mealy bugs- horticultural oil dunk?
 

hello
I have a mealy bug problem on a few of my plants mostly on a Mtassa Royal robe. I've been told to submerge the plants in soapy water but i've seen little success with the method (my rosemary still has aphids after a solid soaking) and my angraecum still had some mealy bugs after the same treatment. is it ok to dunk the entire plant in a solution of horticultural oil? I've been leaving this one alone while it blooms but its blossoms are pretty much done so i want to kill the bugs and get it in with the rest of my collection.

soaps (I like dawn the best, or that peppermint oil soap) and oils are ok on the veggies outside early in the morning for aphids....but if you have a major infestation on a plant you don't plan on eating, then use a systemic and kill the buggers! don't dilly dally messing with them till you have to toss your whole collection!

If you can take the plants outside and have no edible plants, I would also recommend spraying any plants you have in the home with the Bayer 3-in-1 systemic. That will usually take care of the problem (in one treatment!).

If you wish to go organic and only have a few plants, you can spray them well with olive oil in the evening and then gently wash the leaves with warm, soapy water in the morning to remove the olive oil. I have found this to be extremely effective for getting rid of all pests but it is very time consuming for a large, leafy collection.

I currently use Neem oil on my plant collection as I keep my plants inside the home, some of the plants are very sensitive to chemicals and most of my plants have edible leaves, flowers or fruit. Neem oil is completely safe for indoor use but it takes repetitive spraying to get rid of issues as it only kills on contact and doesn't harm eggs or anything that isn't covered by the Neem oil (it also has an interesting smell). Using the organic, safe methods tend to take much more effort than a systemic but they can be successful with constant diligence.

I have tried a number of things. The only thing that really works is to hit them with a systemic like Imaclporid. Spray the plant with it, soak the media and repeat after two weeks.

I’ve only had to deal with mealy bugs once, hated to use chemicals but followed advice from members here and used a systemic. Bayer 3 in 1 took care of my problem, fast! Neofinetia were fine afterwards. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again if necessary.

Mealies are especially resistant to "surface treatment" - their waxy coating will repel water, even with the addition of soap or even oil. Isopropyl alcohol (70%) sprayed on them works quite well - dissolves that coating, but will only get the adults that it hits, won't touch the eggs or larvae (so you have to do it again and again, and the eggs are probably down in the medium or in inaccessible crevices) So use the alcohol while the plant is in bloom, but it's a temporary fix. A systemic gets into the plant, and nails successive generations when they chomp onto it. Use that imidacloprid product (Bayer's Advanced 3-in-1 or equivalent) to have a longer term effect. And hit again in a week or so... once is not enough. Obviously keep it away from food, children and animals while you are spraying. Once dry, it's quite safe in the house since orchids are not on the menu (I hope!)