Mealybug random question...

[Suzanne17]

Found my first mealy today. Lone soldier, but I'm sure he's not alone. I swiped him off with isopropyl and treated the crown and the one area of fuzz I saw. Question- how many of you go straight to napalm...er, insecticidal soap?

My recent binge of paphs isn't helping me too- no quarantine space! Poor Dtps/Phal Chia-Shing Royal is hanging in the bathroom with south light .


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[RandomGemini]

If insecticidal soap is napalm, then I went for the thermonuclear device and sprayed down my infested plants with Bayer Rose and Flower.

Turns out, that Bayer Rose and Flower is the same chemical used in most common flea medications for dogs and cats. Who knew?

Since that stuff is in my house anyway, I had no problems using it on my plants to kill mealies.

[Suzanne17]

Ooh, is insecticidal soap not the big guns? I thought that was what the book said (orchids for dummies...my little bible). Whee, I get to go shopping again!


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[RandomGemini]

I think that the insecticidal soap works just fine, it's just that when I treated I had to use something that was safe around my elderly dog and she was already exposed to the chemical in bayer rose and flower, so that's what I used on my plants.

[Suzanne17]

Gotcha. I think I might pick up some horticultural oil when I go to the garden center (I need some floral tape and stakes)- and make an alcohol/water/oil/dish soap mix a la AOS and treat it when I repot it tomorrow unless I see signs of a big infestation.


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[tucker85]

I think your alcohol treatment is probably fine for a few mealy bugs. When you notice a problem, always check the underside of every leaf. That's where they normally hide. In fact if I see a bug or two I'll usually spray the underside of the leaves with alcohol or insecticide soap. The soap is not a poison so it's not one of the big guns. By the way those little hand sprayers from Home Depot that cost about $3.00 have a screw on sprayer that fits generic isopropyl alcohol bottles. The pickup tube is a little long but it will bend over.

[Suzanne17]

Ok. I did check the leaves. I'll spray with the soap and leave it alone. I'd rather not repot if I can because she's budding. Once sprayed and dried can I move back to the general area? I know I need to recheck in 10-14 days.


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[RandomGemini]

You SHOULD repot. I would go ahead and do it now. If we're talking about a Phal, it won't set the plant back much, if at all. I have repotted phals in bloom without issues. It's usually my practice to repot a phal when I get it home, even if it's blooming.

I'd rather repot at a bad time and have the buds blast and have to wait for next year, than have my collection get infested with mealies. I hate those suckers, they're gross. LOL!

[RJSquirrel]

I also look between the leaves at the base were its very tight. they like tight places to squeeze into. I can spread the leaves gently with a skewer and use a flashlight and 40x loupe to see what is hard to see with the naked eye...thas how squirrels find a mealy and then he throws away the skewer after every plant so as not to spread eggs around if they are bugs to be smached.

[Suzanne17]

Shudder! Ugh! Ok, repot, spray with insecticide soap while I'm at it, check all of the areas...move back to general area?


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