| It is probably the soap in the recipe that is killing the pests rather than the cinnamon. If you can't find the extract, use the soap or regular rubbing alcohol - both will kill mealies.
Without a systemic pesticide, you will have to watch and treat the plants daily for a long time. Eggs can hatch out willy nilly with no time table on how long they survive before hatching. Treat every nook and cranny on the plants and eventually you can win the battle. Just be prepared for a long battle.
I received a phal six weeks ago and mounted it immediately. Two days ago I noticed a white spot in between two of the leaves. Peeking out at me a young mealie - it was so deep between the leaves waiting to crawl out I couldn't even wedge an alcohol dipped Q-tip. The eggs waited all that time to hatch. I now am monitoring the plant twice a day because I don't want a major infestation.
Brooke |