hostilis Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) So, I found some scale on my little seedlings. I don't want to take a toothbrush to them since they're too delicate. I also have found some yellowish crawling bugs on a few of them and then black bugs in the soil. I laced the soil with predatory nematodes just a few days ago before i even noticed the scale to take care of the bugs in the soil, but i'm not sure if scale has a soil stage when they're young. I'm not sure how to take care of the scale at this point being on such small seedlings. Any ideas (other than harsh chems like pyrethrum) on how to treat small delicate seedlings for scale? Here are some pictures of the trich seedlings with the scale. I put arrows pointing towards them, They look like weird fossils or something. And there are some yellow bugs on this loph. The stock has white growths on it (pereskiopsis) I washed off all the yellow bugs into the sink, treated the soil with nematodes. I would hate to have to spray these with pyrethrum again since it ended badly last time. Also, my pereskiopsis have been getting weird blister looking things on them and then the skin starts to turn greyish white after a while. It doesn't look like any bugs on them, but is this a side effect of scale? Edited February 25, 2014 by hostilis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quarterflesh Posted February 25, 2014 The o'l toothbrush has never failed me, i doubt you would hurt the cactus to much if you're gentle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
interbeing Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) That's mealybug Edit- on the trichocereus. Edited February 25, 2014 by interbeing 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellonasty Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Ahhhhhhhhhhh Mealies !!!!!!!! Yep mealie bug on the Trichocereus. Treat them with a systemic right away, don't bugger around with other treatments or you risk a massive infestation that will spread like bush fire! Only a systemic insecticide will 100% get rid of them. The bugs on the Loph I would just use a hard blast of water to remove. Edited February 25, 2014 by Hellonasty 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted February 25, 2014 Oh god.... I hate these bugs!!! Luckily these were only found in seedling pots that are segregated from all my other plants. There are also tons of little black bugs in the soil. IDK if they're like larval forms of them or what. Thanks for letting me know (and crushing my spirit) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah, those are root mealies. If you don't use a systematic pesticide, you will not get rid of them again. They are a biblical Plague for cactus growers. Not life threatening, but ridiculously annoying. I use Imidacloprid/Confidor to kill them. Kills em good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted February 25, 2014 You don't think that the predatory nematodes in the soil will kill them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted February 26, 2014 I got some "Tree and Shrub Systemic Insecticide" from zamzows. It is plain old imidacloprid. It's pretty strong though being at 1.47% Do any of you know a good concentration to use? Will this stuff damage plants at all if concentrations are too high? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zelly Posted February 26, 2014 read up on it here: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/imidacloprid.html and try to find the label pdf for the brand you have..... here's a pdf on a brand containing 22.6 % Imidacloprid http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld93I000.pdf 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hostilis Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) http://zamzowsonline.com/3732113609.html This is the brand I'm using. I'm currently trying to find the label PDF. I have the label here to look at myself. Idk if you wanted to see the PDF or what, but I appreciate the help. Edited February 26, 2014 by hostilis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Optimystic Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) do you think those yellow bugs are scale crawlers or thrips? thrips move alot faster.. i get brown scale crawlers twice a year but they are ez to control... they can kill leaves on pereskies but otherwise they don't hurt much... i've seen very few scale latch onto a tricho scion, and they pretty much dry up and die without leaving any evidence they were ever there... but if they are brown scale crawlers i'd check the stock, even at the base near the soil line to make sure theres no mamas, cause they have ALOT of babies... ez to control tho just gotta catch them early or it can get messy... they also leave blisters on pereskie leaves but thrips probably do the same thing... they usually take a bite here and there and move on.. The scale usually attack one variety of pereskie I have, which is not the one you have... they otherwise only bother the leaves on the type you have (the larger leaf variety which I think are Spathulata, Vellutina and Porterii that have that tissue type, in other words the more common types in the states) I've been spraying all my pereskies with azamax throughout the year, especially during the 2 main season changes, when it gets cold, when it gets warm, and have had very few problems...(when they wake up, and when they want to find a warm spot, they fall on my window I think from a tree) but like I said in another thread, if I see one or two, and its warm enough outside i go find a lacewing larva or a ladybeetle and transport them to the pereskie department.. then I lookout for when they mutate and I release the lacewings back into the wild, so they don't end up on a sticky traps... now I see lacewings everywhere I go... they're like little angels Found a ladybeetle in the house yesterday and I saw a thrip so you know where she went when I get really bored, I grab a toothpick, roll the tip on a sticky trap, and I play steady hand poker... last year I saw a damaged graft tip, and then I saw a thrip, then I saw another thrip, so I took that graft to the bathroom and I chased them with a toothpick for about 15 minutes... then I washed off the graft, and put it back.. I didnt see another bug for weeks... sometimes you get lucky like that... they don't have many places to hide with cacti but they like to hide under aereole hair... in the morning times they'll often run around on the scion tips... if you see bite marks or little black pimples its probably thrips... they can also make the tip look like its been scraped.. since I keep the pereskies sprayed now I only find an occasional dead bug on a peres... best of luck you should be able to contain those pretty ez... where im at you pretty much get used to it during the season change but it did freak me out at first.. I do find it odd that they are screwing around with seedling... maybe put some pretty flowers nearby to attract the thrips away i've been thinking about trying that since they are called "Western flower thrips" eh ... of course theres other types... Both of those pests are not a problem for outdoor plants... thats why I never worry cause its seasonal and I usually spot them right before its the best time to go outdoors... the thing is if you put them under a tree, whatever falls out of that tree will fall down to the plants, but here I see thrips first , then a week later the lacewing larvae and other helpers come to the rescue... if a few make it indoors through the window during the wintertime its very few... I have had a problem where I use outdoor pereskies, and bring them in to graft and then find little bugs munching around the base of a fresh scion but even most of those plants have survived just fine... Edited February 26, 2014 by Spine Collector Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
