Is this a Mealybug and if so, how do I kill the little ***?

[No-Pro-mwa]

Squish em I tell ya. It will feel good.

[RandomGemini]

No-Pro-mwa: I got one of the little suckers with a q-tip and alcohol this morning! Felt good! I feel like a horrible person for wanting to wipe out the entire mealybug race at least, in my house. For all I know, they have some environmental importance, but I do not feel they have importance to MY environment, so their lives are forfeit! I also wished to inform the spiders in the house, that the treaty (which states that if I see them, I have the right to kill them with the nearest available piece of footwear) has been temporarily suspended, but since they don't talk, I don't think that's gonna work out. Hopefully they'll get them message when I don't kill them.

I just treated both the plants with some Bayer Rose and Flower which has imidacloprid, I ran that one by my vet yesterday morning and they told me this product has low odor (I didn't smell anything, but I have spring allergies, so maybe I just didn't notice) and should be safe around my dogs as long as the plants are not accessible to them while they are still wet and the dogs don't have a habit of eating the plants. No problem there.

So... now the masdie and the mini phal are both outside sitting inside a couple of spare pots I had previously cleaned and stored, to keep them off the concrete. I have the pots they were in soaking in bleach water. I chucked all of the old media into the bin and have new media soaking and I gave the new stuff a light spray of the insecticide.

I did not see any more adults, just the big one I found when I posted the pic on this thread and the one I found on the mini phal this morning. I rubbed both plants' leaves with cotton balls loaded with alcohol this morning and didn't find anything just that one mealy on the mini phal, that I took out without even thinking twice about it.

It IS war, after all. I wanted to take a much more delicate approach about this, but after discussing it with my husband and thinking it over... I'm now equating this to how I handle cleaning the bathrooms. I am all in favor of "green" cleaners, but when it comes to the toilet, bring on the bleach, baby!

---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

Found the adult mealybugs. They seem to have all been in the pots. I submerged the pots in bleach water, you know, just to be safe, and when I walked by just now, found five or so adult mealybugs floating on the surface.

All have met their maker at the hands of Captain Clorox! Muahahahaha!

[AnonYMouse]

You might want to tell the vendor. Just as a courtesy, in a way they don't get their hackles up. A reputable vendor/grower should appreciate it.

[RandomGemini]

I tried to contact the vendor but their website was having issues, so I contacted the organizers of the show and they said they would notify the vendor for me.

Now that I'm over being angry, I realize these things happen. Is it annoying? Yeah, but I have heard nothing but glowing reports of this vendor and the plants are in absolutely excellent shape, in spite of the hitch hikers.

[RandomGemini]

Just a quick update:

4 days later, no sign of mealybugs... so far, so good. It seems to have just been these two plants. I've examined my other plants and I don't see any other signs of an infestation on them.

[No-Pro-mwa]

They couldn't have had them long, I'll bet. Glad they seem to be on the way out. They can not live in my house either, only the jumping spiders. And the big cat eye spiders....well they get to go outside.

anything else.....squish. Especially Black Widows !!!!! I hate them Well I spray them with....... RAID !!!!!!

[lepetitmartien]

Randomgemini, if you see another mealie before 10-15 days after the spray, kill it with a water/alcohol/soap spray, or a brush loaded with alcohol, no need to treat again that fast. If there's still mealies around, they should be showing up after 10-15 days.That is the time you should treat again like it's written on the label (and better to alternate with another product to avoid resistance after 2 identical sprays). If after the last spray you don't see a mealie after a month or two, the case is closed.

Remember, water/alcohol/soap and a brush with alcohol can be used anytime if needed, are way safer for you, even if they may not be the ultimate solution that ends everything. You can control the invasion while respecting the shedule of treatments.

[dounoharm]

with a systemic, you DO need to treat with the SAME product at least 3 applications two weeks apart in order to control the newly hatched bugs....DO NOT ALTERNATE until you have followed the complete routine as on the product label!....after you have completed the routine applications as provided on the label, THEN you can begin altering insecticides....ALWAYS FOLLOW THE PRODUCT INSTRUCTIONS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS! hey, if you don't follow directions you are wasting time and money.....bugs can become immune to an insecticide if you only use one type insecticide over a period of MANY MONTHS TO YEARS....not by a few applications....on a routine basis, in the house, you are fine using a soap based insecticide whenever, as it is a contact insecticide....no immunity to soap! it suffocates, end of subject (bug)...use a systemic (3-4 applications) whenever moving plants back indoors....good luck!

[RandomGemini]

Thank you! I will remain vigilant and pick up a different insecticide for the next round. I've been keeping the alcohol next to these plants, just in case.

[RandomGemini]

Also a good point, dounoharm!