Mealy bugs how did they get there? - Orchid Board

JerseyGirlBecky · #1 11-03-2011, 03:03 PM

I found a couple of mealy bugs on two of my Phals. I do not have any new ones and have had these about three years. I did not put them out this summer and they are separate from the catts. I did put them out. Where in the heck did they come from? I sprayed them with the Bayer 3 N 1, and will do it again in a couple of days. The Catts show no sign of them and are in another room. Strange!

tucker85 · #2 11-03-2011, 03:05 PM

It's a mystery to me. They seem to be able to just show up out of nowhere. They aren't too hard to get rid of though. Good luck.

WhiteRabbit · #3 11-03-2011, 09:25 PM

they're evil

I had a pest invasion on a couple indoor only plants this year, with no new plants in the mix - don't know where the heck they came from. I wonder if perhaps we bring pests in on our clothes, perhaps ?

camille1585 · #4 11-04-2011, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucker85

It's a mystery to me. They seem to be able to just show up out of nowhere. They aren't too hard to get rid of though. Good luck.

My experience has been quite the opposite, they are very hard to eradicate. I've been battling them for over 3 years. I rotate insecticide chemical classes, each time I spray the plants several times at 2-3 week intervals, then I'm safe for a month or two before they start popping back up again. There is no getting rid of them! All I can do is keep them at manageable levels, ie, a few here or there.

Arenalbotanicalgarden · #5 11-04-2011, 06:16 AM

Nicotine sulfate.

JerseyGirlBecky · #6 11-04-2011, 08:18 AM

I did have them last year on a couple of phals. I sprayed them with the Bayer and even repotted all of them. Even sprayed the roots and the medium. Maybe they were still hiding somewhere. Eggs maybe? But wouldn't the Bayer kill the eggs also? I did the spray three times a week apart. Not the roots though. Only once with them when I repotted.

Apo_Orchid · #7 11-04-2011, 08:51 AM

Nicotine sulfate.
Health Hazard!!!!!!!
It is classified as super toxic. Probable oral lethal dose in humans is less than 5 mg/kg (less than 7 drops) for a 70 kg (150 lb.) person. Death is possible from respiratory failure caused by paralysis of the respiratory muscles. (EPA, 1998)

littlefrog · #8 11-04-2011, 09:14 AM

Also transmits tobacco mosaic virus if derived from tobacco, which I think most nicotine is. It is cheaper than synthesizing it.

Mealies have spaceships behind the moon, and they beam in like Star Trek away teams. That is my theory and I'm sticking to it.

camille1585 · #9 11-04-2011, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlefrog

Mealies have spaceships behind the moon, and they beam in like Star Trek away teams. That is my theory and I'm sticking to it.

I LOVE your theory!

camille1585 · #10 11-04-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apo_Orchid

Nicotine sulfate.
Health Hazard!!!!!!!
It is classified as super toxic. Probable oral lethal dose in humans is less than 5 mg/kg (less than 7 drops) for a 70 kg (150 lb.) person. Death is possible from respiratory failure caused by paralysis of the respiratory muscles. (EPA, 1998)

I agree, it's dangerous, dangerous stuff. I read that getting some on your skin will kill you, and at the very least make you very very sick.

It can be produced synthetically, but in France it's very common for people to soak cigarette butts in water and then boil it down to concentrate the nicotine. Kills bugs fast, but there's a high risk of TMV transmission.

I use imidacloprid based systemic insecticide in my rotation, and from what I read it's analog to nicotine as it targets the same receptors in the insect.