Mealy bugs NO, What product should I use

[iandaniel]

I got the bugs, fuzzy white vampires.. any way what do I do and what method and product should I use please help thanks

[Ron]

Hi, Confidor, a product I have used for many years and find very good if used according to the instructions.
Being very low in toxicity makes me happy as I hate some of the more powerful poisions.
If only a few you can clean them up using metho on a smal paint brush
Cheerio
Ron

[mehitabel]

Safer's Insecticidal is a good product, with low toxicity. The active ingredient is actually soap. Safer's 3 N 1 is good, too, and is supposed to give 30 days of prevention.

I spray til the stuff drips off the leaves. You may have to spray several times three days apart to be sure you get every last one. Be sure to look under the leaves and in the junction of stem and leaf. If your orchid is flowering, look carefully at the flowers -- mealies love flowers, the backs of flowers, the lip, between the petals. Anywhere they can hide.

[Andrew]

I also find Confidor to be very effective against mealy bugs. Dimethoate (Rogor) and malathion also work but are more toxic but IME less effective than Confidor. The active ingredient in confidor is imidacloprid. In the US imidacloprid is also sold under the trade name Merit and it can also be found in Bayer Advanced 3 in 1. You usually only need one or two applications to get rid of them.

Both insecticidal soaps and oils (eg pest oil, eco oil) are also somewhat effective. They kill the insects but not the eggs so you will need to repeat the application at least 3 times, 3 days apart - the 1st to kill the adults, the 2nd to kill the offspring and the 3rd to get the ones you missed. Part of the problem with using soaps and oils is that they rely on contact and as such it can be difficult to kill mealybugs that are hiding under sheaths, in leaf axils, below the media etc. Often you think they're gone only for them to reappear a month or two down the track.

Dabbing the insects with a cotton bud dipped in 70% isopropanol (=100% rubbing alcohol) is often touted as a solution. I find it tedious and ultimately ineffective as you inevitably miss a lot of them so the problem keeps coming back.

According to some of the organic gardening resources, worm tea is supposedly quite effective due to the chitinases produced by the worms (I'm waiting for my next mealy bug infestation to try it out). Both vermicompost tea and the waste leachate can apparently be used.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I spray with rubbing alcohol and also spray with neem oil. If I see a live one he gets pickled

[lampwick]

I used the rubbing alcohol/cottom swab method on one of my indoor Oncidiums, and the mealies disappeared after two applications. The infestation was rather minor, though. I think I caught it early.

[tansyflower]

I would also recommend Confidor. In Aus you can buy a small concentrated version, and it works out very cheap per application. Can also use it on vegies and other plants.