Almost makes your teeth break doesn't it? Ever thought about just burning down the greenhouse? I have!

Sunday I pruned my large, beautiful, flowering and fruiting key lime plant back to almost nothing. My citrus are the main attractants to the aphids and thrips. This plant could take nearly 1/2 gal. of neem mix to cover. Not any more!

As for fungus gnats, I've used cyfluthrin crystals, usually found in spider control products. This knocks them back a bit. Another thing that works but you may have to keep at it is beneficial nematodes used as a soil drench.

I saw my first mealy bug on a brand new tree a few weeks ago. Freaked me out. There I actually did go over every single leaf one at a time!

For the fungus gnats, gnatrol is great but you have to buy a large jug which for you might be cost prohibitive. Mine cost like $60. But I did notice that gardensalive.com has stuff with the same active BT fungus for like $20. It's called knock out gnats.You might try it. All you do is mix it with the water when you're watering, so it's not hard to do. That might be a good choice for you if you feel like you have the other bugs under control for now with your sprays.
Have you tried marathon granules in your plants? It's a systemic, powdered granular form and you have to be careful with your watering for a little while after using it. Marathon does work for fungus gnats too.It kills just the larva, not the adults, but eventually you run out of adults, you know. I don't know this person, but there is someone selling 16 oz of it on ebay for $35. If you type in marathon insecticide, it comes up. Not a steal, but most likely enough to get you through a hobby greenhouse. A 5# jug costs like $120, and I doubt you'd want to go that way. It's labeled for mealybugs too. a one gallon pot takes 1 1/4-2 tsp of it, for example, so it goes a long ways.Marathon is good stuff. The other stuff I'm loving for whiteflies and aphids is Botanigard, it's a bacteria or fungus that kills them. I can't remember which. It's like $80 for 1/2 gallon too though.

Here is a link that might be useful: marathon 1% granular label

BT is a bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis, FYI.

Yes! Dropping a bomb on it also crossed my mind. I must have spent $75 on insecticides since last Oct. All work, for awhile, then the pests are back again - plus new ones.

I remember having a few mini citrus trees when I lived in NYC. None lasted long. As I remember they drew every pest east of the Rockies. Another pest magnet were my gardenias! I loved the smell of all their blossoms but feared I was poisoning my family. No GH at the time, just a large sunny room. One day I tossed them all! :*(

You know to get rid of mealy bugs, you have to spray and spray and spray and repot with new soil, then spray again.

Orchiddude...you know how to kick a guy when he's down... and where to kick him!

Thanks. I have Malathion. I'll mix some in water and try it. I have a bunch of insecticides. The problem is, before one is used up, the bugs are immune to it. And in fact they seem to have at least partial immunity to everything.

I need something that's broad spectrum. I have an excellent selection if insecticides,... I need one that really works, like DDT or Kelthane or Chlordane - the ones they took off the market. The best ones are no longer available.

Only a few plants were effected with mealies in the GH. They're now in my otherwise plant-free living room soaked daily in Systemic. Tomorrow I'll spray the GH again. I'm starting to get concerned for my own health with all these sprays.

Cygon is really good, dont get any one you. It kills everything, including you. Get it at the co-op. Malathon works great 50% or higher, you can also you Orthene, its good. For mealies, use a drench in all soils where plants have the bugs, these things lay eggs in the dirt.

OhiaJay...what are you talking about? LOL, :-), sorry if it hurt....lol

When you said for mealy bugs you need to spray spray spray! I'm like greenhouser now...concerned for my health. There's times when the battle with mites and such become so fierce, concern for your health goes out the window. I'm sure I've breathed in and had more insecticides on exposed skin than is good for anybody. "Whoops! Label says to wear goggles and a respirator and to cover all exposed parts." But hell... if the crap can't kill the mites like it claims, what's it going to do to me?!!! W4* $#to..sorry, hard to type, I have an ear growing on the side of my hand...

That's what I like about the marathon granules, you don't spray it at all.
You just measue it on top (dry)of the soil and water it in a little bit. The plant picks it up and takes care of the rest.
Have you used the insecticidal soap? They don't seem to get used to it either.
You could always prop the greenhouse door open and leave the heat off. That seems to work too! LOL...

Well you always can go back to neem, since there is no resistance to neem.

I may jinx myself for saying this, but I have sprayed less than 1/2 as often as I have in previous years. I really think that there is a learning curve. This morning, for example, I noted the humidity to be too low at 42%. I sprayed down the floor and the dirt, and in just a few minutes the RH was up to 53%...I'm sure it is higher now, making things just a little more difficult for those spider mites. I have learned where to watch for mealies and scale and I must be catching them earlier. I rotate sprays. The heat and air movement are even and I move the fans around from time to time. I have gotten rid of average plants that are bug magnets. I try to keep the GH clean (although it is not as clean as OJs). And I've learned to water in such a way as to make life difficult for any bugs that might be there.

FWIW

Geesh SB...glad you haven't seen any recent pics! Not trying to argue here or anything. But I've found that the spider mites that reside in my greenhouse couldn't give a hoot about how high the humidity is... and I keep mine very high. I agree completely about getting rid of average plants. I'm in the process of doing that now... it's just slow going.

I've been careful around the lychee as well... since they don't tolerate sprays very well. This is the plant I found the mealybugs on. I inspect it quite often now. Scale is a pain too and so far confined to one variety of plant. Amazing what havoc a few of these creatures can cause. SB...do you do anything with the fallen leaves besides dispose of them? I would like to compost them or even turn them under some of the soil but I'm afraid I may keep a problem around that way.

I compost them, but I am such a slow composter that all of my piles sit through a winter and presumably anything hanging around in there would either be cooked or frozen.

Hopefully.

I agree on the lychee, I never spray them when they are cold or when there is new growth. And I spray them less often than the others.

Ohiojay...sounds like you have a nest of them somewhere. This spring clean everything out and spray it all down. Get some cygon, cover your face and it fly. Hide the dog or cat too. It will kill them and maybe the plant too....lol

What causes my concern is a man I once knew in Nashville who suffered permanent nerve damage from pesticides that made him shake like he had Parkinson's. The damage to his nerves was permanent and he ended up on SSD. He was barely 50 years old at the time. Some of these insecticides and fungicides are very harmful to us and other warm blooded mammals. I try to spray as fast as possible with the fans off an get out of the GH as quickly as possible. Trying not to hit the toms, peppers and other edibles with some of this stuff is an adventure in itself.

With the amount of plants I have in my Rion, I would have to sell my firstborn son to pay for the Malathion granules I would need. This weekend I'm making up a solution to water it in. I hope I have enough to do them all.

You know alot of times you can just make a thick soap solution and stray everything, the soap will cover the soft shell bugs and kill them. I remember a good ole mix from some orchid friends that was something like this.

1 cup of 409
1/2 cup of alcohol
1 tablespoon of soap.
Add some water and mix.

It worked pretty good, sometimes.

The main thing to remember in a greenhouse is to turn off ANY fans you have running, and make sure there is NO air blowing around, when spraying, cover you whole body, face,arms, everything, before you spray, and becareful! All these chemicals are man made and if its man made, you know it cant be good for you. Just look at all the process food we make, aint none of it good for you.

Thanks for the info.

As for processed foods. We stopped eating that stuff 20 years ago.

I swear by the Marathon 1% granules too. They work GREAT on mealy, scale, fungus gnats, thrips, aphids, just about everything except mites, and you don't have to spray, so all you need is a pair of gloves. Just make sure to irrigate lightly for the first 3 waterings or 10 days after you apply (see label for details), or you'll wash out much of the protection. They should work for up to a year. You should be able to get a 5 lb. just for about $135 if you look around a bit. Yes, they are pricey, but they WORK! Good luck!

$135 for more insecticide is out of the question right now. How do the granules kill insects not in the soil? Is it some new malathion systemic?

Ummmmm.....may I ask a question? Has anyone attempted using predatory insects to control the bugs? Also, insect-eating plants? Praying mantis, lady bugs, and a couple other predatory insects are great for bug control and don't hurt the plants. And, I've often wondered if insect-eating plants could be used in like manner. But...seriously....I just got my greenhouse and have absolutely NO experience whatsoever so I could be just talkin' wind. Just thought it couldn't hurt to ask though.

Hi, I have had fungus gnats all winter in my greenhouse. I have lost many more plants this winter due to hot temps and dry pots than to these bugs. I just stopped worrying about them. James

Irisbreeze, I have tried that. I have many, many mantises in the yard and I regularly put a mantis egg case in the GH in the winter. Problem there is that you never really know when they will hatch out, and invariably I spray at the wrong time and knock off many of the mantises. Also, they like aphids and I never see them going after the darn mealies.

I have also pruchased beneficials. I got some mealybug destroyers, released them, and after 2 hours I never saw another one, ever.

The other problem with the whole idea of beneficials is that you have to keep some of the bad bugs around or the population of beneficials dies out. More hassle than it is worth, IMHO.

SB

You want to talk bugs?

The worst bugs that ever got in my greenhouse were butterflies. I HATE them!

They are beautiful, colorful, graceful and deadly to all plants!

Their kids eat anything and everything!

Oh and wasps! One is OK. You get two or more in there building those paper nest things (by gnawing on pressure treated wood, go figure) and there is a constant aerial catfight in there!

I sympathize with you guys, I don't suffer from bugs because I never have anything in my greenhouse long enough for it to be a problem.

However I do grow some awesome spiders!

:)

I agree with SB for the most part. I've ordered green lacewing eggs several times and have only seen where a few have actually hatched. The larvae may look scarey, but that's it. I think they are sissies. Waste of money. I tried mantis eggs once and they never hatched. Ladybugs disappeared after a few hours never to be seen again. I actually watched them walk around aphids. Predators my a$$.

On the flip side though...beneficial nematodes have helped knock out fungus gnats. Cali predator mites did a fine job wiping out a spider mite infestation in my bananas. But SB is right, once the food is gone, so are the beneficials. Most a quite expensive.

Once the days start getting a bit longer, I am going to try pirate bugs for thrips. I can't deal with them any longer. My only concern with these is that they bite everything, including the kind person who is providing them live food. For such a tiny little critter, their bite packs quite a punch.

Yep-bugs in the greenhouse-the battle continues.I spray with Avid(miticide),Ortho Sytemic,and Kelthane.Between the 3 my problems(Spider Mites and Aphids)are taken care of-but this is an ongoing battle.And not breathing the stuff....This is a feat.Run in-hold breath,spray,run outside,breath.LOL But I'm not gonna breath that stuff.Mark

Try Nicotine.

It is natural, it is organic and it is a deadly poison.

Find yourself a smoker, beg for a week of ash tray residue (butts, ash, etc) then dump it in hot water.

Filter through a coffee filter then use as a spray.

If it don't kill the bugs it will give them a nasty cough in the mornings!

:)

P.S. Don't use nicotine spray on Tomatoes, Peppers, Potatoes etc.....

(I forgot to add that to the post above)

Tobacco Mosaic Virus is a problem. That is why you NEVER use tobacco products while handling certain types of plants.

Where are you getting Kelthane. No one here in TN sells it and I was told it was taken off the market. It was the best product I ever used for spider mites!

All home made tobacco products can carry the mosaic virus. It's not a good idea to use it on tomatoes and peppers.

Imidacloprid seems to work well on mealy bug. Don't find anything else works thoroughly.