I have found I think Mealie bugs on most of my Hoya's so Yesterday I did everything I washed the pots w/ bleach I washed the plants with soapy water and a dunk them in the bleach water for a second than put in bowl and sprayed the heck out of them with Alcohol changed the dirt.
Now I am thinking a lot of my plants have them BBBBBBBBBBBBUT than again it might be perlite so What I am doing is throwing out the dirt get new pots put screens in the bottom with the string to wick. Dunk in soapy water spay them off and than I spay alcohol by the stem and base there's not a lot but I rather be safe than sorry I must have a fear of bugs and thing they are all over
After Susan gave me plants I don't want them to dye cause its so nice I can send pictures I think that there is only 6 so that is what I have been doing
When I feel if its soft some of them feel like salt hard oh well back to doing my plants
Hugs
Dimmer
I am Having the hardest time trying to decide
Kim,
Look at them with a magnifying glass.If they are mealie bugs you can see the legs.
Lynn
I agree with Lynn, look real close Kim... I tossed all of my hoya's last year after they got them... I could not get the darn things to go away...Keep them away from all your other plants... I got it from a nursery. When your plants were outside and you brought them in did you put anything in the soil and on the plant ???? I don't mean like bug spray in a can like Raid I mean like marathon, avid, or something like that???? I am so sorry Kim.... You may be fighting a loosing battle...
Hugs,
Susan
Well Its been 1 full day with the Hoya's and can't see a thing they are in an enclosed place So I am check to see if they come back
Susan that Stuff you gave me do you think I should put a 1/4 tsp on the soil also? Will it work Check you real email Susan tell me if it came to you with picture
I thing I am just wanting trouble HA HA ^_^
On the AV that I am changing everything I am putting that stuff in the soil
Thank for the Infor Girls
Kim,
I believe you can use the Marathon in the hoyas but it can also be watered out of the plant as it has to absorbed into the plant.. I am to tired to get up and look but I will read my book later on mealies bugs as I after I seen again in a week I just tossed the plants... It broke my heart to do it but at that time I was just starting with streps and I loved them more...LOLOL
I got the email Kim, good one ...
Hugs,
susan
Hello,
Dimmer, BATS(Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub) is a soil drench and works very well on mealies. One of my hoyas had a very light infestation year before last and I used this as a drench once and have not have problem since. It works.
There was a discussion about mealies on I think it was the Hoya forum the other day. We discovered that BATS now includes fertilizer but that they have another product for bugs only that does not have the fertilizer. I don't know how to link to other threads or I would point you to that discussion.
Sarah
Yes I had put it over there But now I was trying to fine out if Alcohol was OK to spray on AV plants
Well I did it I change the dirt clean the pots w/ soap fill with new dirt added screen to bottom and a string to wick and put them away from all my new Streps and AV So we will see the plants that have maybe the bugs were next to the Hoya it was about 6 of them
Thanks all for the infor I will keep you guys informed as how the plants are doing If they Live or Die .So the Hoya have had 1 full day and I see nothing yet so that's good
Dimmer
I use to have the amount you put to a gallon of water of the BATS and you can use on streps also but I can't find it..
Susan
Dimmer, I use Bayer Tree and Shrub on all my Hoya twice a year. I put 2 tablespoons in one gallon of water. Set trays or saucers under the pots when you water and let them sit at least 1 hour after you drench your soil. You want to make sure the plant takes up the water. My hoya are growing outside and I haven't seen any bugs or mealies on them since I started using it.
I haven't used it on my violets because I only have three big ones. The rest are all babies from leaves. You can use alcohol on them. Dip a Qtip in the alcohol and touch the mealie bug. It will die. If you have a major infestation, its best to get rid of plant.
Hope this helps.
Hi Kim,
I just finished (yesterday) dipping my collection. The product I found most helpfull was Enstar II. You mix 3 cc (mls) in a gallon of water. However, it is a commercial product & costs about $60/bottle. for someone with 50 plants or so it is a lifetime supple.
The important thing is timing. you get a tall narrow container ( I used a small wastebasket) & submerge each plant (wear gloves!!) until the bubbles stop. Then I had a kitty litter pan with a piece of plastic grid on top. I let the plants drip there. you can pour the extra back into the waste basket.
You must REPEAT the proceedure in 7 days to get the eggs left behind from the first dunking. this will eliminate mealies & everything else since it is an insect growth inhibitor. I tried Marathon first, which is way more expensive, but I still had a few plants with white fuzzies.I know what you mean about the perlite. If it is hard, it's perlite. Soft = bug. Marathon takes up to 10 days to work and is easily flushed out of the pot.
now I dip any new plants in the Enstar, repeat in 7 days, and after the last dip, I sprinkle Marathon in the pot.
No more mealies at my house!!
you will be mealie free.
is'ent that what the lawn services use? My son works for one of them & got me some of that & it works great.
bonnie
kivit,
Where did you buy yours?
Susan
I bought it locally at S & W Fertilizer (276-228-2521)here in Wytheville. They had to order it, and were very worried about the price. They wanted to make I knew how much it cost before they ordered it
You might find it chepaer on the web- just google Enstar II. It is very satisfying to see the mealies dry up & PERISH! Yea!
But you must repeat it on the 7th day or the little maly eggs will happily grow up! I forget about the repeat dunking, so I simply started over. ai had had them all dunked over a month ago. Then I found one live mealy on one plant. That's when I rememebered I'd not repeated the dipping. Also kills powdery mildew & everything else. I guess Marathon would work too but it took too long for me. I put it in after the second dip. That way, it can take all the time it wants! lol! And if I flush it out it's not a disaster. My streps now are all on drip pans, wicked or matted.
Bonnie, i dont know if that's what the lawn peopleuse but i know it sure works.
Oh! One note. Enstar DOES deform blossoms, so you might want to remove them. It doesnt keep doing it- just the ones on the plant at the time. they bloom beautifully afterwards- no sucking pests to drain energy.
Ok so Kivit you dunked the whole plant not just the soil part am I correct? I am going to look around for this stuff...LOL I want to have everything in the house in case I need it..LOL 3cc to one gallon of water... Thanks..
Hugs,
Susan
Ok, let me understand something(s!!!) . . . LOL ^_^ . . . You only dunk the rootball? How long does Enstar II remain effective after mixed in water? Meaning, I wouldn't dunk my whole collection at the same time, so would I be able to use the remains from the 1st dunking for the 2nd dunking the following week? Wouldn't adding Marathon afterward be overkill?
Just trying to understand the bug annihilation thing . . .
the entire plant goes under. you hold it until all the bubbles stop because then you know there are no mealies hiding in an air pocket. It kills any thrips in the blossom too. Does everything! I used gloves and tongs for the big plants that had to go deper than my gloves were long. It says to use it all up and not ave it, but as long as you shake it I think it will work. I used mine the next day. not good stuff to have hanging around though. I wore gloves & still got a rash, but I have super sensitive skin.
might be a good idea to wrap some acrylic stuffing (like the fluff in a pillow or plush animal) around the top of the soil. doesnt take very long before the dip water gets really nasty from spilled peat. That doesnt affect the action. It just makes your plants look pretty ugly covered with peat powder & perlite. you can brush them off with a soft brush the next day when they are dry. Even with all the debris on them, they perk right up after the dipping. I stuck any leaves I broke off. Who'se compulsive?? LOL!
on the label it says to use it as a spray but that is for a greenhouse application where you go in in a covered suit with a repirator. Some wherwe way along in the label it mentions submerging. you have to do the repeat and it is messy, but I have triedat least five other products and never ELIMINATED the pests. I would buy stuff "for mealies" and when I got it the label would say "CONTROLS mealies" . So I finally got smart ans started looking for"KILLS" mealies. Rob's Violet Barn recommends it. I'd not heard of it before. It's probably the only drug I would use now. I will report in another 7 days to see if all is well.
Kivit,
I know you must be tired of answering questions but have you used it on streps?
Susan
Back in the old days I used to dip the top of the plant in Malathion or Kelthane (sp?) and then just let a little run down into the soil.It never hurt anything,except me.Even with gloves a lot of insecticides are pretty bad to stick your hands in OR breathe too many fumes.My tcw.
I still say, Save your money on something like Enstar. That could be used for gessies. I use Bayers Advanced Tree and Shrub twice a year on my hoyas...just water it in although I follow the directions on the bottle (1 or 2 tablespoons a gallon) Gessies need the expensive stuff but hoyas don't................
I still spray everything I have outside about 3 times a year with Malathion..........very toxic so I wear long sleeves, gloves but it kills about anything!
susan,
I do have a few AV's from an occasional leaf sent as a gift, and the Russian Blue that bonnie bought for me, but my plant of choice is a strep. They are looking well this morning.