Root mealy bugs on lithops

[Jura]

Hey all!

So I've received big shipment of lithops yesterday and decided to pot them up today. It had to be halted because I spotted wolly bits on the roots. Mature lithops are okay, but all the small ones had this.

Now if it is root mealies I'll be annoyed beyond belief. I've never had root mealies and neither of lithops are going to leave the house to make sure that it's not introduced in my greenhouse.

So what are my options? I currently have them immersed in insecticide solution and I won't take them out for a while...... please see the photo and confirm that my state of panic is justified...

[juster]

I think you're right, it looks like root mealies. It's pretty bad to send them to you like that, can you get a refund?

[Stuart]

I've had conversations recently when it's been suggested that a lot of what we think is root mealy is in fact normal ones that have gone underground. The only easily available treatment is Bug Clear Ultra, not sure how effective it is though. There's a wholesale nursery 'overseas' where there's thousands of Lithops, all with root mealy, it has a smell that is the first alert. The plants are less than two years old but it has spread throughout the plants which shows how fast it can spread from pot to pot even when the pots are in plastic liner trays. The trouble is that the plants look fine and healthy above the soil surface. I've bought plants at ELK and found them covered in root mealy with no hint of any problem without taking the plants out of the pot first and nurseries wouldn't like me checking the roots before I bought a plant. However, if I'm buying from wholesale nurseries, I'll always check two plants in each tray for root mealy, however healthy they look. I'm assuming the plant in the photo is from a pot containing a few plants and can probably guess where it originated.

Stuart

[Jura]

Stuart, I'm not the one to slam sellers publicly is there any chance you can let me know privately which nursery is that? I'm afraid it might be the same one.

I'll more than likely gonna have to ask for a refund and look for another seller that would be more reputable....

I'm actually sick worried.

Indeed these plants were planted in organic soil and in a bunch. However I also got bigger plants,that seems to be healthy, no signs of any root mealy activity at all. I've got an advise from Willy Verheulpen to pot them up in 100% inorganic soil and hope for the best... I soaked them in insecticide too... the dread is real because I have so many expensive plants.......

[iann]

Looks like root mealies, but hard to be sure from that photo. There are other "woolly" things that might be on the roots, so you need to find an actual mealy to be sure. Or an above-ground version, either way. The root mealies are slightly smaller and don't have such noticeable "fringes" down the sides or any long tails, but still very obviously mealies.

Bug Clear Ultra should get rid of them. Possibly they are resistant, so you might want to also use a different insecticide, then between the two you should get them all. Maybe soak in whatever you have now, then use a systemic a a soil drench in the spring. Note that "Bug Clear Ultra" is not all created equal. There is a Bug Clear Ultra 2 which is not a systemic. I think you can still get Bug Clear Ultra Vine Weevil killer which is good as a soil drench.

[Jura]

I soaked them in thiamethoxham, I had imidacloprid but I ran out I had acetamiprid but don't know where I put that.... I did see the bugs as well, they were attached to the neck of the root very firmly. It seems that I washed off about 90% but that's not to say that there are no eggs in there... they are separate from any plant for now and it seems like its going to be an uphill battle for me..

Edit: also have dursban, but wondering if this should be used

[habanerocat]

I don't have lithops but my solution for root mealy is:

Wash all the soil off, every last bit, with hot soapy water.
Trim back any damaged roots.
Allow to dry fully for a couple of days.
Submerge in methylated spirits for 30 seconds.
Wash off again with hot soapy water.
Allow dry again.
Pot up and keep segregated.
Monitor root ball once established again. Six month or more.

It's a battle but you can win it......

[SimonT]

Unless these are super-special plants, I'd just ask for a refund. Then discard all the plants from that order.
Otherwise, if your treatments are not 100% successful, and the surviving bugs get into your collection, you will end up with a much bigger problem. I don't think it is worth the risk or the bother.

[Chris L]

If I'd bought plants from a nursery and found they had mealies like that I'd be asking for a refund too.

If you want to keep instead, then methelated spirits (and crossed fingers) is the only surefire way (read 99.9999% certainty) of getting rid of them.

[Jura]

If I'd bought plants from a nursery and found they had mealies like that I'd be asking for a refund too.

If you want to keep instead, then methelated spirits (and crossed fingers) is the only surefire way (read 99.9999% certainty) of getting rid of them.

I've talked to the seller,didnt go all too well, never gonna buy any plants from him ever again and I've decided that I'll keep them (otherwise its 90 euro in the bin) and will try to save them, all plants as of now are moved out to the greenhouse, only lithops left..I hope mealy bugs don't transfer by air

I'll try methylated spirit tomorrow, do I need to dilute it or just use it straight from the bottle? How long should I keep roots in before root mealies get destroyed?