I have been fighting mealybugs on 2 of my pothos for a while now. I have wiped iundividual leaves, sprayed with soapy water and tried a spray(can't use that anymore because of little babies-both human and animal) I did read that you can "touch" each bug with a q-tip soaked with alcohol, but could I mix an alcohol solution and spray the plant or would it kill it?? Thanks for any help!
I'm not tooooo big into Houseplants, but here's some info in Bill's Main pages of The Gardenhelper..
Controlling Mealybugs on Ornamentals and House Plants. Here's some general care tips for plants too from there??
Insects, bugs and pests that invade your house plants and flowers.
I had read those, Weezie- Thanks!!
What I really want to know is would an alcohol/water "bath" kill my plant?
No, that I do know...
I used to take the little alcohol squares you get for a diabetic to clean their shot area..
*do you know what I'm talking about?*
and just swipe the stem upward with those..
Never killed any of mine...
Thank you!!! I have those same cloths and was going to use them....
OK- Off I go to wipe my plants...as soon as I figure out which dog of mine is passing gas and lock them in the bathroom with the vent fan on
:p
I had been(hopefully past-tense!) struggling with mealies on one of my huernia for a long time. Everything I tried worked more or less, but they'd be back in a month or so. About a week ago I unpotted it and, sure enough, they were on the roots. A huernia doesn't mind drying out, so I treated the roots, let it be unpotted for several days, picked everything buggish off with a toothpick, retreated it(now in several sections, but that's ok) and potted it with fresh soil in a fresh pot yesterday. If you can't get rid of yours, or if you do but they come back, suspect and check the roots!
Thanks for the tip, margaret!! I had them gone, but like you said- they come back in a few weeks to a month! I will have to check the roots!
ahh! i never thought they'd be in the roots!! good tip, margaret!!
Yes. Most pests are up or down, but mealies will do both. If you can't get rid of them perminantly above, it's because they're below!