Mealy bugs

11 years ago

Welp, a few weeks ago I posted about my spider plant being sick.

I have since repotted it with what was recommended to me, seems to be doing good so far but its only been about 2 weeks. I planted some of the babies and they looked great on mama.

I seen the babies turning yellow. As I got closer the top layer was what appeared to be mealy bugs. I'm kind of confused as everything I read about how to get rid of them.

I'm going to repot them with fresh soil and rinse them off.
Anything else I should do? I figured I come here to ask because I want someone with experience.

So far I have only found 2 plants like that and I immediately removed them to a separate location. How fast can they spread to other plants?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (13)

teengardener1888
11 years ago
They can spread slowly, nonetheless invade the intire collection. keep them seaparted from other plants and try spraying with methylated spirits
cghpnd
Original Author
11 years ago
I put the 2 in the bathroom away from everyone else. Changed the soil. What Is methylated spirits?
And thanks !
Related Professionals
Norfolk Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Essex Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fitchburg Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Hyattsville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Allentown Landscape Contractors · Elgin Landscape Contractors · Wilmington Landscape Contractors · Columbine Landscape Contractors · East Patchogue Landscape Contractors · Porterville Landscape Contractors · Siloam Springs Landscape Contractors · Vermilion Landscape Contractors · Yuba City Landscape Contractors · Palos Hills Landscape Contractors · Westbury Interior Designers & Decorators
teengardener1888
11 years ago
did i say that!!!! i meant use a cotton swab dipped in alchohol and remove them with that
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
Growing wacky weed in your spare time, teen? Lololol
auron22
11 years ago
A plant of mine was infested about 3 years ago. It was severely neglected. I just removed all dead material and sprayed them all off with a somewhat powerful hose and didn't stop until I saw no more. They never came back.
pirate_girl
11 years ago
Pls stop repotting the plants, likely you're taking the mealy bugs w/ you to each new repotting.

Don't know whose advice you've been following, you need to treat the mealy bugs to get rid of them. Alcohol swabs or a systemic are the remedies to use.

TG is incorrect in saying they spread slowly, they can actually spread quite fast indeed.

Are you quite sure it's mealy bugs, do they look like cottony fuzz? A pic would say for sure.
ultra_violet
11 years ago
Continue to isolate the infested plants. I would use a systemic pesticide as pirate_girl recommended, try mixing something like imidacloprid granules into the soil. It's aborbed by the plant tissue, makes the plant unpalatable to pests, and should work for 6-8 weeks.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
You must make sure that, if you do use systemics, they are explicitly labeled for indoor container use.

My favorite mealy bug control is a solution of one part alcohol to three parts water and applied liberally and frequently with a spray bottle. It will get into the folds and layers of the plant.
asleep_in_the_garden
11 years ago
Good tip Rhizo on the systemics and also the sprayer. So the solution doesn't dry up the foliage?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
Sleeper, rubbing alcohol is pretty mild on plant tissue. Isn't it rubbed on a baby's butt before vaccinations? Or your arm? That's full strength, not diluted.

It can't be used on every kind of plant, but spider plants tolerate it just fine.
asleep_in_the_garden
11 years ago
A staghorn is a fuzzy air plant texture. tissue that's meant for extracting water from the air so I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be just spraying it down liberally. However if I'm just being silly,..please correct me!

...Can't help wondering what the solution would do to scale.
teengardener1888
11 years ago
Spraying with soapy water can also help
Danielle Rose
11 years ago
I've gotten mealybugs under control with alcohol on regular jades, but I'm not sure it would be effective on anything with a lot of crevices. For other plants, I've been successful with holding the plant over the sink and blasting the plant clean with a spray bottle of regular water. Be sure to turn the nozzle so it's a jet, not a mist, and get into all those nooks and crannies. Do this once a week until all evidence of pests are gone. I've also misted plants with soapy water (about a tablespoon of Method dish soap to 10 oz of water, I'm guessing) in a spray bottle between the jet treatments. This combination of treatments worked better than the alcohol.

Still, there are some plants that just seem permanently infested. I have three plants that have been consistently quarantined for about four months. They just keep popping up.