ID Pests on Old Man Cactus

[anniedee]

Hi all! I was recently gifted a form of cephalocereus senilis from a friend. It’s just a typical old man cactus with the furry white hair, and it doesn’t appear to show any sign of pests or disease- however, I recently had a mealybug scare (a few appeared on one of my plants, but I was able to get to them before they spread) so I’m hesitant to move him to the window with my other plants because it’s difficult to see beyond the “hair” and determine if he has any pests he could potentially spread. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this type of cactus and pests? Is there a way that I can be sure it’s healthy? Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

[mikethecactusguy]

pictures would help.

[Steve Johnson]

See this:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... 24&t=42129

The massive number of hairs on C. senilis are actually spines. Spine mealies can't attach to them, but they can attach to the plant's rigid spines. They're also obviously visible, so if you don't see mealies there, look for stem mealies hiding between the ribs. And I agree with Mike -- pictures of your Old Man cactus would help. If you suspect a mealy infestation, closeup shots would help too.

You can include digital photos as file attachments to your posts. If you're not sure how to do it, see this:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=40232