
I use Neem, and Lysol, Bleach crazy ( Physan is good for soaking trays and cleaning tools and tables floors and more instead of bleach ) , Murphy Oil Soap, and more .....But most of all I isolate and if a plant is not looking good in isolation I throw them away soil, pots everything.
All above starting with isolation and cleanliness with Physan and other disinfectants I credit the reason I have not had any pest or virus, fungus and more . But I also know if I was to get one of these yucky pest these pre-cautions will not kill the pest :((.
Now say for example if Pam gets rid of her pest and then wants to try different pre-cautions along with isolation , and Physan for one she will have much less chance of getting pest ! in the future .
Nancy has done well keeping pest away ! from her collection and this is important.
There are some Viruses / disease plants get which pest can carry that no pesticides and kill :((.
Malathion will kill foliage and soil mealies sprayed in three periods as the live in cycle .
Rob says with his experience Mealies are the hardest to get rid of . And we all know he has lot's of 30 years plus of experience ~~:))
The mealie picture I posted was of an egg sack. The bugs are much smaller.
Nanna, thanks. That makes more sense. : )
Susan...when I zoomed it does look like it has legs. (shudders). Me no like bugs. : )
Is it an aphid?
I am not sure what an aphid looks like....I'll have to try to find pictures. Do soil mealies have legs?
Oh ICK!! Hope you get it figured out as to what it is.I zoomed in too and it sure looks like it has legs to me too.
Nancy
There are different types of Mealies bugs. The newly emerged Mealies craw along damging plants They take 2 months to mature . Some are born alive not even eggs.
The insect has six legs on a slim body. It looks like a particle of perlite or rice. These insects are completely covered with a powdery wax which is secreted from glands in the mealy bug’s body.
This article shows pictures and gives excellent information about Mealy Bugs.
http://groups.msn.com/TheVioletVoiceTestSite/mealybugs.msnw
I have read about mealies and aphids now, and it sounds more like mealies. I am going to try to treat it with something that is effective on both, though. I might call the local nursery and see if I can take a leaf in a baggie and let them look at it. Not real sure if the local extension agent would be of much help. Thanks for all your input! It is an awful feeling to see a bug crawling across your plants. I think I caught it early, because my plants still look really good.
Pam
Good luck, Pam.
Definately looks like mealies to me too. I have had mealies on house plants before and use the q-tip with alcolhol solution...it has always worked!
Lin
Thanks, Nanna and Lin. I will start working on them tomorrow. : )
