Is this a pest?

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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JamesEG
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Is this a pest?

Post by JamesEG »

Today I noticed this little creature on my Echinopsis eyriesii, I'm really hoping it's not one of the horrible pests that are hard to get rid of but even so I took no chances and got rid of it as soon as I took the picture. It was about 2-3mm long, grey and just was staying still on the areole of the cactus. I had 3 other cacti, a Haworthia attenuata and a jade plant on the same shelf and I checked them all with a magnifying glass, I didn't notice any more of them.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by Steve Johnson »

JamesEG wrote:Today I noticed this little creature on my Echinopsis eyriesii, I'm really hoping it's not one of the horrible pests that are hard to get rid of but even so I took no chances and got rid of it as soon as I took the picture. It was about 2-3mm long, grey and just was staying still on the areole of the cactus. I had 3 other cacti, a Haworthia attenuata and a jade plant on the same shelf and I checked them all with a magnifying glass, I didn't notice any more of them.

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Yep -- sorry, but you have yourself a mealy bug.
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iann
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by iann »

Is the plant new? Is the pest definitely alive? Kill that one, but usually there will be others. Look for unusual wool which is where they incubate their eggs, or just dig around in the natural wool which is where they like to hide.
--ian
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JamesEG
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by JamesEG »

I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with them! I got the plant in October but I have got a couple of others since then, so maybe it was on on of them. Also it was alive, I turned it upside down and saw its legs moving around. The four cacti I have on the windowsill are small so don't have much or any any wool on the areoles, and I checked them all with a magnifying glass as said before, I didn't see any more on any of the plants in the room.

What can I do now, do I just have to keep checking the plants to see if there are any more? I really hope not, I haven't even made it to my first growing season with these plants! And they're my first cacti for years!

However thanks for the help, it is much appreciated.
iann
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by iann »

Normally a good drench with Provado would finish them off, but that isn't going to work well at this time of year. I suggest getting a Provado aerosol and spraying your plants with that. It will kill more or less anything it comes into contact with. I use it mainly for mites, but it kills mealies too which can be handy in winter. Hopefully you just have the one and you caught it before a new generation came through. Or you could just keep a close eye on them over the winter and not do anything unless there are more sightings.
--ian
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JamesEG
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by JamesEG »

Okay I'll see if I can find Provado anywhere, if not I will just keep an eye on them. Hopefully that was the only one! Thanks very much for your help.
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teo
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by teo »

It seems that Bayer (at least in Sweden so I guess also in EU) has switched to a new formula (Calypso) that is also a neonicotinid. It also exists as a concentrated liquid. However the Provado Plus spray seems to disappear and this is the only product also for mites that I have seen (at least in garden centres etc.)
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by Steve Johnson »

Alright, now I'm intrigued...

Does Provado work as a systemic miticide, or does the active ingredient against mites work only as a spray? Apparently I can't find it here in California, but I stress the word "apparently" -- it could be available under a US brand name. Whatever it's called, a product that'll do the job as a soil soak on both mealies and pest mites is something I'll have to pursue.
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iann
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by iann »

The Provado aerosol contains Imidacloprid (now Thiacloprid due to EU stupidity) and Methiocarb.

Imidacloprid/Thiacloprid is systemic but an aerosol will not get sufficient poison into a cactus for any useful systemic activity. In any case it is not effective against mites.

Methiocarb is a wide spectrum contact-only pesticide which kills insects, mites, and a lot else besides.

Is Orthene still available? That is effective against both mites and mealies. For mites, you need to rotate treatments because they develop resistance so easily.
--ian
A. Dean Stock
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by A. Dean Stock »

Orthene is gone and rightly so. Tetrasan will take care of most mite problems and is also an ovacide so you don't have as much risk of resistance build up with it. Used with a product with Imidacloprid you have an effective knock down of most pests. Add Enstar to the mix and mealies and mites are history.
Dean
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keith
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by keith »

Orthene is on Ebay if I remember right it smells terrible http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/370832506585?lpid=82" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I never found Orthene to work very well

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/pastpest/200417g.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Many miticides on this page which is best ? which can we even buy in California ?

"Avid, which contains abamectin; Floramite, which contains the active ingredient bifenazate ; TetraSan contains the active ingredient etoxazole; Pylon is a miticide that is can be used only in greenhouses. It contains the active ingredient chlorfenapyr; Vendex is one of the older miticides and contains the active ingredient fenbutatin-oxide."

These new products at first glance seem to be 10X the price of older miticides like Dicofol 4E which is AKA Kelthane which are no longer sold.
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JamesEG
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by JamesEG »

Thanks for the information Keith, I think this mealy bug was a one-off as I've checked all my cacti almost every day since I got rid of it and I haven't noticed any more. I think I got a very lucky escape! I'll keep all your information in mind just incase I have the misfortune to see them again, if so I'll be ready with your suggestions :)
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CactusFanDan
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by CactusFanDan »

JamesEG wrote:Thanks for the information Keith, I think this mealy bug was a one-off as I've checked all my cacti almost every day since I got rid of it and I haven't noticed any more. I think I got a very lucky escape! I'll keep all your information in mind just incase I have the misfortune to see them again, if so I'll be ready with your suggestions :)
I'd still use a prophylactic dose of thiacloprid or another systemic with your first watering of the year. Using it at the first watering ensures good uptake by the plant. I didn't see a single mealie in my greenhouse before Winter, but looking around my plants, a number of them have mealies on them! They like to materialise from nowhere so taking some precautions is always a good thing. :)

On the topic of miticides, I found someone on eBay selling a Floramite and Avid combo pack, so it might be worth buying one while they're available. These acaricides don't seem to be the easiest things to get in the UK! :P

For other sources of pesticides you might want to try poundland fly spray, which contains deltamethrin and another pyrethrin. Should be good for spot treatment of bugs. :P Bug bombs used for ridding rooms of fleas and bedbugs and stuff are probably good for fumigating a greenhouse.
-Dan
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JamesEG
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Re: Is this a pest?

Post by JamesEG »

Thanks for the advice Dan, I'll see what I can do :)
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