Mealybug HELP!

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
owlsgomoo
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Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

A routine check of my cacti has shown one of my cacti (Austrocylindropuntia subulata) has mealybug. At least that is what I have identified them as. There are a few little "cotton wool" patches and I can see a few of the beasties, very small (I had assumed they would be larger!) and with the naked eye, as best as I can judge they look like the images on this site.

WHAT DO I DO!?

I thought that them being indoor cacti and never going outside would mean they stay pest free, evidently not.

What can I do instantly (do I rinse them off?) And what can I use to treat them? Also, will I need to treat my others that live very close by?
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majcka
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by majcka »

That beasties are pretty resistant. I crush them with toothpick and then I spray them with spirit and Biokill - that is something that is lethal for bugs but not for human.
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owlsgomoo
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

Is that available in the UK,or is there a UK alternative?

I have read methylated spirits can work, is this a good idea?

Do I need to re pot it and remove the soil (and check for them in the roots?)
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majcka
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by majcka »

Alternative would be a hommade thing with water, soap and cigarette. It goes like that:

1 liter of water
1 cigarete tobaco
drop of liquide soap.

Mix all of that and live for a week. Then you can water your cacti with it or if you filtrate it you can spray them.

Other alternative for UK are not familiar to me bacause I don't live there. Sorry.
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owlsgomoo
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

Thanks for your advice, majcka.
iann
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by iann »

Biokill is Permethrin. You can get it in the UK,. but it is not the best thing against mealies. Might be considered safe for humans but don't eat it! Nicotine is not safe for humans ;) Methylated spirit can be used but is a bit harsh on plants. The safest seems to be US rubbing alcohol, not readily availe in the UK but you can find it as Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning things like electronics.

In the UK, find Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, Provado Vine weevil Killer, Westland something-or-other (they keep changing the name, but it contains Thiomethoxam), or Scotts Bug Clear Ultra (and similar names, containing Acetamiprid). They all come in spray bottles, but water the plant with the liquid. It is systemic and the plant will become toxic to all insects for several months. You can also spray if you like and can see mealies but they are fairly well protected. If you have a lot of plants you can buy concentrated versions of those insecticides rather than buying ten spray bottles.

Also treat any other cacti that you have since baby mealies will probably have found them too. You probably want to treat them again next year in case anything survived. Learn to inspect new plants carefully. Most succulents from garden centres of B&Q are infected with mealies, and even on more rigorously treated plants it only takes one adult female and you will have an infestation.
--ian
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by Steve Johnson »

It really helps to become practiced at being a c&s inspector by doing this: Get a hand-held magnifier -- I think 3X magnification is pretty standard, and you should be able to buy one wherever you can also find over-the-counter reading glasses. Here in the US we have places like CVS and Rite Aid where these items are easy to find, so I'm sure you won't have much problem with their UK and European equivalents. The pests that like to attack cacti can be difficult (or near impossible) to detect with the naked eye. Red spider mites are the toughest to spot since they're so freakin' tiny. While adult mealies are easier to see just by eye, spotting their babies are also more of a challenge. A 3X magnifier will leave you no doubt about whether or not you have a pest problem.
iann wrote:Learn to inspect new plants carefully. Most succulents from garden centres of B&Q are infected with mealies, and even on more rigorously treated plants it only takes one adult female and you will have an infestation.
Excellent advice -- if you're not already using one, this visual aid should be considered indispensible to your cultivation tool kit.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
owlsgomoo
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

Thanks for the advice everyone. Will get some of the Provado stuff when I next can. If I am using it to water them with how much am I to use? My cacti are pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

I have used a basic oil, liquid soap and water mix I found on a variety of sites and it has made removing the mealybugs much easier. I noticed after leaving them for an hour or so they had gone from the greyish colour to a pinkish red colour, does that mean they are dead?
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by iann »

I noticed after leaving them for an hour or so they had gone from the greyish colour to a pinkish red colour, does that mean they are dead?
No, just cleaner :lol: Mealies are pink, but they appear grey because they have a waxy coating, and sometimes cotton too. You washed them, but you might have killed them too because oil or soap will suffocate them. It is a fools game though, because you'll struggle to kill them all that way, and you absolutely won't kill all the nymphs that are highly mobile but barely visible white specks
--ian
owlsgomoo
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

Cleaner? :lol: So not only does it want to eat my cacti but I reward it by giving it a bath?!

I can't get hold of Provado until Thursday so for now I just want to get rid of the ones I can see, cos quite frankly, they are creepy little things!

I will treat all my cacti once I get it, any advice on how much I am water them with?
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hegar
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by hegar »

I assume, that you are growing your cacti in pots. Although I am not growing these plants in containers, I would water them with the systemic insecticide - if you intend to do a soil drench - until the water comes out of the bottom of the pot. That way all the soil will have the insecticide incorporated.
On the other hand, plants are also able to pick up and translocate systemic pesticides through their stomates, but the result will be much better, if the roots pick up the insecticide and then distribute it throughout the plant. That way you will also destroy any root mealies lurking below the soil surface.

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owlsgomoo
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by owlsgomoo »

Thanks for everyone's help, much appreciated! I have got hold of some Provado Ultimate Bug Killer (which clearly states it works on mealybugs, WIN!) I intend on treating each of my cacti with it.

If I choose to water them with it what ratio of bug killer to water should I use? Is it necessary to spray them too or would that be overkill?

Thanks,
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by Steve Johnson »

owlsgomoo wrote:Thanks for everyone's help, much appreciated! I have got hold of some Provado Ultimate Bug Killer (which clearly states it works on mealybugs, WIN!) I intend on treating each of my cacti with it.

If I choose to water them with it what ratio of bug killer to water should I use? Is it necessary to spray them too or would that be overkill?

Thanks,
The label on a 400 ml bottle of Provado states that it will treat up to 27 liters of water. If the bottle doesn't actually give you a per-liter ratio, I believe it should come out at 15 ml. Use it at the same ratio as any other plants indicated on the product. Here in the US we use Imidacloprid, which is effectively the same as your thiacloprid. In fact, it's really difficult to overdose cacti on the stuff, so you won't have to worry about whether the ratio should be lower. If you're using a soil soak, spraying is unnecessary. By the way, if you have a good supply of rainwater, use it to dilute the Provado. Our municipal water system is hard, and if your tap water is the same it may work against full absorption of the active ingredient through your plants' roots.

Turn your mealies dead, not pink! :wink:
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iann
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by iann »

The recommended dilution for Thiacloprid and Imidacloprid is slightly different but not enough that you should worry about it.

If your product is labelled for use as a soil drench (ie. vine weevils) then follow the instructions. If not then just use at the dilution for spraying and water normally, which means until all the soil is wet. No need to run gallons of it through the pot but make sure the pot is moist pretty much right through. Really you want to be providing sufficient poison for the size of the plant body, but with all the variables you just can't be that precise. Certainly provide more for a 10" Ferocactus than a 2" Mammillaria though. Moistening the whole rootball should be more than enough for any cactus.
--ian
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Aichybatoal
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Re: Mealybug HELP!

Post by Aichybatoal »

In a (successful) attempt to rid my MAMMILLARIA SP. of these suckers, I removed all of the wool from the top of it. Now, I'm afraid it won't grow spines! Should I not have done that?
Last edited by Aichybatoal on Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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