g'day amelie,

well for db to say it someone would have had to pay big bucks, but if you contact your local dpi they should be able to put you into contact with where to buy bugs to control bugs. and white oil works well on mealy bugs, but then the white oil makers weren't paying db now were they.

len

I don't have a mealy bug problem at the moment - the odd plant gets a few of them sometimes (I usually remove them by hand). That was my thought too Len - is he being paid to say this? ....
He also said that the only lillypilly which didn't get psyllids was the smithii - but the leumanii doesn't either. More financial interests there too perhaps?

yep amelie,

it all comes down to the almighty dollar, a friend told me he (db) was quoted as saying 'i don't know a thing about gardening or growing things but i'm going to make my money telling others how to do it' or words to that effect, sounds about right to me.

len

This is the site for ladybugs.

www.bugsforbugs.com.au

I prefer to give db the benefit of the doubt - maybe he just doesn't know any better! (call me naive). Anyway, I agree mealy bugs are very bad, and very hard to get rid of. I have been struggling with them on and off for about 18 months.
They like my agapanthus, hippeastrum and hibiscus.

I once read on another gardening site that the "babies" were "as fine as dust" and that if you have one infected plant, you didn't really - all the plants in that area would be involved just not visible yet, and that you might as well bin them all and start again! Well I couldn't really afford this, and it would have broken my heart to dig up all my beautiful plants. So I struggle on with a combination of crushing the blighters by hand, Folimat and white oil. The Folimat is absorbed by the plant and is supposed to concentrate in the sap and hence kill the critters for 2-3 weeks. I find it sort of works, but better in combo with white oil. Of course, this is not friendly to the other bugs, and so I try to move the ladybugs away before doing this. (There are usually a few around, but not enough to cope with the load of mealy bugs.)

A lovely old lady from the North Coast who grows and sells hippeastrums told me that you just have to be vigilant and get on top of the problem before it gets out of hand. She also used white oil and (unfortunately for me) something else that she couldn't remember the name of but bought at the Yandina markets!!! Oh well. Good luck with the mealy bugs.

Confidor will deal with mealy bugs.
db seems to try to push the non chemical methods at least.

I do not think Don Burke is that much of a profiteer. Maybe he even has a bit of a conscience? Biological control of insect pests has great benefits. I am sure even Len agrees with this concept. The use of ladybirds for the control of sucking insect pests has been going on for ages.

There is another web page I would recommend:
http://www.goodbugs.org.au/default.htm

Amelie, the use of biological control in gardens and commercial crops is becoming increasingly common and it has great benefits. If it is a conspiracy to make money, long may it reign. The CSIRO is a conspirator in this field. Better than genetic mutation and the use of many of those mass destruction insecticides.

I have even controlled my curl grub infestation with the application of nematodes. It was expensive but it seems to be working. I have lost a quite a few plants as a result of curl grub (African Black beetle). The only other alternative was to water in an insecticide which would have resulted in the death of countless worms etc.

I once heard db recommend that you throw out potted palms with mealy bug infestation. Long tailed mealy bug can be treated with methylated spirit or if the plant is larger confidor should fix the problem.
With palms the trick is to get the methylated spirit to contact the bug. Mealy bugs like to hide in the base of the leaves so a systemic agent is probably best. Confidor can now be purchased in a systemic form. You water it in, the plant aborbs the agent and the bugs die when they take up the plant sap.
Whatever you do don't throw your plants out.

I had instant success getting rid of them from my badly infected Gardenia standard, by dipping a cheap battery powered ultrasonic toothbrush in the insecticide (or rubbing alcohol) and using it to remove the bugs infestations by hand.

It's giving you plant a thorough tooth brushing :) and when you come out the next day - still no plaque .... I mean mealy bugs. It probably would also work for scale.

I also inserted a Confidir tablet to prevent further infestations.

This post was edited by smileclick on Sat, Jan 17, 15 at 18:16

I used the foam left over from my car washing solution to smother the infested plant. All mealy bugs were gone and 6 months later still no sign of them.