Mealy Bug Infestation, but what about the frogs?

[Ashby Chadburn]

Hello All. I grow my orchids in a greenhouse. I have recently acquired a serious mealy bug infestation. I have been battling this with SucreCare and Neem oil. I have slowed it down, but have not been able to cure the problem. I am tempted to set off an insecticide bomb in the greenhouse, but I hesitate because I have a very healthy family of tree frogs sharing my greenhouse. How can I protect them? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[nenella]

Sorry can't help at all but, get the frogs out first and put them somwhere else for a while?...

[zxyqu]

Maybe Camille will chime in here, but she had a similar problem, less the frogs, and here is the thread link.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...mealybugs.html

[Ray]

Ashby - how often are you treating with SucraShield, how are you applying it, and at what concentration?

[Ashby Chadburn]

The SucreCare calls for 1oz. or 2TBS per gallon. First I tried it alone and then I have been adding 2TBS. of Neem Oil with a spreader & sticker.

[camille1585]

If you read the thread that was posted, you'll see that I tried biological control. It worked really well in the beginning, but since I was using them indoors they never survived to adulthood. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri does really well when the temps are above 20C and in high (>60%) humidity, so it makes them really great for greenhouse use. You'll never achieve complete eradication of the mealies using predatory insects, but rather get the population down to an acceptable level.

Is it not an option for you to either remove the plants or the frogs in in order to treat the plants chemically?

[Ray]

But how often, Ashby?

No insecticide will kill 100% of the bugs on one application. In general, I recommend three applications at one-week intervals, thoroughly wetting all plant surfaces each time. If you get a mealy bug population in the root system, it can be even tougher to eradicate.

[Ashby Chadburn]

Thanks Ray and Camille. I have been spraying once a week for weeks. I am going to order the Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri and give that method a try. I'll let you know how effective it was.

[camille1585]

I can also ask my friend at the biological control company if there are any other beneficials she recommends in greenhouse conditions, but that also depends on the species of mealy bug. You can try to ID yours here. She gave me the Cryptolaemus as they were the most likely to do well indoors.

Cryptolaemus may or may not be the best one for you, I reread the info my friend gave me on it, and it works best in mealy hotspots, and not so well on long tailed mealies since there are no large egg masses for it to lay its eggs near.

[Ray]

If the roots of your plants have been colonized, it's gonna take a drench and soak.