Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 6/11/2022)

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
keith
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by keith »

I found a few cactus with spider mites ( flat mites no webs) so sprayed everything with Tetra San ( fly trap store 👍 ) and quarantined the couple cactus with active mite infections.

I spray in the evening. 1 Gallon is plenty for my small sized collection. Hopefully I got them all.

In the Spring I get many predatory mites but they go away in Summer and the much smaller plant eating mites show up you have to move fast with these they multiply very quickly.

Update 8/12 looks like they are gone :D
Last edited by keith on Thu Aug 12, 2021 5:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
DefaultPlayer2
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by DefaultPlayer2 »

I just want to say thank you, Steve.

Thanks to this thread I finally figured out what's been making my cactus sick, I have spider mites.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

DefaultPlayer2 wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 12:55 am I just want to say thank you, Steve.

Thanks to this thread I finally figured out what's been making my cactus sick, I have spider mites.
Glad I could help! :D

By the way, you might want to do this:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... 24&t=43819
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
DefaultPlayer2
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by DefaultPlayer2 »

Steve Johnson wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 1:55 am Glad I could help! :D

By the way, you might want to do this:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... 24&t=43819
Fixed and thank you.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

DefaultPlayer2 wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 2:14 amFixed and thank you.
You're welcome, and happy growing!
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My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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RichR
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by RichR »

Steve, I have mealies trying to take over my cactus greenhouse. I have around two thousand cacti, mostly young ones under 2 years old. I found an old bottle of Dominion, which has 21.4% imidacloprid in it. I don't know how old it is but it has to be at least several years since I don't remember buying it. Anyway, I diluted it 1/10 with water which resulted in a 2.14% strength solution. I used this three weeks ago on all my cacti, giving them a complete soil soak. I bottom-water so this wasn't hard to do. It seemed to be working but today I found mealy patches on several cacti. I don't know for sure but I think they are new. I'm wondering if maybe the Dominion has lost some effectiveness due to being stored in temperature extremes from 7F to 120F over several years. I don't know whether I should treat everything again or buy some new insecticide. I have never treated with imidacloprid before so they couldn't have already built up immunity to it. Your thoughts?
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

RichR wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:55 pm Steve, I have mealies trying to take over my cactus greenhouse. I have around two thousand cacti, mostly young ones under 2 years old. I found an old bottle of Dominion, which has 21.4% imidacloprid in it. I don't know how old it is but it has to be at least several years since I don't remember buying it. Anyway, I diluted it 1/10 with water which resulted in a 2.14% strength solution. I used this three weeks ago on all my cacti, giving them a complete soil soak. I bottom-water so this wasn't hard to do. It seemed to be working but today I found mealy patches on several cacti. I don't know for sure but I think they are new. I'm wondering if maybe the Dominion has lost some effectiveness due to being stored in temperature extremes from 7F to 120F over several years. I don't know whether I should treat everything again or buy some new insecticide. I have never treated with imidacloprid before so they couldn't have already built up immunity to it. Your thoughts?
Temperature extremes degrade the effectiveness of all pesticides, so I'm afraid that the Imidacloprid in your bottle of Dominion is probably too far gone to be of much use. Best for you to buy a new bottle ASAP. Garden sheds heat up quickly, so if that's where you've been storing it, you should store it in the garage or another safe place that doesn't go above 80F if possible. I realize that may be a tall order given the Texas heat!
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RichR
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by RichR »

Thanks, Steve. That's good news, in a way. The other alternative would be that imidocloprid doesn't work on my mealies. What do you think of my dilution ratio? Is 2.14% too much?
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Steve Johnson »

RichR wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:28 pm Thanks, Steve. That's good news, in a way. The other alternative would be that imidocloprid doesn't work on my mealies. What do you think of my dilution ratio? Is 2.14% too much?
Hi Rich,

Here's a guideline for you...

This spring, I switched my Imidacloprid product of choice from Bayer (now BioAdvanced) 3-in-1 to Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control concentrate with 1.47% Imidacloprid. Dilution is 1/4 cup per gallon of water. Dominion is about 15 times stronger, so either dilute it a lot more or go with the Bonide. 10 years ago, someone told me that it's hard to overdose cacti on Imidacloprid, but I don't think the dilution you were using is worth taking the chance.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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Glorioustache
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Glorioustache »

Good evening everyone! I was gone for a couple of years since my last post. Unfortunately I lost my password and had been unable to reset it until now but I'm back! 😁 Steve thanks a lot for the reply of "alcohol is alcohol" I did end up treating successfully the severe infestation of mealybugs I had on my collection by spraying 70% Ethyl alcohol on them every 5 days for a month. Happy to report that there was no damage whatsoever to the fellows and the mealybugs disappeared completely. I bought several new specimens at the beginning of this year and a couple of weeks ago some more and unfortunately they came with root mealybugs. I did gave the roots a really thorough cleaning before repotting and followed that by giving the roots a really hot bath with a mix of 50% Ethyl alcohol with dishwashing soap but it seems that they have persisted because I have been finding some rootmealies even on the stems lately. It is hard to find Imidacloprid where I live but I must find it to save the guys from severe infestation. Wish me luck
Location: Central highlands of Guatemala, 14°N from the equator. Altitude: 1539M AMSL. Climate: Cwb, Subtropical Highland variety. Humidity: 100%
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widea
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by widea »

I used to use chemical products before like those from Bayer and experimented a lot with all kinds of self made concoctions until I ended up with something cheaper and healthier with much success:

Boil 1 litre water, turn off the heat and add:
2 hot red chili peppers
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground Italian herbs
2 tablespoons crushed garlic

Wait until the water completely cooled down, then filter the liquid and add a splash of dish soap.

Unbelievable but true, in my experience just one treatment is enough to get rid of spider mites and mealy bugs.
You can keep this liquid forever, at least for more than a year without problems.
Perhaps worth a try.
Mrs.Green
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Mrs.Green »

widea wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:50 am I used to use chemical products before like those from Bayer and experimented a lot with all kinds of self made concoctions until I ended up with something cheaper and healthier with much success:

Boil 1 litre water, turn off the heat and add:
2 hot red chili peppers
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground Italian herbs
2 tablespoons crushed garlic

Wait until the water completely cooled down, then filter the liquid and add a splash of dish soap.

Unbelievable but true, in my experience just one treatment is enough to get rid of spider mites and mealy bugs.
You can keep this liquid forever, at least for more than a year without problems.
Perhaps worth a try.
Thnk you Widea :) Only thing; what exactly is ‘italian herbs’? I guess it’s a spice mix of some sort? Do you know which species are included in this mix? 😊
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widea
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by widea »

Good question :-) Here it is sold as a mix of dried ground herbs called 'Italian herbs'.
I think it contains:
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Last edited by widea on Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mrs.Green
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by Mrs.Green »

widea wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:04 am Good question :-) Here it is sold as a mix of ground herbs called 'Italian herbs'. I think it contains:
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Thank you Widea :)

Forgot to ask; what do you do with the product? Do you spray the cacti with the filtered mix or submerge them in it?
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widea
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Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my! (Updated 7/26/2020)

Post by widea »

I just spray the cacti with the mix and make sure all parts above the substrate are hit.

I would not be surprised submerging is also possible, if necessary I will try that and post the results.
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