Bugs on Various Ethnos etc

[migraineur]

Hi guys,

I have some insect problems with my ethnos. I first noticed a small colony of cushiony cotton scale on some citrus trees and proceeded to squash the bastards. However, I noticed my B. Caapi, psychotria and another plant became affected as well as a small cactus which I put in the bin.

The believe one had some cottony cushion scale because I found white sacs under the leaves and there were small larvae along the veins of the leaves. I have been picking and scraping these off. However, there appears to be some soft or armored scale on the plant too. I picked most of these off but small ones still appear.

The B. Caapi appears to have some problems too. I believe it has the soft scale too. Some of the leaves also appear "pock marked" and I cut those off and put them in the bin but I noticed a few more leaves also have signs of these same marks. I'm guessing I should take these off also? However, it will leave me with minimal or maybe even no leaves on young plants.

One of my psychotrias had some of the cotton like sacks on a leaf or two and I cut these off. I think it might have some signs of soft scale too. I sprayed it with isopropyl alcohol and I think this has really damaged the plant

In addition, I am dealing with some scale on some of my trichocereus and dragon fruit.

Can anyone provide any advice on how to remove the bugs on these plants? I have read things online but what works for one plant doesn't work for others and can damage some. I experienced this when using the isopropyl alcohol. Some cacti don't seem to like white oil either although it kills bugs pretty well.

I apologise in advance for any language mistakes. I'm dealing with the effects of a migraine.

Edited July 11, 2012 by migraineur

[ThunderIdeal]

psyllids are a not so well-known plant pest which causes dimples in leaves, usually concentrated on fresh growth. removal and proper disposal of infected leaves is one of the best weapons. they devastate certain lilly pillies and if that's happening i'd suggest replacing with a psyllid resistance lilly pilly.

often what a psyllid infested plant benefits from is a little prune to cause lots of new growths. they might be relatively healthy after a prune, or you might want to monitor the new growth and remove infestations.

you can use confidor on psyllids and some of the others mentioned but you might be uncomfortable spraying a systemic on consumables.

make sure you don't confuse these guys for a pest, these aren't mealybugs but they do eat mealybugs eg friend

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mealybug_destroyer_new_zealand_karen-300x200.jpg

pyrethrum is the go. no danger of harm as with white oil. broad spectrum. doesn't enter the plant. it's like fly spray for plant pests.

some people use water and detergent instead of a solvent to dissolve their cuticle and dry them out. people make up pesticides from tobacco, chilli, etc.

[thistime]

i had trouble with mealy bugs on a gardenia (a pretty hardy plant ) and used a small amount of vegetable oil and a very small amount of dish washing liquid in a spray bottle. it worked. i think it suffocates them. maybe try on part of the plant at first to be sure it wont burn them ( can't see why it should though )

[apothecary]

Hi,

Hi guys,

I have some insect problems with my ethnos. I first noticed a small colony of cushiony cotton scale on some citrus trees and proceeded to squash the bastards. However, I noticed my B. Caapi, psychotria and another plant became affected as well as a small cactus which I put in the bin.

The believe one had some cottony cushion scale because I found white sacs under the leaves and there were small larvae along the veins of the leaves. I have been picking and scraping these off. However, there appears to be some soft or armored scale on the plant too. I picked most of these off but small ones still appear.

Make sure you have identified the right pests before you start any control methods. Google is a good tool for this

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7410.html

The B. Caapi appears to have some problems too. I believe it has the soft scale too. Some of the leaves also appear "pock marked" and I cut those off and put them in the bin but I noticed a few more leaves also have signs of these same marks. I'm guessing I should take these off also? However, it will leave me with minimal or maybe even no leaves on young plants.

When it comes to caapi you need to get the ants on your side. The plant naturally produces small yellow coloured nectar sacs on the underside of the leaves, which AFAIK is a mechanism to attract ants. The ants should protect the plant from most of its predators. Photos would help, all I can see is a shroomery thumbnail.

One of my psychotrias had some of the cotton like sacks on a leaf or two and I cut these off. I think it might have some signs of soft scale too. I sprayed it with isopropyl alcohol and I think this has really damaged the plant

Spraying alcohol on plants does not seem very smart to me.

In addition, I am dealing with some scale on some of my trichocereus and dragon fruit.

Can anyone provide any advice on how to remove the bugs on these plants? I have read things online but what works for one plant doesn't work for others and can damage some. I experienced this when using the isopropyl alcohol. Some cacti don't seem to like white oil either although it kills bugs pretty well.

The key is research, don't simply trust whatever you read wherever. If you find something claiming to work then ensure you verify it or test it in non-damaging ways. Searching the SAB forum is a very good place to start, as this is a question that has been asked many times before.

My advice is that pest management has a lot to do with the health and location of the plants, at least as much as pesticides or predatory insects. Especially in the average Aussie backyard where most pests have adapted to all the off-the-shelf stuff years ago.

* Make sure your plants are in a location/soil/temperature/humidity which is conducive to healthy growing but does not provide ideal conditions for any pest to setup shop. This is obviously different plant to plant so you need to do some homework but it is really important. If you are 'protecting' your plants too much then it's often an invitation for a colony to march in. Spidermites are a great example of this.

* If a plant suffers a major raid I will generally make an effort to reduce shock by carefully removing the insects and maybe minor quarantine rather than throw the plant away or start hacking at it with scissors. Nature works on equilibrium, so chances are insects will leave a plant alone rather than kill it and lose their food source. If the insects do become abundant in the garden my experience is that predator insects setup shop pretty quick and make short work of the problem insects. Making your garden hospitable to predator insects is a good idea.

* Watch what you're weeding. Weeds often provide a welcome distraction for various pests, if there is nothing but your beloved plants for pests to eat then you can't really begrudge them for having a nibble can you? This ties into making your garden hospitable for predator insects. You want the garden to be it's own ecosystem where everything including the pests are present but in equilibrium.

* If all else fails then do your research and apply the most specific and effective pesticides you can (my bias is towards fast-acting, non-systematic, repellant type stuff as I feel it's better to let the plants compete against the insects than trying to take them out of the picture completely).