Mealy bug friendly?

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Brian
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Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Brian »

I have been proud of my lack of mealy bug for the last couple of years. I have put this down to satisfactory use of neem oil, which I will be administering in a week or so once again. The greenhouse door and windows are left open as much as possible and I also like to put plants outdoors when the weather and space permit.

Mealy bugs seem to be fond of echeveria and some Crassula, on brief inspection today.

Fond of an easy life, should mealies return, can anybody advise mealy friendly cacti and succulents? Also which plants do they find very tasty? I am thinking that I will try and avoid plants which mealies are particularly fond of. I prefer to avoid spraying with chemicals.
Wilk
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Wilk »

I don't think it's a question of what they find tasty but which plants they can hide easiest on so as to avoid the needle of doom. The needle of doom finds it a lot more difficult to prod the little buggers on heavily spined plants. Of course, if you only buy baldy plants you will have a very dull collection so keep using the neem oil and inspect regularly like I do.

Out of interest how often do you use the neem?
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Carl »

Mealy bug will feed off anything if the need arises... I've been chasing the little sods round my home for the past year, it looks like I'm going to have to get rid of every possible plant they can eat in the house, so far I have found them on

Cacti cuttings, Seed Potatoes, Fruit (in the bowl...), Assorted Houseplants :evil:

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gerald
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by gerald »

Wilk wrote:I don't think it's a question of what they find tasty but which plants they can hide easiest on
I'd agree with this; avoid plants with heavy spination/wool that obscures the epidermis, and also those that produce offsets, as they hide in the cracks between mother and baby. Problem is that doesn't leave much left!
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iann
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by iann »

If you haven't got mealy bugs then spraying anything or nothing isn't going to change that. Rejoice and make huge efforts to make sure you don't reintroduce them ;)

If you do have them, don't chase them. Eradicate them. Do it once and save yourself a lot of effort. Some people seem to derive huge satisfaction from killing mealies, possibly even more from telling people about their preferred methods for doing it. Personally I prefer not killing mealies by not having any. So get yourself a suitable systemic insecticide, treat your whole collection with it. Then possibly treat it again after 6-12 months, or just be extremely vigilant in case you didn't get every last one. You could also thoroughly clean the areas where the plants live. It won't hurt although I'm not sure it is entirely necessary.
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Ali Baba
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Ali Baba »

I would agree heartily with Ian. Spraying when no pests are present is a waste of time and money. Quarantining and treating new plants is worthwhile to prevent accidentally reintroducing pests, I have successfully kept mealies (and false spider mites)out of my greenhouse for over 20 years using this approach. Remember mealies (and false spider mites) are not native pests in the UK so you cant get them unless you introduce them on something.
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IainS
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by IainS »

Some brilliant answers above. On the subject of quarantining a collection, the telling point here is self-discipline. For those who are familiar with the marshmallow test, perhaps the cacti/succulent version should be called the "mealy bug test".

The one and only mealy bug attack we've had - so far - has been on Graptopetalum bellus (Tacitus bellus). (I should add: "whilst in quarantine".)
"Avoidance doesn't work"
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Ali Baba
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Ali Baba »

As part of the quarantine process I remove all compost and dip the entire plant in provado. This seems to stop mealy bug completely, although it doesn't eliminate the need for quarantine for other pests
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IainS
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by IainS »

Ali Baba wrote:As part of the quarantine process I remove all compost and dip the entire plant in provado. This seems to stop mealy bug completely, although it doesn't eliminate the need for quarantine for other pests
Great. That really is the way to make sure. I don't go to quite those lengths - specifically referring to removal of all soil - but it's the way to eliminate risks, isn't it?! (Even if it does challenge my Scottishness. :wink: )

I will hopefully have a question for you next Monday morning.....
"Avoidance doesn't work"
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Re: Mealy bug friendly?

Post by Xannydoo »

I'm very interested in the mealy bug topic , and quarantine of plants. I have been having annual outbreaks of mealies over the last few years , usually in late summer and have treated with Confidor( imidacloprid )each time, as per instructions on the bottle which is three treatments two weeks apart. I would prefer not having to use this at all due to its toxicity to bees. Is neem oil better?
I like the idea of quarantine but not sure how long ? I agree that self discipline is most important but perhaps a bit lacking with me! At the moment I inspect all new plants and re-pot in my own mix but do not treat with anything. How long should I keep new plants away from my collection? All my plants are kept in a glasshouse, hot Australian summers and cold mountainous winters. Thanks for any advice.
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