Mealy Bug

[lhb2444]

Hello there forum peeps,

I went out browsing my ornamentals today and gave them a water for the first time a while and I've noticed some mealy bugs setting up shop on the growing tips which has me worried, It's been a while since I checked these plants so I've no idea how long they've been at it and not sure what I should do, It's a little stressful as anything I've found online tells me the mealies will pretty demolish my collection

So do mealies usually start off above ground or below ground? What should I be using to treat the mealies? and do I need to anything different if they're in the soil as well.

Just found this link here -> http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/reports/hIlandsc_rootmealyb.htm

"Hot Water Dips Kill

Research conducted by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has demonstrated that hot water dips alone or with insecticides work as insecticides such as Dursban WP and Marathon G. Watering plants prior to drench application will significantly reduce problems with phytotoxicity. Submerging potted Rhapis palms in 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) water until the internal root ball temperature reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) is 100 percent effective in killing root mealybugs and does not significantly affect the potted plants."

Anyone ever tried this for killing root mealies?

Edited September 5, 2013 by lhb2444

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Sounds cool and reasonably easy to setup during repots etc

[qualia]

mealy bugs i've found on the outside i've just squished off with my fingers, regular maintenance they won't get out of hand,

recently just found some root mealies, and did the hot water thing* with some plants, and am to try a drench of some sort once i get to bunnings on the weekend,

if you search the forums there's a few different methods, i remember EG mentioning metho or some sort of alcohol?

*although i just ran them in a dish under the hot water tap it's probably quite a bit warmer than 50ºC lol, probably just destroyed their roots oops

[AndyAmine.]

I would imagine adding some pure soap flakes to the drench would help a lot to get the hot water right through the root ball and hopefuly break down the powdery mealy coating.

I found a fully mature MONSTER mealy the other day, far out it looked like an alien. they really change their appearance looking more like a spiky caterpillar.

[Psyentist]

I don't know about root mealies but I had quite a problem ones on the growing tips of my psychotrias. All the new leaves were growing deformed and I was quite worried. There was a lot of any too, they were either eating the bugs or I have heard of ants farming mealy bugs.

Anyway, I found a soap based spray at bunnings that did the trick, had to treat them 3 times, and now they're looking awesome!

Just a quick question for anyone that might be reading this, is there a way to tell if you have root mealies without actually checking the roots? What are the warnings signs?

Good luck Ihb, there's nothing worse than seeing your babies get eaten before your eyes.

[Evil Genius]

Hi Guys, i usually use Imidacloprid against Mealies. Kills em good! ;) I use Metho against Spidermites but havent really tried soaking the roots with it so i am not so sure about its effectiveness against Mealies. .

Edited September 5, 2013 by Evil Genius

[M S Smith]

I've lived with root mealys forever. I suppose I could get better growth without them, but I'm too lazy to care since they don't kill the plant.

~Michael~

[AndyAmine.]

I agree MSSmith, I have learned to live with them.
They dont bother healthy plants too much, only the unhealthy ones.

I reckon I am yet to be given a well rooted cacti without them, there is always at least a few little white patches on the side of the pot when I pull them out.

Ants make it much worse though, so watch for them farming them like cattle.

Edited September 5, 2013 by AndyAmine.

[M S Smith]

Wish I had only a "few little patches," but luckily, no ants farming them.

~Michael~

[AndyAmine.]

I did say 'at least' lol., its usually a lot more.

Adding DE to your mix will help but Im not sure how long it will stay 'active'

Edited September 5, 2013 by AndyAmine.

[M S Smith]

Yeah, you certainly did. Sorry about the misread. I never tried DE, and I tend to stay away from anything that I might find harmful to myself or my pets. Usually once the plant stalls from needing more root space or new soil, or gets to tall for my pots, I cut the top foot off and re-root in fresh soil. Can't say that does anything to prevent a new infestation though.

~Michael~

[Sallubrious]

"Hot Water Dips Kill

 

Research conducted by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has demonstrated that hot water dips alone or with insecticides work as insecticides such as Dursban WP and Marathon G. Watering plants prior to drench application will significantly reduce problems with phytotoxicity. Submerging potted Rhapis palms in 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) water until the internal root ball temperature reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) is 100 percent effective in killing root mealybugs and does not significantly affect the potted plants."

Anyone ever tried this for killing root mealies?

So if you put them on a concrete slab or driveway etc in late January the mealies will be dead by mid afternoon.

Yes - being lazy has paid off again!

Edited September 6, 2013 by SallyD

[lhb2444]

All my trichs are roasting on the concrete as is and they don't seem infected Burn bitches!!!!!

Love'd all the response, this was possibly the most worried ive been for my babies in the 3 years ive been collecting after reading all the hype online but as always the truth shines through on these forums, I think i'll try a regime of confidor to kill these little suckers and if nothing else have learnt I should probably pay more attention to my ornamentals over winter and practice some sort of quarantine/pest control method such as always checking/repotting store bought plants etc etc.

I'll keep the thread updated with my progress

[Glass Roots]

I did say 'at least' lol., its usually a lot more.

Adding DE to your mix will help but Im not sure how long it will stay 'active'

To my knowledge there aren't any studies on the affects of DE on mealybugs.

This is the most related info I know of. This study shows that some insects are affected by the use of DE, but without knowing the affect on mealybugs it would just be a shot in the dark. It does let us know that DE is successful in the protection of grain storage.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022474X00000163

Secondly, DE would lose it's effectiveness as a desiccant when it became wet (say from watering your plants). There are also studies showing it to be essentially ineffective when being used as a barrier/insecticide to stop termites.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/gracek/pdfs/071.pdf

There is research showing that certain pesticide brands of DE do in fact affect the mortality rate in certain insects, but one should realize that many of these mixtures are not in fact just DE, but contain other ingredients such as pyrethrum, piperonyl butoxide, bitterbarkomycin, etc.

http://www.mbao.org/2006/06Proceedings/141NikpayApaper_for_MB_Conference_amin.pdf

http://spiru.cgahr.ksu.edu/proj/iwcspp/pdf2/9/6116.pdf

If you're wanting to try it out for yourself on non-decorative plants, make sure to get the food grade DE, as anything else wouldn't be safe for consumption.

My personal experience with DE is that it was completely ineffective with any outside pest I came across. Out of curiosity to see if there was absolutely any amount of the stuff that would work I trapped a couple different insects while completely engulfing them with DE. No noticeable change. I shouldn't have bought such a huge bag of it my first time trying it out. Oh well, live and learn.

Edited September 6, 2013 by Glass Roots