Fudgecicles! Mealybugs! :(

[scottychaos]

^ That's what has been on my N. densiflora x spectabilis. I never see them move around so I didn't suspect that's what it was. They are really, really tiny, so tiny you can't even tell what they are. They were pretty much all over the leaves of the plant. Luckily, they didn't spread to the rest of my collection. I wiped all that I could see off of the plant... They never left any of those patches like in the pic, all I saw were little tiny white speckles everywhere. Not on any of the neighboring plants. The infected plant had been with the rest of the collection for four months, so...

I'm not going to throw away the entire collection... It's all been exposed, there's nothing I can do now.

Yesterday only one plant was infected..today all are?
no, you dont know that they are all exposed, and that there is nothing you can do now..
throwing away the one plant is still the best solution IMO..

but if you want to treat the one plant (rather than throw it away) then at least isolate it from the resto of your collection..but dont assume your whole collection is infected if you have no evidence of that..

How many plants are we dealing with?
can you easily move the one somewhere else?

Scot

 

[Nepenthesis]

Yesterday only one plant was infected..today all are?
no, you dont know that they are all exposed, and that there is nothing you can do now..
throwing away the one plant is still the best solution IMO..

but if you want to treat the one plant (rather than throw it away) then at least isolate it from the resto of your collection..but dont assume your whole collection is infected if you have no evidence of that..

How many plants are we dealing with?
can you easily move the one somewhere else?

Scot

Didn't see any on the other plants when I posted, but now I do. I'll treat the entire collection with Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer. I'm dealing with nine plants, not small, but not big. They're all in the terrarium right now, but will be moved to the greenhouse within the next two weeks where they can be spaced out. I have 50% shade cloth, a swamp cooler and a heater on the way. Just need to install everything then acclimate the plants. It would probably be easiest to treat the entire collection outside where they can be spaced apart and covered with the pesticide from all angles.

Does the Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer smell really bad? Does it need to be applied in a ventilated area, or can I just apply it in the greenhouse with the door open?

 

[scottychaos]

^ That's what has been on my N. densiflora x spectabilis. I never see them move around so I didn't suspect that's what it was. They are really, really tiny, so tiny you can't even tell what they are. They were pretty much all over the leaves of the plant. Luckily, they didn't spread to the rest of my collection. I wiped all that I could see off of the plant... They never left any of those patches like in the pic, all I saw were little tiny white speckles everywhere. Not on any of the neighboring plants. The infected plant had been with the rest of the collection for four months, so...

What dangers do mealybugs pose to my collection? Any Nepenthes/SPHAGNUM-safe insecticides?

oh wait..thats not actually your photo?
you should have clarified that..
because now we really dont know exactly what you are referring to..
the "patches" in that photo do look like scale..
but then you say "They never left any of those patches like in the pic"..what you mean by "patches" then? any chance you can post a photo of your actual plant?
It might not be scale at all..

Scot

 

[RL7836]

It might not be scale at all..

To follow up, try to get a positive ID so you are not wasting time/money trying to eradicate springtails ...

 

[Nepenthesis]

oh wait..thats not actually your photo?
you should have clarified that..
because now we really dont know exactly what you are referring to..
the "patches" in that photo do look like scale..
but then you say "They never left any of those patches like in the pic"..what you mean by "patches" then? any chance you can post a photo of your actual plant?
It might not be scale at all..

Scot

I meant those little gray, round blobs in that pic. I think I have something similar to the little white buggy things...

The infected plant after cleaning last night, just one on the leaf this morning...

The pitcher of another plant with a few on it...

And the leaf of a third plant with just a few...

 

[scottychaos]

Here is a good test for scale:
in addition to the "mystery bugs" are you also finding patches of a sticky goo? like a resin?
if yes, its scale..if no, it probably isnt scale.

Since you are planning to treat with an insecticide, the exact bug might not be terribly important, since the insecticide will probably kill it no matter what it is..

But still, its always better to find out exactly what the enemy is, if you can..
because more knowledge = better odds of success with treatment..different bugs are best treated different ways..

Scot

 

[Nepenthesis]

Here is a good test for scale:
in addition to the "mystery bugs" are you also finding patches of a sticky goo? like a resin?
if yes, its scale..if no, it probably isnt scale.

Since you are planning to treat with an insecticide, the exact bug might not be terribly important, since the insecticide will probably kill it no matter what it is..

But still, its always better to find out exactly what the enemy is, if you can..
because more knowledge = better odds of success with treatment..different bugs are best treated different ways..

Scot

Can you tell what they are from the pics?

 

[scottychaos]

those dont even look like bugs..they look like physical marks on the leaf..
hard water spots?

Scot

 

[Nepenthesis]

those dont even look like bugs..they look like physical marks on the leaf..
hard water spots?

Scot

They appear to be bugs. They wipe off pretty easily. They're three dimensional figures. They range in size from a spec of dust to that big one you see. I just picked one up on my finger and put it on the glass. It isn't moving, but it's definitely some sort of bug. Looks like a springtail, but it isn't hopping around like one.

 

[scottychaos]

They appear to be bugs. They wipe off pretty easily. They're three dimensional figures. They range in size from a spec of dust to that big one you see. I just picked one up on my finger and put it on the glass. It isn't moving, but it's definitely some sort of bug. Looks like a springtail, but it isn't hopping around like one.

hmmm..interesting! I cant tell what they are from the photos then..
could still be some species of scale, although it doesnt look like to me..
but scale can be quite diverse..

can you try some more pics? looks like your camera can do fairly decent close-ups..
try some more photos and see if you can get some good clear macros..

Scot

 

[kulamauiman]

leaflets from the live sphagnum maybe?

 

[Nepenthesis]

hmmm..interesting! I cant tell what they are from the photos then..
could still be some species of scale, although it doesnt look like to me..
but scale can be quite diverse..

can you try some more pics? looks like your camera can do fairly decent close-ups..
try some more photos and see if you can get some good clear macros..

Scot

I'm using a point and shoot. Those were the best I could get. Could they be flakes of dry sphagnum? When I rub them or move them in any way, there is no response. Maybe they aren't even living?

---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 AM ----------

leaflets from the live sphagnum maybe?

Probably, as they aren't moving. Now that I think of it, they didn't appear until I added LFS to the neps...

 

[mato]

Looks like sphagnum. If you're worried about pests, just spray everything down with http://www.amazon.com/Bayer-502570B...4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1333564937&sr=1-4 once a month (don't pay attention to the poor reviews on Amazon, it works well and won't hurt your plants).

 

[Nepenthesis]

Since it doesn't seem to be an issue, I'll just wait and see what happens. If they do appear to be some sort of living organism, I'll purchase some Bayer Advanced. If not, I'll assume it's sphagnum and enjoy mah plants.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Omg seriously pineapple. You don't even know if they are moving? First off I grow neps with orchids and I have had isolated outbreaks of scale and mealy bugs in my orchid collection. Mind you, they are all in an 8x8 GH. Close quarters considering the amount of plants I have. I have yet to have scale or mealies on any of my neps. I have had beetles and occasional grasshopper munch on leaves. Oh I get fungus gnats in the media but they are harmless enough.

When I look at your pics the "bugs" look like worms to me, but when you said you just added lfs, it looks like it just might have been a bit of lfs that dried to leaves.

Mealies are kind fuzzy and scale looks like a scale on a snake you have to scrape off. Rubbing alcohol works great for spot treatment. Bayer advanced works great for anything but mites. It's like Viagra for mites. I wouldnt get too bent out if shape. Unless you have a super infestation you can get things under control. Treat and remove what you can see with alcohol.

---------- Post added at 02:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------

Omg seriously pineapple. You don't even know if they are moving? First off I grow neps with orchids and I have had isolated outbreaks of scale and mealy bugs in my orchid collection. Mind you, they are all in an 8x8 GH. Close quarters considering the amount of plants I have. I have yet to have scale or mealies on any of my neps. I have had beetles and occasional grasshopper munch on leaves. Oh I get fungus gnats in the media but they are harmless enough.

When I look at your pics the "bugs" look like worms to me, but when you said you just added lfs, it looks like it just might have been a bit of lfs that dried to leaves.

Mealies are kind fuzzy and scale looks like a scale on a snake you have to scrape off. Rubbing alcohol works great for spot treatment. Bayer advanced works great for anything but mites. It's like Viagra for mites. I wouldnt get too bent out if shape. Unless you have a super infestation you can get things under control. Treat and remove what you can see with alcohol.

---------- Post added at 02:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:54 PM ----------

Anything with merit works great. That is the Chem in bayer advanced rose and flower spray. That is ready to spray. There are others if you want to mix that are cheaper. It is the same stuff as frontline for your pets. Works great and is waterproof because it is a systemic.

 

[RL7836]

If you're going to be growing plants for a while, I recommend you purchase a loupe. You can get them for a song on fleabay. Pests are not an 'if' but a 'when' in this hobby. You'll have much better chances of success if you have a clue what you're fighting.

Your health (& piece of mind) will both be better off if you're not busy trying to rid your world of tiny specks of sphagnum with toxic chemicals.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Lol ha ha that's funny Ron.

 

[Heli]

lol Ron, i often mistake the sphagnum pieces for scale.

 

[vraev]

Yup! I agree...that looks like sphagnum flakes.

here is a pic of scale that I had on orchids and neps:

But here is sphagnum flakes and scale on the same leaf

 

[Not a Number]

A magnifying loupe is an essential tool in horticulture. 10x will let you discriminate between a Drosera shoot vs a fleck of algae or moss. 20x is enough for you to see the difference between a spider mite and a speck of pollen. 30x will probably let you count the hairs on the chinny-chin-chin of a housefly.