After coming home after 4 days I found mealy bug leaves.............I didn't want to take a chance so I threw out at least 2 dozen Avs and at least 30+ leaves in perlite that had the mealy bug leaves also. I should have taken pics of the beautiful roots on those leaves(waah waah waah) (I examined the roots of the plants I threw away and they didn't look damaged in any way)
Question now??? Do I treat all the plants on my gro-light stands which don't show any damage at this point.
PS I am extremely lucky that my new trade leaves were in a different room and place.......so were my minis.....
any advice please?? I read several suggestions, but don't really know what to do. One article said to use malthion (which I don't have) but I have lots of different systemic chemicals which I could use. I also read that I could use a swab with alcohol and rinse very well.
What I learned were two things: I didn't hook up the timers on the lights and I am positive the caretaker for the 4 days left the lights on all the time. This dried up many plants and leaves.....
Secondly, I need to order self wicking pots for everything I have tomorrow.
thanks,
gail
First humbling AV experience!!!
hi, what do you mean by mealy bug leaves? Did you see mealy bugs? Cottony white puff balls that move?
Everyone (pretty much) gets mealies on their AVs so no biggie. It's good to catch it early though, before you have masses of white puffs scampering around the place. (And yes, they move - not so slowly - at certain times of day. gross.) So.... I think it would be easier for you to treat everything now.
If you'd rather not, you can also just monitor your plants carefully for mealies. Check at DIFFERENT TIMES of day every 2-3 days for the next few weeks. Check on and under new leaves - look carefully.
If you opt for treating everything, I really recommend the chemical called imidacloprid. It's the ingredient in Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub, as well as Bayer Ad. rose and flower spray or some such product name. Check the ingredients - it should say imidicloprid. It's sold at many home depots and lowes etc.
This is a systemic that is used in flea collars and such, and works really really well on mealy bugs. It's a systemic, meaning it is carried up through the plant and it will work for several months so long as you don't flush it out of the soil.
The other day, I found the granular form of the Tree and Shrub product and will be adding it to my soil mixes when I next do some potting. I will also be sprinkling some into pots (dig a little ditch and sprinkle some in) and bottom watering those pots so the imidacloprid is carried through the soil.
I haven't used this Bayer granular product on AVs yet (has anyone else?) but I used to use granular imidacloprid sold under the brand name Marathon, and found it very easy to use and effective. Marathon isn't easy to get, though.
If you can only find the spray/drench forms, you can water the pots with it instead of spraying. Make sure you mix well, and then let the pots soak it up on their next watering. The Hoya forum has quite a bit of chat about the Bayer tree & shrub product (affectionately known as BATS). Then bottom water or wick for a while so that it can take effect.
Imidacloprid is easiest because application is easy, and the you sit back and let it do the work. It works for months.
There are other methods, though, if you don't want to pay for BATS or prefer no chemicals. (Imidacloprid is bad for fish and various other living things.)
These other methods are things like soap spray, horticultural oil spray, neem oil spray. All of them kill by suffocating the bugs, so it's important to apply all over the plant including leaf axils and under the leaves. Repeat every week for about 3 weeks to catch newly hatched bugs.
It's also possible to dunk the entire AV into a warm soap solution and swish around. Make sure you dry off the crown afterwards - I take a bit of kitchen paper and poke a corner into the crown and let is soak up the water.
If you only have a few bugs, then swabbing with alcohol-dipped Q tips works great. I don't recommend alcohol if you need to treat a whole lot as (1) it's bad for you to breathe in vaporized alcohol and (2) it dessicates the plants. Alcohol swabbing is also good if you find clusters of mealies - get rid of those and then also apply imidacloprid.
My personal preference if I'm not using imidacloprid is OrangePlus household cleaner solution. It's not meant for bugs but works great on a lot of pests and is human-friendly.
Finally, there are also other products you can use. Pesticides like Malathion and Orthene and others will work - they are also more harmful to humans and AVs are usually grown in the home, so I really don't like to use them. Pyrethrin sprays should also work - I personally haven't found them very effective and stopped trying them ages ago so I can't say which brands are good......
okay, that was a waaay long post - perhaps more than you were asking for.
Thanks Keyring!!!! I have the advanced Bayer Tree and shrub in liquid form....I want to treat every single plant I have and not let it get out of control....the problem is there are no directions for example for a gallon of water to drench. All the instructions are for trees and shrubs....can anyone take a guess as to how much I use in a gallon of water????
I called the company on the back of the big blue container and she just tried to sell me something else and never answered my question...she didn't know the answer....
Your answer was not waaaaay too long!!! very helpful
Keyring, is imidacloprid a pesticide? I have never heard of it. Pam
Imidacloprid is the main ingredient in Bayer's product. I am going to visit their online site at www.BayerAdvanced.com
Key, great answer! I've been considering adding a systemic product to my AV mix, and maybe I'll do so as I'm rebuilding my collection. I've got some granules from Bionide that I use occasionally on plants when scale becomes a problem (not on my bay tree or my citrus -- I want to eat from those plants!)... don't recall the active ingredient offhand, but it's supposed to be effective against any sucking insect, and I'm sure it would take care of mealies.
If you've got soil mealies (as opposed to the kind that live on the leaves), drenching with whatever you use to knock back fungus gnats might also be effective... I've been adding Murphy's Oil Soap (1 capful per gallon) from time to time when I water, but I think I'll get some of Key's orange cleaner, as I'll bet I'd prefer its scent!
Critter - careful with the Bionide - not sure which of their products you have, but the one I had had "nerve damage" on the warning label. OTOH, note that a study (as far as I know, only one study) has found that imidacloprid increases the fertility of mites.
I don't recall what dilution rate I used for BATS on gesneriads. I think I picked the weakest dilution on the label, or I used an even more dilute rate. Don't go too weak, though, or it won't be effective. Can you try it on one or two AVs and monitor for a few days?
I just got an answer to the proportions on the hoya forum.....one ounce per gallon of water.....I don't have the granular form yet.....thanks so much Keyring!!!!
This drench is only for preventative measures (I probably didn't have to throw away the ones I did.....they each had just one leaf with a 1/3" spot of mealy bug....the puffy stuff)
I now have some really good Avs and I can't take a chance on anything getting out of control as these avs are a new passion of mine since Janurary and my knowledge is limited.
gail
Just an FYI $5 rebates avail on the BATS till 6-30-07 http://www.bayeradvanced.com/media/rebate/07R_TreeShrub.pdf
Thanks Gail for adding the ratio of oz/gals ...I have 2 bottles of the sutff but hadn't looked up the rate. Now I can treat that lipstick plant & hang it outdoors..:)
MsC
What all does imidacloprid kill?
Edited to add...when you say it increases the fertility of mites...is that cyclamen/broad mites only or spider mites, too?
This message was edited Jun 5, 2007 5:52 AM