root mealybugs

[fantomka]

Good day good people! So...root mealybugs...persistent and stubborn little creatures aren\'t they...atm I even like mosquitos more... I have this problem for months now,and did research and took advices from other people,but they keep coming back no matter what I do... I treated the plants with soap,alcohol,hot water,24h water dipping,neem,homemade insecticides and pesticides...you name it...and they still keep coming back or not leaving at all Ofc I change the potting mix and the pots before repotting ( which leaves me with a lot of potting mix to throw away ). So...how long would I need to bake the mix in order to get rid of the bugs and larva? Would you even recommend it? Should I treat the plants with something else? Should I do the drench with some neem or so? Many thanks in advance!!! I really appreciate your opinion

[cactushobbyman]

If possible wash off the roots of all soil and let dry for a few days. You can even clean the plant with alcohol. Keep out of sun. To have sterile soil I believe you microwave to 165 degrees F. Cool off and repot. Keep away from other plants and see what happens. Try adding Bonide Product 951 Systemic House Plant Insect Control 8 Oz.

[fantomka]

If possible wash off the roots of all soil and let dry for a few days. You can even clean the plant with alcohol. Keep out of sun. To have sterile soil I believe you microwave to 165 degrees F. Cool off and repot. Keep away from other plants and see what happens. Try adding Bonide Product 951 Systemic House Plant Insect Control 8 Oz.

ofc i treat all the plants before i repot them.how long should i 'bake' the soil?

[hegar]

In my line of work we sometimes did sterilize soil arriving from Mexico. We did use a convection oven and spread the soil about 3/4 of an inch deep on a baking sheet. I do not recall, what temperature we did use and for how long the oven was heating the soil. I can go on Monday and look this information up in our Treatment Manual. As far as I recall, some seed is actually able to survive a heat treatment more so than insect pests.
For example, nematodes will die - including the eggs and cysts - if the soil is heated to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). I doubt, that insects would survive that temperature, if subjected to it for a few hours.
Well, I shall find out, what our official treatment called for and let you know Monday evening.

Harald

[cactushobbyman]

I use Systemic and spray with alcohol. I sterilize the soil when I start seeds. The soil is moist and I heat the soil up to 160 degrees F in a microwave. Just use an instant read thermometer.

[greenknight]

Also, the area around where the plants are needs to be cleaned up. The young mealybugs are tiny, almost invisible crawlers. Wiping down the whole area with alcohol should take care of it.

[hegar]

I did a search of our USDA Treatment Manual this morning in regard to dry heat treatment of soil. The guidelines tell me to place a layer of soil, 1/2 inch thick on a baking sheet.
The following temperatures will kill any kind of organism present in the soil, including insects, nematodes, diseases and weed seeds.
Here is the approved treatment schedule:


Temperature 250 degrees F to 309 degrees F Exposure time: 2 hours

310 degrees F to 379 degrees F 30 minutes

380 degrees F to 429 degrees F 4 mintues

430 degrees F to 450 degrees F 2 minutes


As you can see, selecting the highest temperature requires only 2 minutes, in order to kill everything and sterilize soil.
Because cactus growing medium, except perhaps for a commercial one, which is intended for "jungle cacti" like Epiphyllum spp., Schlumbergera spp., Hatiora spp.,Ripsalis spp, Hylocereus, etc. do not contain significant amounts of organic matter, even the highest temperature could safely be used.

Harald

[AliceWalsh]

We have done some orchid plantation in our house and after a few days, we noticed some mealybugs on our orchids. Due to this leaves are turning yellow and falling early. Its known that severe infestations of mealybugs will weaken the plants and may even kill them. Please suggest some instant remedy to deal with this situation. Is repotting the good solution? We have been also recommended to consult pest control Sacramento professionals to take advice. Any help is appreciated.