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I have a few cacti that seem to be prone to spider mites or meally bugs each year. My Echinopsis chamaecereus is really bad at getting the pests.
What do all of you do to prevent those cacti from getting those pest? Do you have a special preventative measure that you do? Do you use systemic insecticide? Which brands have worked great, what dosage do you use, and how often do you apply it.
Thanks, your helpful tips and info is greatly appreciated.

Spraying the plants with water discourages spider mites, but you need stronger remedies for mealybugs.

Carpkel wrote: ↑Mon Jun 19, 2023 9:50 am I have a few cacti that seem to be prone to spider mites or meally bugs each year. My Echinopsis chamaecereus is really bad at getting the pests.
What do all of you do to prevent those cacti from getting those pest? Do you have a special preventative measure that you do? Do you use systemic insecticide? Which brands have worked great, what dosage do you use, and how often do you apply it.
Thanks, your helpful tips and info is greatly appreciated.

See this:

viewtopic.php?t=42129

There's a lot of detail in my presentation, but I think you'll find that it's worth taking time time to dig all the way through the material. One additional point I should mention -- if we use the same product over time, pest resistance could be a problem. The presentation discusses rotating between Avid and TetraSan for pest mites. For mealies and armored scale, I'll recommend rotating between Imidacloprid and Cyzmic. Craig Fry of C and D Plants turned us on to it, and here is his post on the matter:

viewtopic.php?p=397417#p397417

I haven't had any mealy problems in a few years, but if I see their telltale signs again, I'll go with Cyzmic instead of Imidacloprid next time. Although I've had excellent results with Imidacloprid soil soaks, I'd rather not take a chance on getting pest-resistant mealies! Rotation of pesticides is really the best way to go whenever we can do it.

Thank you greenknight and Steve Johnson. Your information was helpful and hopefully I can prevent the pests in the future