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Mealybug on hibiscus plant
Topic Started: Jul 17 2017, 03:49 AM (182 Views)
bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
Every summer a large hibiscus plant in the garden gets infected with mealybug. Little white sticky cotton like pests. They just about defoliate the plant, disappear mysteriously in sept, the plant recovers, and again now in summer.
Tried spraying with pesticides, soapy water, anything I could find on Internet garden sites, but to no avail. Besides uprooting the whole thing (it's a huge about 7-8 foot high bush with lovely flowers) anyone have a magic potion to kill the little fuckers?
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
No, but hibiscus are gorgeous. I wish you luck.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Copper
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Shortstop
Ladybugs prey on mealybugs.
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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Catseye3
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Fulla-Carp
I searched 'mealybug' without reference to hibiscus, and found this. Hope it's not a duplicate of what you've already found.

Mealybug Control

Prune out light infestations or dab insects with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.
Do not over water or overfertilize — mealybugs are attracted to plants with high nitrogen levels and soft growth.
Commercially available beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewing and the Mealybug Destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri), are important natural predators of this pest.
Use the Bug Blaster to hose off plants with a strong stream of water and reduce pest numbers. Washing foliage regularly with a leaf shine — made from neem oil — will help discourage future infestations.
Safer® Insecticidal Soap will work fast on heavy infestations. A short-lived natural pesticide, it works by damaging the outer layer of soft-bodied insect pests, causing dehydration and death within hours. Apply 2.5 oz/ gallon of water when insects are present, repeat every 7-10 day as needed.
Neem oil disrupts the growth and development of pest insects and has repellent and anti-feedant properties. Best of all, it’s non-toxic to honey bees and many other beneficial insects. Mix 1 oz/ gallon of water and spray every 7-14 days, as needed.
Fast-acting botanical insecticides should be used as a last resort. Derived from plants which have insecticidal properties, these natural pesticides have fewer harmful side effects than synthetic chemicals and break down more quickly in the environment.
Washing foliage regularly with a leaf shine will help discourage future infestations.

https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/mealybug-control/

You might also start a new topic, "Hey, John Galt" and see if she has any info. She is a masterful gardener.
Chocolate doesn't ask silly questions. Chocolate understands.
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
got the neem oil and another spray product a little less organic.

ill try both, I'm anxious for a solution

thanks
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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brenda
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..............
Let me know what works best for you, Bach. I have a pair of hibiscus trees. If they get the same problem, I'd like to know what worked for you.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Steve Miller
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Bull-Carp
I grow several Hibiscus. Around here they get something called Giant Mexican Whitefly.

What kills them is a systemic. Mix it up in a 5 gallon bucket, pour it on the roots. Problem goes away. For years, in my experience.

Ask your nurseryman. Might work for you.
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bachophile
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Steve Miller
Jul 17 2017, 09:02 PM
I grow several Hibiscus. Around here they get something called Giant Mexican Whitefly.

What kills them is a systemic. Mix it up in a 5 gallon bucket, pour it on the roots. Problem goes away. For years, in my experience.

Ask your nurseryman. Might work for you.
after all the sprays failed, i took your advice, went out and bought a systemic insecticide, called Imidacloprid. (packaged as confidor 350 SC by bayer)


u know its probably horrible when the packaging includes surgical gloves. but that made me feel right at home.

and there in the insert with the instructions was the dosing for hibiscus attacked by mealybugs. (per height of bush)

a few squirts of this thick white goo at the base of the plant and then irrigation to let it soak down,

half life of 1-3 years.

but i see on the net its not good for bees, which do come often to the hibiscus flowers, but screw it. those little mealybug fuckers are destroying the plant.

i hope this works.



Edited by bachophile, Jul 28 2017, 04:33 AM.
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
this is what those little shits look like

Posted Image
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Maybe a Bernz-o-matic? Fry the little beasts?
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Improviso
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HOLY CARP!!!
Oh crap... just checked our hibiscus plants and one is infected like this.

Off to Lowes...
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and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism.

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brenda
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..............
Holy cow, bach. Yeah, I would think the bees can go elsewhere. This is probably going to kill the plant if untreated. Again, keep us posted. I have two hibiscus trees on my front porch. They were cheap late season purchases last year, but I kept them alive through the winter, and I plan to do that again this winter. I would really like to keep them going for several years.

Good luck!
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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