Mealybug Advice

[KristenJ]

I am hoping someone might be able to help me or guide me in the right direction. I apologize, this will be a long post. I have a nobile dendrobium that I absolutely love, but I have been battling mealybugs on it since I bought it. It was one of the first orchids I bought before I knew what to look for before buying them.

Once I realized that it was covered in these horrible insects, I started treating it with Rose RX, which is basically neem oil. This stuff works great on keeping pests off all of my outdoor plants. It has helped reduce the number of mealybugs I have noticed between waterings. I have not seen any egg sacs or large crawlers in a few months.

But recently 2 new canes have started growing & I have found 2-3 small crawlers per cane. I seem to have gotten rid of them on the old canes/leaves, but they come up with the new growth. So now I am worried that they are in my root system.

My questions are: should I unroot my nobile & try to repot it? If there are mealybugs in the roots/soil once I get it up, do I treat it with the neem oil & try to get rid of any bugs I can see manually as has worked for the canes? When I go to repot it: same size pot, larger, & I have no clue what kind of soil it is in, so soil type?

Also, any recommendations for using ladybugs? I have been told they will eat the mealybugs, but I cannot find any information if they will damage the canes in the process. & I have read in a Hawaiian dendrobium growing recommendations manual that I found, not to make the plant root bound because this encourages mealybug infestations. However, when I bought it I was told I wouldn't have to repot it for "awhile".

I know I am asking for a lot of help, I really appreciate any advice. Thanks so much!!!

[Leafmite]

Try a systemic. (I use Bayer rose systemic as I have roses). If you use a spray, it should be done outside with gloves. I use granular rose sysemic in the pots of my non-orchids/non-edibles and as long as I apply it every six weeks, the plants are left alone. Just follow the instructions and don't touch it directly. Good luck!

[Bud]

lets try a homemade remedy too...

10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
2 cups tepid water

put a stick of cinnamon inside the spraybottle
shake it and let it stand a bit

spray the whole plant soaking wet with the mix

make some more batch and soak the pot and media for 5 min to kill the eggs

do this again the following week

have a 2 weeks rest and repeat the two week regimen

isolate the plant from the other healthy ones for two weeks that you are doing this

*this doesnt harm pets or mammals...only insects...I spray this on flies, spiders, cockroaches and flying bugs...they drop dead upon contact with the spray

[camille1585]

To add to thz above, using natural enemies is great, but they only control populations, not eliminate. Ladybugs are not the best in your case. Mealybugs are not their preferred food source, and they really do better outside. There are other types of beneficial insects that are meant for mealies, and indoors.

[KristenJ]

Thank you all so much. I will give these suggestions a try & see how it goes.

[shadytrake]

Hi Kristen,

I live near your zone and mealybugs are a pain in the patootie.

Here is what I would do. If you haven't repotted since you bought it, pull it out of the pot. Nobile hybrids are pretty hardy.

Soak the entire plant in a bucket of plain water first and hose it off away from your other orchids.

Then there are several methods to get rid of the adults and all work just fine (the soapy dish liquid etc. etc.). You can also use 1 part formula 409 (plain) to 3 parts water in a spray bottle and douse the whole plant.

These only work to get rid of them temporarily. If you have eggs or infestation in the medium (throw the medium out and start with fresh).

After repotting, mix up a batch of the Bayer Advanced (3 in 1 concentrate) All in one Rose and Flower care. It is a systemic (through the roots) and will have a continuous cycle for 6 weeks after application.

I am a Bayer believer. The concentrate is about $30 for the 32 oz bottle and I am on the same bottle that I purchased in August 2009. One cap full to 3 gallons is how I usually mix it.

Dunk the orchid and medium all the way and let sit for a minute. Pull it out and repeat and then maybe treat one more time after 1 week.

Voila! No more bugs. I have had very few bug problems since using this method and we are only 7 hours and 1 zone apart.

Now an important side note - if you grow outside or in a shadehouse with a screen, you should treat your surrounding shrubs too. Mealys LOVE Privet Hedge, Boxwoods, Azaleas, Pyracanthe, Gardenias, and other types of popular southern shrubs. If you treat them all, then you won't have carry over to the orchids later on.

Otherwise, they will try to migrate back...nasty suckers.

Good luck!

[KristenJ]

I just wanted to update in case anyone else faces a similar problem. Thank you Bud! I wanted to try an organic approach first and it worked like a charm. I've done it twice, but after the first soak I have not seen a single mealybug. Thank you!!!