Plant Pests

[PETERTHEEATER]

A gardener I am not but I have been learning since I retired.

A number of my shade plants have been infested with some kind of 'woolly bug' The visible signs are small white cotton wool looking spots clustered on the stems and dispersed on the leaves.

First of all, what is it and secondly how do I get rid of it?

[sbk]

sounds like mealybug

Very hard to remove, IME. I've heard Neem oil works well but have yet to try it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug

[PETERTHEEATER]

sounds like mealybug

Very hard to remove, IME. I've heard Neem oil works well but have yet to try it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug

Thanks, that's what I thought. I have tried spraying but it keeps coming back.

[khun_j]

does anyone know - where do you get neem oil in bkk? or anything else that helps?

[TBWG]

Hi

I also suffer from this and have tried various sprays etc

However my gardener just puts some dry bamboo leaves in a clay pot, puts it under the infected tree and sets fire to it the more smoke the better! Sometimes works sometimes not but all the plants look healthier for it!

Worth a try.

TBWG

[PETERTHEEATER]

Thanks posters, my affected plants are heavy and in plots on the balcony so the 'fire and smoke' cure may be tricky but, I have never knocked any local cure so I will give it a try if they don't recover from the last organic spraying.

[drtreelove]

A gardener I am not but I have been learning since I retired.

A number of my shade plants have been infested with some kind of 'woolly bug' The visible signs are small white cotton wool looking spots clustered on the stems and dispersed on the leaves.

First of all, what is it and secondly how do I get rid of it?

Mealy bug or a wooly aphid infestation can be tolerated by the plants if not too heavy. Don't over-fertilize which creates excessive lush sweet foliage favored by insect pests.

Balcony plants should not be too big of a job to use mechanical control; use a rag or cotton gloves and wipe them off. If you don't want the messy squished bugs on you gloves and want to use chemical control, neem is good in a garden setting, but you will need to buy a sprayer and a minimum 500 baht bottle of the concentrated chemical. Insecticidal soap is another possibility, but I wouldn't know where to find it in Bangkok.

Going to a slightly stronger control, permethrin or cypermthrin is as a contact spray for control of these pests if used as a spot spray on the target pest. Cypermethrin is the active ingredient along with bifenthrin, another pyrethroid, in the common aerosol product Chaindrite 1, Crack and Crevice Spray, 50 baht at Lotus/Tesco, Carrefour, or others. It is relatively low toxicity for mammals, but bad for fish and honey bees, and of course most insect pests. Spray sparingly, a little goes a long way. Don't get it on you or breathe it, vacate the area until it dries. There has been some research indicating possible endocrine disruption from this class of chemicals with repeated exposure, but they are far less hazardous than the old generation pesticides from the carbamates, organophosphates and chlorinated hydrocarbon chemicals.

[PETERTHEEATER]

A gardener I am not but I have been learning since I retired.

A number of my shade plants have been infested with some kind of 'woolly bug' The visible signs are small white cotton wool looking spots clustered on the stems and dispersed on the leaves.

First of all, what is it and secondly how do I get rid of it?

Mealy bug or a wooly aphid infestation can be tolerated by the plants if not too heavy. Don't over-fertilize which creates excessive lush sweet foliage favored by insect pests.

Balcony plants should not be too big of a job to use mechanical control; use a rag or cotton gloves and wipe them off. If you don't want the messy squished bugs on you gloves and want to use chemical control, neem is good in a garden setting, but you will need to buy a sprayer and a minimum 500 baht bottle of the concentrated chemical. Insecticidal soap is another possibility, but I wouldn't know where to find it in Bangkok.

Going to a slightly stronger control, permethrin or cypermthrin is as a contact spray for control of these pests if used as a spot spray on the target pest. Cypermethrin is the active ingredient along with bifenthrin, another pyrethroid, in the common aerosol product Chaindrite 1, Crack and Crevice Spray, 50 baht at Lotus/Tesco, Carrefour, or others. It is relatively low toxicity for mammals, but bad for fish and honey bees, and of course most insect pests. Spray sparingly, a little goes a long way. Don't get it on you or breathe it, vacate the area until it dries. There has been some research indicating possible endocrine disruption from this class of chemicals with repeated exposure, but they are far less hazardous than the old generation pesticides from the carbamates, organophosphates and chlorinated hydrocarbon chemicals.

Thanks, I have been using Cypermethrin diluted and srayed. I also wiped the leaves and stems with a dilite etergent solution which seems to have helped. This pest also likes my chili plants and is a frequent reocurrence.

[cmsally]

I find blasting it off with a strong hose works best.

Setting fire to things this time of year sounds a bit dodgy

However a couple of weeks ago a friend told me of an old Thai trick of taking egg shells and hanging them on the plants. I am just about to try this, so don't know if it works, but in their garden not a mealy bug in sight.

You need almost the whole egg shell and hang it on an upright twig.

[drtreelove]

I find blasting it off with a strong hose works best.

Setting fire to things this time of year sounds a bit dodgy

However a couple of weeks ago a friend told me of an old Thai trick of taking egg shells and hanging them on the plants. I am just about to try this, so don't know if it works, but in their garden not a mealy bug in sight.

You need almost the whole egg shell and hang it on an upright twig.

Egg shells? that sounds more visable/ugly than a few mealy bugs. I guess you could dye them like easter eggs or christmas tree ornaments, or paint them like an eggplant and really get your friend's attention.

[GungaDin]

I have some Neem oil to spare if you can't find some locally, also some insecticidal soap, but dishwashing liquid should do to mix with the Neem oil.

PM me.

[Cuban]

I recall reading about the use of coffee grains, the soggy stuff left over when you have made real coffee. Soak in water then spray the weak liquid over plants affected by bugs.

[GungaDin]

Coffee grains added to the soil is good for plants.

[lioness]

Having lots of animals and fish i am careful in what I spray.

What works for me is an organic mix which I make myself as follows:-

A small bit of leftover soap

a few garlic bulbs

Water

Peel the garlic and liquidize the cloves, place in a pan with water and leftover soap, bring to the boil and simmer until the soap has disappeared. Cool and store, you can spray this as is or if enough garlic then you can add more water.

The garlic clears off the pests and the soap helps make the spray stick to the leaves. Works on just about anything.

[GungaDin]

DIY Neem Plant Spray

[gunthicha]

Soapy water, dish washer detergent mix with water! will work like a charm. First trim off those stem that so crowded of them(if heavy infested), then mix the detergent couple table spoon with 1/2 liter water, shake well and spray thoroughly. You might have to repeat the treatment once a week till you cant see any of them. But you will see the different after the first treatment. Hope it help!