Mealy Bugs - UGH!

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Author Message   Diveanddig  My Garden Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 08:09 pm EST :    Mealy bugs are greenhouse and indoor pests that are very difficult to eliminate. When I bring infected plants outside for the summer, the wasps and yellow jackets (yellow wasps) quickly clean the plants of mealy bugs and their eggs, and the same for aphids. I encourage these predators since they also keep my roses free of aphids. But what to do inside? Mealy Bugs are one of the worst pest IMO. I noticed Ian mentioned a problem with them while I was catching up on some old posts. We have a mild horticultural oil that is sold in North America that is nontoxic to humans and environment, but is toxic to insects since it smothers them by clogging their breathing "ports." They cannot develop a resistance to this killing action. Best of all, it also kills the eggs! This oil spray is great for greenhouses. You can spray it on your hands without any fear of absorption of toxins since it is similar to cooking oil. My British friends say it is not available in England. This is very curious since it is so safe and so easy to use. It can be sprayed on foliage without fear of destroying it. Several tablespoonsful of oil to a gallon does the trick. I also use it to kill scale, Spider Mites, and whiteflies, and their eggs. Check it out. Someone should start importing it. Bill Bird - Westchester Co., NY - Zone 6   Ton_hannink  My Garden Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 12:29 am EST :    Bill, what is the name of that oil? Ton_hannink The Netherlands   Scilla  Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 03:09 am EST :    http://www.bachmans.com/retail/tipsheets/Chemicals_and_Fertilizers/HortInsectSoap.cfm Here is a place to study and order some, but Bill, is this the same as yours? Scilla - Washington State, Zone "5"   Diveanddig  My Garden Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 06:07 am EST :    Yes Scilla, that is the stuff. You are a great researcher and are always there to provide a reference link. Thanks. Ton, There are several brands available here. The first to be introduced and the most commonly found is Ultrafine Horticultural Oil made by Sunspray. Here is a link to a reference. http://www.sloatgardens.com/011204_news_letter.html You can do a search on Google and find many references to this method of pest and fungus control. I forgot to mention that is my remedy of choice for mildew. It smothers the spores and the powdery appearance will disappear before your eyes. This has been available here for quite some time now. I cannot understand why it is not available in Europe. Perhaps the pest control producers do not want it introduced there. Money talks. Bill Bird - Westchester Co., NY - Zone 6   Spider  Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 07:56 am EST :    There is a 'Provado' (German??? I think! So Ton ought to be able to get it) product here which is oil-based. Sylvia Denny was trying it earlier in the year. I've tried it but have reservations about the success rate but I shall persist and see what happens - I imagine it's the same sort of thing, rather like a white emulsion. I do likewise in summer but they are the very devil to get rid of inside, as you say. As I mentioned previously, I've tried just about everything in the garden room but they seem to survive in every little corner. Spider - North Lincolnshire, Zone "UK"   Diveanddig  My Garden Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 09:02 am EST :    When using the oils and other contact killers, it is important to make sure all surfaces of the plant are soaked with the spray. Mealy bugs and their eggs hide in crevices and in surface debris. They hide under my twist ties used to tie up the clematis on stakes. With plants such as amaryllis or bird of paradise, they hide inside the base of the stalks where the stems overlap. Let the oil spray penetrate these areas. Glad to see it is now available over there. One can also use a cocktail of poisonous killers mixed with the oil spray for a more effective solution. Take things outside to spray them when doing this since the fumes can be dangerous in a confined area. I sometimes use this with a severe infestation of spider mites. I want to kill off the eggs and the oil does that. It is also used in the fall before plants are taken inside for the winter. Bill Bird - Westchester Co., NY - Zone 6   Katie  Posted on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 08:56 am EST :    I found Fine Horticultural Oil and started using it last year. I spray once a month starting late spring to hold down powdery mildew and spider mites. I feel very safe with this stuff, won't use any toxic sprays. A note of warning, I read that Neem Oil is a type of horticultural oil and used it one time. It didn't seem to work as well. Later I read that in some brands they actually remove the part that kills the spider mites so I went back to fine horticultural oil. It's the best! Katie Northern California Zone 8

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