I do HAve a question on Pest

I am wondering Last summer I had this plant outside and I have a giant cotton wood tree I am hoping that this is seeds from the tree.
I have taken some pictures and wonder if you can tell if this is mealie bugs or nothing. I did read up on the pest control and wonder if any has used the Moth Ball
The first is what my hoya looks like the second will be the white fuzz







* Moth ball: As a preventative measure, moth balls (paradichlorobenzene) added to the potting mix seem to discourage infestation by root mealy bug, and probably discourages other insects. However, the chemicals in the moth balls can cause damage to plastic plant pots and are best used with clay pots.

This is the second picture
Thanks for looking I will have to get this if it is mealy Bugs Cause I have just gotten into the Hoya coop-opt
Dimmer(AKA) Kim

Kim,

That second picture looks like a classic mealybug infestation to me. Many people that grow Hoyas seriously use a product called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub (BATTS) at 1 oz. per gallon of water as a preventative to stop mealies before they get to your stage. It is a systemic insecticide that kills the insects when they begin feeding. If you really want to save that plant, you are going to have to go after those mealies with alchohol - maybe spraying the entire plant. In my own case, if I found one of my plants in that condition I would toss it to prevent other plants in my collection from getting them too. Good luck; with a little persistance, you can nip these nasties in the bud.

Doug

This message was edited Mar 3, 2009 7:36 AM

Doug
Question. First thanks so much for the infor. If I spray the plant with alcohol should I use it straight or mix with some water?
I have A small green house with a tent after I wipe or spray I think that my best bet wood to keep them in there for a few months and keep track. As of right now I am layed off and have the time to spend with them Maybe I should change all the soil and clean the pots
That I guess wood be the best thing to do Yes
Kim

Kim, Yes I might try to clean everything that you have and replace the soil as well. I would spray the rubbing alcohol straight without diluting it further. You may want to wait until Carol weighs in, but I believe that is what she recommends. The alcohol penetrates the mealies waxy coating and kills them. I would probably wait a few minutes and then spray the plant with high pressure water to try to wash off their dead bodies.

Doug

Thanks Doug I have 12 small plants I am going to take the plants out wash the pots and change the dirt I think that is the best and than but them in the tent. I have so many plants and it wood kill me if I had to do them all
I have checked them and it is only on the hoya's if it isn't bug than that will be the best clean job for them
Here is the plant/bedroom

That is a great looking plant space.

Hey ya Kim:

I agree ... that is definitely a mealy bug infestation! Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub is a great product. I think I've read on the AV forum that folks use it on their AV's and Gesneriads too.

I have used the alcohol method on many plants, with a q-tip and dipping it in the alcohol and then wiping the mealies off the plant stems and crevices. It works if you have just a few mealies. I've never tried spraying the alcohol ... figured it would evaporate too quickly but I guess if I sprayed right up close on the plant it would work great!

I have a large Hoya compacta (the twisty, curvy leaves) and it gets mealies during the hot humid summer months. Usually, if I catch it quickly I can use a q-tip and alcohol to get them but last summer it was so badly infested there was no way I was going to get them all with the alcohol so I mixed up the BATS into a large tub and sat the hoya down into the mixture, let it sit for a bit, then hung it and let it drain. Took care of the mealy bugs!

You mentioned that you keep that hoya on a stand inside the plastic tent (green house type stand). I think the humidity in there may be keeping it too moist which is attracting mealy bugs ... they like hot, moist, humid areas.

I spray straight alcohol on hoyas but do it it shady area because sun will burn the leaves.
I've never tried moth balls on the plants.
Jan

Lynn
I have a stand with a tent and I thought that If I put the plants in there that I won't get all the bugs off they wood only be in that part
I have washed all the pots out with bleach washed all the Hoya's in soapy water with some bleach NOT ALOT than rinsed in hot water for a second than put in bowl and sprayed the crap out of them there is only 12 plants and small. I have now also changed all the soil and have good drainage So lets see if it go's from there

I wonder Lynn If I missed the plants when I got the bugs on my AV I think at that time they were outside
Hugs
Kimmy

Jan, Good Advice, it surely will burn the foliage if sprayed in a sunny area! I've never tried moth balls ... can't stand the smell, and I'd be afraid they are too toxic around my cats and us humans.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/334745/its_time_to_get_rid_of_those_mothballs.html?cat=5

Kim, It's very likely the bugs came inside when you brought your plants in. Or, if you've brought a new plant into the house recently it could have had mealies that spread to other plants. I've been told so many times with African Violets and Gesneriads that one should ALWASY isolate any new plant coming into the house until you treat it or are certain it has no insects that could infect your entire collection. I was so stubborn, always saying I've had houseplants of all kinds for so many years and never had a problem with insects. .... well, last summer I lost many African Violets and Episcia's and Chiritas because I didn't isolate! I think I learned my lesson, LOL.

I don't think even a stand with a tent will keep all insects out ... some can crawl and get through some of the teensiest openings! And, of course ... sometimes there are "critters" in the soil that sneak out when we aren't looking!

Wowsers! LOL, after that treatment, your plants should be the cleanest and bug free plants around! I've cleaned pots and tools in bleach water before but would be too afraid to use even a little dab of bleach water on the plants themselves ... I'm a real wimp! ^_^

Just a warning - all the BATTS that is on shelves now has fertilizers
in it.

If yours is from last summer - you may have gotten lucky and have one
that is without the ferts.

Whoa, didn't know they were adding fertilizer now! I wonder why they decided to go that route? a lot of potting soils have added fertilizer now to, which I don't like! Maybe they are trying to cater to folks like me who are lazy gardeners and don't pay much attention to feeding plants on a regular basis but I'd rather have it all separate ... pretty soon it will be like plants on steroids if all that "extra" doesn't do them in!

Doug,

How often do you treat for bugs? I've had mealy bugs appear on two hoyas in the past couple of months and I treated them separately. I've wondered whether I shouldn't treat proactively on a routine basis to prevent a re-occurence, particularly since the hoyas seem to be prone to them.

Sarah

I know I'm only growing inside so it's not a BIG thing. I have a huge sack of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. I sterilize it and keep it in a roaster pan. Then I add perlite and vermiculite, a touch of charcoal, and a spoon on bone meal. It's a little like cooking for the "kids" :-). Then I put it in gallon jars. I love being prepared!!

I hope to put my hoyas and epi's outside for the summer. It's too cold here for them to stay out year-round, and I'll need to bring them inside again in the fall, but I DON'T want to bring in any pests from outside that will harm my inside plant collection. People on other forums have recommended the BATS, but I'll have to look at it more carefully, now that Alison pointed out that it contains fertilizer.

Sarah

BATS: http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/3-in-1-Insect-Disease-and-Mite-Control/concentrate.html

Kim,
That really is a great plant space!
Kelly

Here Lowe's has BATS with and without fertilizer, a little cheaper without it. I wonder if it's what's left from last year?

Lin, Thanks as always for doing finding a great link. That product looks great, and although it is not the Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub, it looks better because it has no fertilizer. I poked around on that site and Alison is right: they have added fertilizer to their BATS product.

Sarah

I have the BATS without fertilizer but I think I might try that 3 in 1 to see how it works.

One of the reasons the mealies get away with growing on plants is because the plants don't get wet and the lack of aircirculation and because they are nasty!!! I spray with straight rubbing alcohol a couple of days in a row and I am sure to get all the crevices and nooks. BATS really does work and I don't see why fertilizer added with hurt all that much until you have recently fertilized....

Good luck...'tis the season!!!!

Carol, I'm glad you popped in on this, and to hear that you spray with straight rubbing alcohol. I've used a mixture of rubbing alcohol, neem oil, water and dish washing liquid and I was concerned that that solution was too harsh for the hoya leaves. Some of them look pretty ragged, but they may have come to me that way.

Sarah

I spray my hoyas and china doll about once a month with alcohol. I spritz around the pot on my AVs occasionally. Don't know if it helps, but don't think it could hurt.

Sarah...your mixture may be a bit of an overkill... the alcohol "dries" out the mealies (and anyother bug it hits). The oil and dishwashing liquid suffocate them by coating them and not allowing air. If I were to choose...I would use the alcohol as plants "breathe" thru the leaves (intake thru the bottom of the leaf and exhale thru the top - if I remember correctly). ... and that oil/soap solution can clog up that system. I use that formula on my citrus against aphids and mealies...but then I am spraying only a small portion of the tree whereas with hoyas you may be spraying a large portion. If you sprayed off the plant, really well, with warm water afterwards you could dilute the mixture even more....which is what I do when I spray for whitefly with that solution....but a really really weak solution.

Sorry if this is confusing...but...that's my state of mind right now..... :>)

Carol, I got that recipe from another DGer. I spray all parts of the plant, let it sit for an hour or so and then rinse off with warm water. Now that you know my whole treatment, do you think I can continue this way or is it still overkill, in your opinion?

Thanks.

Gee...that's a tough question. If it were me I would just use the alcohol and then drench with BTS if I suspected root mealies.

ROOT MEALIES? LOL. So much has changed since the last time I was into plants. Back then I just got a plant from the store, stuck it in a pot with some soil, watered it once a week, fertilized once a month and life was good. Now we've got different sorts of growing media, custom fertilizer mixes, custom bug treatments, etc, etc. Sheesh! I'm sure in for an education!?! LOL

Sarah

Over the years, I have used soapy water on my plants to get rid of bugs, learned that trick from a neighbor of my Mom's many years ago. I don't remember where I heard of using isopropyl alcohol for mealy bugs. I try to stay away from strong chemicals, mainly because we have cats in the family and I don't want to poison them, and chemicals also cause me to have breathing problems. I think many of the buggy critters, plant diseases, fungus etc. are all customized nowadays too, requiring the use of customized chemicals! Sorta like some of the bacteria that affect humans, some bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. As long as I don't have to pay a Plant Doctor for visit's, I'm good! LOL.

Sarah...maybe they were there before and you didn't see them....? HAHAHA Root mealies are in the soil, bright white and they suck the energy from the plant.

Thanks, Carol. I know what they are. I was just commenting on how easy things were years ago, and interestingly enough I didn't have bugs to deal with. Guess I was either lucky or naive. LOL

Sarah....I was kidding you. I think you're very correct...but i won't go into a tirade about our agricultural methods simply creating more and more pests resistant to all sorts of stuff and multiplying.... I do think that the simple measures are the most effective....