Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 6/11/2022)

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
Mrs.Green
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Mrs.Green »

widea wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:24 am I just spray the cacti with the mix and make sure all parts above the substrate are hit.

I would not be surprised submerging is also possible, if necessary I will try that and post the results.
Thanks Widea! 😊 That would be great, please remember letting us know the results 😊
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by C And D »

A friend of mine told me about a new product for total Mealy extermination
Cyzmic CS

So I looked it up, and it said nothing about Mealys or thrips
So I questioned him again, and he told me that Miles recommended it

So I decided to try it, and did a thorough application at 10-12 mls per gallon
I usually try to soak the soil, no matter what the poison is, to kill root Mealys for plants that may have root mealys, some plants don't need a soil soak but get a full top soil spray, to kill any top soil critters, to answer Steve's question above

It kills on contact
No sign of thrips after a week
Not sure about it killing all root mealys yet,

If it seems to work, I will do another application in a couple weeks, as recommended
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by keith »

Cyzmic CS active ingredient

$ Lambda-cyhalothrin is a pyrethroid insecticide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1988 (1). $ Pyrethroids are synthetic chemicals that are structurally similar to the natural insecticides pyrethrins.

when did you spray ? I ask because its Winter now and usually bugs are not visible .
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by C And D »

I sprayed Late December
The bugs are a lot less active, but still there.
Root mealies, fungus gnats and spider mites can do a lot of damage during the winter if not kept in check

I guess the feature is the micro encapsulated time release
I read somewhere that the poison forms a fine dust that the bugs can't get away from.
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by keith »

"I found a few cactus with spider mites ( flat mites no webs) so sprayed everything with Tetra San"

Yep worked again 2022 :D
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ohugal
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by ohugal »

From the website I order my hydrogen peroxide I found the following product: https://www.labshop.nl/spiritus-saponatus/.

Here's the English translation:
Spiritus Saponatus or Soapy Water Spirit or Soapy Water Spirit is an environmentally friendly home remedy as an insecticide against aphids, whiteflies and spider mites on plants. This mixture is then sprayed with a plant sprayer over the aphid infested plants and will kill the aphids that come in contact with this mixture. "Soap-spiritus" has been mentioned for aphid control since the early twentieth century for in Dutch-language books. Soap-spiritus was also used to disinfect surgical instruments.

The soft soap, or more precisely potassium salts of fatty acids, is the active ingredient and as such is permitted on the European and American markets. Ethanol as an active ingredient is not mentioned in the official registrations. Also, several American universities recommend soapy water as an insecticide without ethanol as a means of controlling aphids and various other pests.

In commercial agents, 8% spirit saponatus is the active ingredient for pets. For aphid control percentages of 4 to 50% are mentioned. Our Spiritus saponatus is 100% so depending on the application to dilute as desired.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
It's also something I've come across on various Belgian and Dutch cacti organization websites. I've maybe used it once or twice in the past, but definitely not regularly. Does someone have experience with Spiritus Saponatus on mealybugs? Also, would it affect the cacti itself in your opinion?
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C And D
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by C And D »

Cyzmic CS
Lambda cyhalothrin

I used it a second time in March
and will re-apply in May, this weekend

It seems to be working well for Mealies, fungus gnats and most other pests
It doesn't completely eliminate Thrips, but keeps them down,

I first water everything heavily with regular water
Then go over it all again, heavily with the Cyzmic to penetrate the deep roots
the last of the hold outs are deep, so you need it make sure it drenches the pot


one other problem with Mealies is that they may be dead, but still have their white webs observable
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by JCcares »

Thank you THANK YOU Steve!!!!! This is like answer to prayer!!!!! I last 5 cacti over winter to spider mites. I’m still bummed about it and what to pervert this from ever happening again!! Thank you 300 times!!!!

ps what is your take on “Neem oil”? Lots of buzz on the web to kill and prevent. What is your opinion Steve?
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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ohugal
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by ohugal »

C And D wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 12:32 am Cyzmic CS
Lambda cyhalothrin

I used it a second time in March
and will re-apply in May, this weekend

It seems to be working well for Mealies, fungus gnats and most other pests
It doesn't completely eliminate Thrips, but keeps them down,

I first water everything heavily with regular water
Then go over it all again, heavily with the Cyzmic to penetrate the deep roots
the last of the hold outs are deep, so you need it make sure it drenches the pot


one other problem with Mealies is that they may be dead, but still have their white webs observable
I found this product on Kakteen Haage: https://www.kakteen-haage.de/en/accesso ... 30-ml.html
In what strength do you use it to water your plants?
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Jaybizzle
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Jaybizzle »


Hi Rich,

Here's a guideline for you...

This spring, I switched my Imidacloprid product of choice from Bayer (now BioAdvanced) 3-in-1 to Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control concentrate with 1.47% Imidacloprid. Dilution is 1/4 cup per gallon of water.
Hi,
How did you come up with this dilution—1/4 cup per gallon?
Thanks
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

Jaybizzle wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 11:12 pm Hi,
How did you come up with this dilution—1/4 cup per gallon?
Thanks
When I started building my current collection in 2011, I found out about Bayer Advanced (now BioAdvanced) 3-in-1 containing 0.47% Imidacloprid from an Armstrong Garden Center in my area. The helpful lady there said that a dilution of 1 cup per gallon is recommended. With the Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control concentrate containing 1.47% Imidacloprid, we can cut the dilution down to 1/4 cup per gallon.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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C And D
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by C And D »

I found this product on Kakteen Haage: https://www.kakteen-haage.de/en/accesso ... 30-ml.html
In what strength do you use it to water your plants?
Use the label recommended strength, 6 to 12 ml per gallon
I use 12 ml per gallon for maximum effect.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

Now might a good time to revisit this subject...

Here we are in June 2022 -- good news is that I'm not seeing any signs of mealies above- or below-ground, and no signs of armored scale either. Although I was going to do a preventative soil soak with Imidacloprid last month, I've backed away from the idea -- unless I see the telltales, I won't worry about it. But if I do, it would make sense to use something else before I end up with Imidacloprid-resistant pests. Craig, thanks for recommending that something else -- Cyzmic CS, and using it as a soil soak is exactly what I've been looking for. You suggested a dilution of 10-12 ml. per gallon, so I'll go with 12 ml - that works out to a touch less than 2.5 tsp. per gallon. Here's a question...

Do you find that you have to apply the Cyzmic as a soil soak more than once per growing season? If so, would you recommend doing it again 3 or 4 weeks after the first soak? While I'd rather not resort to the "heavy artillery" (I hear you Mrs. Green! :) ), I will if I need to, and it'll be Cyzmic instead of Imidacloprid. This is good, so I'll update my presentation with the new info.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 6/11/2022)

Post by C And D »

I recommend applying 3 to 4 weeks after the first dose.

I see very little sign of mealies or mites, but there are still some thrips here and there.

I did 2 applications so far, several months apart, and want to do a third application soon.
But it takes several hours to do it right, which I don't enjoy much.

First I have to water deeply with regular water, then go over it all again (watering deeply) with the poison in my Dosimatic.
It takes way to much poison to water extra extra deep, so I have to water first so the poison will penetrate to the deepest roots.
Luckily, I don't mind wearing a mask, after the pandemic and all.

And the thing about mealies is that they may be dead, but they still leave their signs of sticky white stuff dead or alive.
And some eggs may survive, which starts a new brood.
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Holunder
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 6/11/2022)

Post by Holunder »

Thank you for this informative Thread!
I have a question, how would you treat infested cacti during dormancy?
I had some new cacti last summer with massive mealybug infestation. I washed them and put them in new substrate and soaked them with a systemic insecticide (Substral Celaflor Careo) and watered them sometime later.
If I do the same in winter while they are dormant in a cool place I probably would risk rot and I am just guessing that the systemic insecticide will not be absorbed by dormant plants. How is the best way to deal with that?

Holunder
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