What are these white dots? Do I need to get rid of them?
Not sure if they're mealybugs or if they're mealybug destroyers. Plants seem to be growing alright but there are tons of ants on them. Anyone know what they are or if I need to get rid of them? Any help is appreciated #bugs #help #helpneeded #pestcontrol #whatisthisbug
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@DoyenneLithop46 Definitely what the others said an economic solution would be to dust whole plant with diatomaceous earth. If that’s the worst spot alcohol as mentioned above would work . After a good hosing down with hose .
@DoyenneLithop46 What everyone else said PLUS if you do decide to use the 70% isopropyl alcohol spray make sure you keep the plant out of the sun afterwards because it will burn the leaves of the plant. Spray every day until you're sure you've got them all through their life cycle.
Hello all! Another great and ecological option for mealybugs, aphids and several others is Neem Oil. Mix with warm water and a bit of neutral soap to help with the water/oil emulsion and spray them down on top of the leaves but especially under them, in the late afternoon/end of day until they are all dead. After that once/twice a week as a prevention is enough. Worked wonders on my tomatoes! And don't worry, my garden is full of bees, butterflies, ladybugs and green spiders. Bulletproof, biological and ecological!
Note: avoid spraying flowers directly, unless they are also under attack. And fruits within a couple of days before gathering them. Neem Oil smells quite strongly and badly. ;)
Note: avoid spraying flowers directly, unless they are also under attack. And fruits within a couple of days before gathering them. Neem Oil smells quite strongly and badly. ;)
Nooo. Stay strong. Hate those beasties.
I also come down on the alcohol treatment side. But since I have some rather sensitive plants and am not sure anything short of dousing a plant would really reach every noon and cranny they are so good at hiding in, I'm swearing by spot treatments and lots and lots of patience and perseverance (which luckily I have lots of and how you have too).
Some maybe helpful facts: whichever method you choose in the end: be aware that is easy to kill them, hard to get rid of them.
That dusty layer is a kind of protection they hide behind. They can get into the smallest crevices (especially the young ones) and hide in there, only betrayed by either the white dust in the vicinity or honeydew or (because of the dew) spots of sooty mold.
The females in some circumstances don't even need the male for fertilization of I remember correctly. And in some species one female can lay hundreds of eggs.
Add to that the insanely long life cycle of months and you can have one or two juvenile beasties escape your seemingly successful treatment, hide away aaaand some months later your whole plant might be overrun.
Oh. Also fun: they like to travel and also hide elsewhere, not only in plants - so listen to everyone here, who said to quarantine immediately. And don't forget to wipe down the surrounding surfaces with isoprop (again, paying special attention to any small potential hiding spots), and keep checking those areas and any plants in the vicinity for the upcoming weeks diligently - just to be safe.
Whatever you use, keep using it for a while after you see the last one. Basically until you are 100% certain you have not seen any for weeks... and from that point on keep treating for 3 more weeks. I'm not kidding, I've had babies emerge from their hiding spot months after I was sure I had gotten rid of them. Was really glad at that point that I tend to be a bit neurotic in my pest treatments and had still quarantined the plant. And was still monitoring it for that matter.
Also, if I say, those hiding spots can be small, I also mean it. I once had them hiding in an epidendrum seedling, free of charge. The plant was tiny and spiddly, even for an epidendrum, and yet they were able to hide almost completely in the joints between those tiny branches. So: should you do spot treatments (or even just monitor the plants for signs they are still there), it pays off to watch out for the secondary signs of their presence. In spots that show white dust, dew or sooty mold, you can be sure they are hiding nearby (and I'm the case of spot treatments, treat the surrounding crevices without dousing the whole plant).
I wish you good luck and lots and lots of patience and a keen eye. 🤞
I also come down on the alcohol treatment side. But since I have some rather sensitive plants and am not sure anything short of dousing a plant would really reach every noon and cranny they are so good at hiding in, I'm swearing by spot treatments and lots and lots of patience and perseverance (which luckily I have lots of and how you have too).
Some maybe helpful facts: whichever method you choose in the end: be aware that is easy to kill them, hard to get rid of them.
That dusty layer is a kind of protection they hide behind. They can get into the smallest crevices (especially the young ones) and hide in there, only betrayed by either the white dust in the vicinity or honeydew or (because of the dew) spots of sooty mold.
The females in some circumstances don't even need the male for fertilization of I remember correctly. And in some species one female can lay hundreds of eggs.
Add to that the insanely long life cycle of months and you can have one or two juvenile beasties escape your seemingly successful treatment, hide away aaaand some months later your whole plant might be overrun.
Oh. Also fun: they like to travel and also hide elsewhere, not only in plants - so listen to everyone here, who said to quarantine immediately. And don't forget to wipe down the surrounding surfaces with isoprop (again, paying special attention to any small potential hiding spots), and keep checking those areas and any plants in the vicinity for the upcoming weeks diligently - just to be safe.
Whatever you use, keep using it for a while after you see the last one. Basically until you are 100% certain you have not seen any for weeks... and from that point on keep treating for 3 more weeks. I'm not kidding, I've had babies emerge from their hiding spot months after I was sure I had gotten rid of them. Was really glad at that point that I tend to be a bit neurotic in my pest treatments and had still quarantined the plant. And was still monitoring it for that matter.
Also, if I say, those hiding spots can be small, I also mean it. I once had them hiding in an epidendrum seedling, free of charge. The plant was tiny and spiddly, even for an epidendrum, and yet they were able to hide almost completely in the joints between those tiny branches. So: should you do spot treatments (or even just monitor the plants for signs they are still there), it pays off to watch out for the secondary signs of their presence. In spots that show white dust, dew or sooty mold, you can be sure they are hiding nearby (and I'm the case of spot treatments, treat the surrounding crevices without dousing the whole plant).
I wish you good luck and lots and lots of patience and a keen eye. 🤞
@Boymom-plantmom just in case this contains an aspect you have not thought of. ⬆️ though your approach also sounds great. I've done that once with aphids when I had finally had enough of them last year. Sadly many of my plants would not do great outside here most of the year.
Oh. Also, if you choose diatomaceous earth like @ILoveMyPlants suggested, please keep yourself (and surrounding pests and humans) protected and the plant inside. Even if you do buy the food grade DE (which I think is the correct one), it's a mechanical solution: microscopic razor sharp particles tear the bugs to bits. Pro: very effective when dry, easy to use, no problem with building resistance etc. But it's not really something you want to inhale in big amounts or on a regular basis, even for us. And of course it doesn't discriminate and would destroy pollinators as well as the pests.