P. Afra Versus the Mealybugs

Dogestoevsky

Dogestoevsky

Mame
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Hi all,

I'm absolutely at my wit's end dealing with a mealybug infestation on my portulacaria. Standard, variegated, lilliput, you name it, they've got bugs. I've been fighting them all summer with insecticidal soap and neem oil treatments, but it seems no matter what I throw at them the bugs just keep on trucking. I've tried rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab and micromanaging plants in the past, but with two dozen individuals I don't think this is feasible anymore. Safer's brand of insecticidal soap seems to work somewhat, but not totally. I tried Bonide today, and the little buggers just shrugged it off and kept chewing. The bonide neem oil obviously has a delayed effect, but it doesn't keep them totally at bay. A combination of neem + soap was the best I could do, but individuals clearly squeaked by and kept laying eggs.

Can anyone recommend a better p. afra safe treatment? A brand of insecticidal soap I haven't tried yet? A rubbing alcohol foliage DIP? A systemic intended for succulents? I admit I am leery of systemics -- my toddler loves to play plants with me and I'd hate to have to keep her away from them too fiercely. But any suggestions are helpful.

Thanks in advance!


IMG_0501.jpg 1665433615997.png
 
 
 
Somehow my office orchids got mealy bugs and I struggled with them for quite awhile. I tried alcohol Bayer 3-1 and finally the Bonide. I finally got rid of them but not before I gave up on a couple and had to throw them away.
 
Controlling Mealy Bug can be a real challenge. They can become ensconced in the most hidden places, even under the soil's surface. When I have a bad case I completely bare root and wash the entire plant down. Or I throw it away.
 
Picked up the product you recommended and sprinkled some granules on the soil of my ports. I will update here with results!

The individuals with more serious infestations are due for a repot and declutter in the spring… hoping they can hang tough until then!
 
Dogestoevsky said:
Picked up the product you recommended and sprinkled some granules on the soil of my ports. I will update here with results!

The individuals with more serious infestations are due for a repot and declutter in the spring… hoping they can hang tough until then!
Click to expand...
Don't be shy, you can put it on pretty heavy.
 
Mealy bugs are a totally different group of insects than most pests, and that's why most insecticides don't work on them.
Where regular insecticides screw up some kind of brain to body signalling, mealy bugs usually shrug it off.
When treating them, make sure you treat them well and you kill them all. On every plant in the house. Because if they get the chance, they will come back with a vengeance and newfound resistance to your old insecticide.
It took me six weeks to get them out of my girlfriends house, so she would stop bringing them into my house.
Be thorough. And please be careful with insecticides inside your home, they are dangerous to humans too.
 
Thanks for the advice! Definitely taking precautions against harming the other humans and animals in our household.

I totally agree that mealybugs are in a class all their own. I’ve beaten them before, but these I believe came from Home Depot’s p.afra “Lilliput.” Big box mealy bugs sure are something special!
 
Dogestoevsky said:
I believe came from Home Depot’s p.afra “Lilliput.” Big box mealy bugs sure are something special!
Click to expand...
Yeah, those are the ones that have been in constant chemical warfare since the dawn of time. There are two nurseries that I skip completely because of their strain of mealy bugs, they seem to drink insecticides for breakfast and shoot up some more in the backroom before lunch just to feel alive. First time in my life I had to resort to systemic insecticides.
 
penumbra said:
I get immediate knockdown with alcohol, but you need a systemic to control them. Frequently they are in the soil. Bonide Granules are my go to systemic but I use spays when warranted.
Click to expand...

Haven't had to deal with mealybugs yet (thankfully, knocking on wood here...) but let's say as a hypothetical that I had access to 95% Everclear. If I put this in a mist bottle and absolutely gassed the hell out of a plant, would this kill just about every insect on it? Would the plant be okay if I really misted it down with water afterwards?
 
Neo_Rokkenjima said:
Haven't had to deal with mealybugs yet (thankfully, knocking on wood here...) but let's say as a hypothetical that I had access to 95% Everclear. If I put this in a mist bottle and absolutely gassed the hell out of a plant, would this kill just about every insect on it? Would the plant be okay if I really misted it down with water afterwards?
Click to expand...
Hypothetically that would remove the cuticle wax and expose your plant to the elements.
 
I went ahead and gave the bonide systemic @penumbra recommended a shot — but unfortunately it’s been a bust so far. Perhaps the plants need more time to take up the insecticide from the granules? I went pretty heavy on it, but had trouble mixing it into the substrate too deeply.

Meanwhile, the infestation has grown over the past three weeks. I’m going to go back to isopropyl alcohol sprays to get things under control, and give it a few more weeks. If things aren’t noticeably better, I’ll be the one desperately pleading for help in the Bnut conspiracy theory threads 😮‍💨
 
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