Immortal Mealy Bugs!!!

[Starla]

Seriously I have NO IDEA what else to try. They are spreading and I have lost 4 orchids since christmas.

Come on people, what ACTUALLY works to kill the fluffy little b*****ds?!

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by Starla

Seriously I have NO IDEA what else to try. They are spreading and I have lost 4 orchids since christmas.

Come on people, what ACTUALLY works to kill the fluffy little b*****ds?!

Mealy bugs are easy. I have a whole closet full of mealy bug poisons. Have you tried - imidacloprid or bifenthrin?

North Jersey Orchid Society

I see also Kinoprene and Azadirachtin listed here:
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/entml2/mf3001.pdf

[Starla]

Tried bifenthrin and still they live! Also tried pyrethrum which i was lead to believe killed EVERYTHING but they are still here.

All infected plants spent a frosty night outside and it looks like that might have done the trick. Now heres to hoping the frost hasnt killed the plants...

[DavidCampen]

Bifenthrin is a synthetic pyrethroid so if bifenthrin didn't work then pyrethrum is also unlikely to work.

Imidacloprid would likely be more effective.

But with mealybugs you often need to make several treatments each spaced a week apart.

Kinoprene is an insect juvenile hormone so it is non toxic to anything but insects, it can help to use Kinoprene in the weeks folowing imidacloprid or bifenthrin treatments.

[Leafmite]

Use a systemic of some type. It is drawn into the plant, stays in the plant for a while, and this makes it very effective. I always had trouble with certain other houseplants and so, a few times a year, I treat them (not herbs or fruiting plants) with a granular rose systemic. I have no scale, aphids, spidermites, or mealies on any of the treated plants.
Leafmite

---------- Post added at 12:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:52 PM ----------

The systemic didn't work? Maybe they are resistant.
Leafmite

[DavidCampen]

Imidacloprid is a systemic but I don't think she tried that. Bifenthrin and pyrethrum which she did try are not systemics.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Isopropyl alcohol works like a charm. Use straight up. Do not dilute. Easy, effective, accessible, and inexpensive.

[Gin]

I use Bayer Tree and shrub ( imidacloprid ) also have used the granular systemic on my daughters Phals. label says kills spider mites. I thought yeah right ! surprise it did . Have to stay at it, take no prisoners ..

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by Gin

I use Bayer Tree and shrub ( imidacloprid ) also have used the granular systemic on my daughters Phals. label says kills spider mites. I thought yeah right ! surprise it did . Have to stay at it, take no prisoners ..

The Bayer Tree and Shrub label says that it is effective on spider mites? I will have to read that label. A common opinion has been that imidacloprid is not only ineffective on spider mites but actually boosts spider mite egg production.
http://aenews.wsu.edu/Jan02AENews/Da...idJamesPDF.pdf

[camille1585]

I had mealies for 3 years (and occasionally still have some pop up) and if the infestation is bad, rubbing alcohol is NOT enough. Good to get the stray ones I get lately or a very mild infestation, but not good enough for an invasion of larger scale. In that case a systemic insecticide is really necessary.

Two that I used very successfully are imidacloprid and acetamiprid (same chemical family). I find the 2nd one more effective though because it also has a strong contact killing effect. That way it kills most within 24 hours, and once the systemic action kicks in then it finishes them off. The only issue is that on the packaging it's mentioned to do no more than 4 treatments a year.