Bugs, Mites, Scale, Aphids: Oh NO!!!

11 years ago

BUGS, MITES, SCALE, APHIDS!!! I've had it !! UP to here and then some!!! I have been gratefully fairly bug clear in my "Collection" and there has been nothing I Could not handle in my vegetable garden. Till this year. I have aloe mites, Agave mites, armored scale, cactus coreid bugs, spider mites (I think) and in my Vegetable garden, I have squash bugs, leaf flea, and aphids. I am just tired

.... Well off to the big world to find a hand vacuum (squash bugs) and Marathon, Seven and diatomaceous Earth and rubbing alcohol. I need to order Avid and Forbid from EBAY. GOD that stuff is priced like gold. I just found another prize Agave with Agave mite. I threw out the one that I first found it on, but this one is more of a prize and has some size on it. So far I have seen no reoccurrence of the aloe mite so far.

Any advise , experience , strength and hope in these multiple regards, I am all ears. I am hitting the plant with the scale with alcohol and then a jet spray. Marathon in the pot as a systemic. I am using avid, forbid and seven on many agaves alternately. I am not sure how or how much but I have not finished my research.

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Comments (11)

teengardener1888
11 years ago
OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i wish i can help you but i am a northern gardener and i have never grown agaves(but heard theyn make awesome houseplants)try some pesticides. i rarely reccomend it but there to be few other options
Microthrix
11 years ago
I have cochineal scale on some of my opuntia ... not to bad though, and i enjoy squishing them and coloring things ...
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Ladyblues, we have a problem. This is an organic forum where we discuss organic solutions to growing and protecting plants. Your solution, while it may have worked for you, is not an organic solution to those pests. Here's the gist of the problem(s): I didnt want to use any poisons All you used were poisons. Of course everything is poisonous if you use enough of it right? Well nicotine in the amount you used might not present an immediate problem but the fact that nicotine in any amount is disapproved for use in an organic program is a problem for this list. Rubbing alcohol is a poison in almost any amount and it is disapproved in an organic program except to sterilize equipment. The organic problem with any alcohol in organics is that alcohol kills the beneficial microbes living in the soil AND ON THE SURFACE OF THE PLANT. Organic gardening is ALL about promoting and feeding these beneficial microbes. Mouthwash, being 25% alcohol, is just as bad a pure alcohol. Here are two affordable organic solutions to your specific insect pest problems. You can spray with diluted liquid seaweed. Hmmm, this is not really an affordable solution. Here's a much more affordable solution. Dilute milk at a rate of 3 ounces per gallon and spray that on your plants every 2 weeks. I dilute it even more. What I do is when I finish a container of milk, or when my girls finish their cereal in the morning, I rinse the container or bowl with water and pour it into a spray bottle. This is essentially free organic "insecticide." The way these materials work is that they promote and feed the beneficial microbes living outside the plant on the leaf and stem surfaces. Research has shown that there are between 10 and 20 layers of microbes living there - right in the full sun! When these microbes are well fed with protein and carbohydrates (not to mention minerals and vitamins), they will help the plant to protect itself. In essence, the sucking insects seem to avoid these healthier plants. If you use the same materials or others such as ordinary corn meal, flour, soy bean meal, used coffee grounds (another free source), or other ground up nuts, beans, and seeds, on the surface of the soil at a rate of one heaping handful scattered under each plant every month, then your plants will be on their way to resisting all of the normal pests we have. Scatter these materials well so you don't get piles of the stuff. If you get piles they will stink when wet. Good organic materials and practices are not stinky - and they don't have to be expensive or a hassle to use.
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The product you looked at is Organocide. I've heard, too, that it is pretty stinky. But so is Neem oil, when used inside. No, you cannot make a mixture of culinary sesame oil and water and use it on your plants. ESPECIALLY at the rate you've proposed. Products that have oils of some kind in them are packed full of emulsifiers and very LITTLE oil. And do you know how strong the odor of sesame oil is? I keep some handy at all times for the sushi rolls (for the rice) I make, and it even smells through the container. Your helpful guy was also wrong about the ingredients in Ivory being the same as what is in a commercial insecticidal soap. Ivory dish 'soap' is not a soap at all, but a detergent. Much more capable of damaging your plants and less effective on the pests. For something that is the safest for your plants, safe to use around you and your pets, and most efficient at controlling the pests, I strongly urge you to spring for the commercial insecticidal soap. Perfectly safe to use on your herbs, too. But you know what? You should have the pests identified first of all. You'll not likely find a knowledgeable professional at Home Depot. Try your local extension office, or a garden center staffed with a horticulturist. A decent garden center will have Neem oil, by the way. If you can take pictures and post them here, we can ID for you.
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hanzrobo
11 years ago
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Why do they have to exist?!? I just discovered my huge Alworthia 'black gem' was totally infested with mealies. Too far gone to even salvage any pups, just tossed it. Sometimes even pesticide won't work when they're hiding so deep down in the cracks. I also had to toss out my Dragon Tree(5" trunk), there was no way to eradicate those damn mealies! That hurt!
I need a support group to cope with the losses... or a horde of predatory insects.
nil13
11 years ago
Hanzrobo, have you tried a systemic like Imidacloprid on those hard to reach mealies?

Wantonamara, from what I understand aloe cancer is impossible to get rid of. I hope I'm mistaken and someone will correct me because it is pretty pervasive here in LA.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
11 years ago
Now I must add edema to the list since I got too much rain thes last couple of weeks. We are headed into August so I should not have to worry about more unless a hurricane hits the coast.

I have cocheneal scale on the wild cactus on my land. It never gets out of hand, so something must be eating them. Maybe it is Microthrix's "texas twin" wandering around with purple fingers.

I am thinking that I need to get my truckloads of soil delivered and get these hardy ones in the soil where most if these problems will be dealt with by predator insects.

I could not find Marathon in my travels yesterday. Where do people get it. Lowe's And Tractor Supply do not carry it. Is there a systemic insecticide that one would recommend.

Yes, I think H., that these travails are to teach us patience, tolerance, (GRRRRRRR), Humility (d@mnitall#*+!!!) and the resourcefulness of the "next right step". LOL. (She laughs maniacally as she pulls out her hair)
nil13
11 years ago
Marathon is the brand name for Imidacloprid. Look at the labels for the active ingredients and get whatever has Imidacloprid in it. It is also known as Merit. I get mine from Ewing irrigation supply but I don't know if you have one near you. You should be able to find something with Imidacloprid in it at HD or lowes, just not a very concentrated bottle. If you have a place that caters to commercial landscape supply, they will definitely have the concentrated stuff or at least be able to get it.
hanzrobo
11 years ago
I'm taking a deep breath...

Mara, you crack me up. Good luck in your battle:)

nil, thanks for the suggestion, looking into it.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
11 years ago
Nil 13, I have heard that one can use Forbid, Avid, and liquid Sevin on Ale mite.Then one can cut out the gall. The plant can live with the gall, unsightly as it is, and spreading its vermin to all aloes and some other species too. I discovered what looked like it on an Alionopsis malherbei. I threw my plant out immediately on discovery. The plant was growing and blooming nicely. Shame. Up to that point , I was aloe mite free. I do not see it anywhere, but that does not mean it is not here. It is the agave Mite that is really getting my goat and making me more worried.. In texas, we are behind you in the "new" succulent bugs. Agave bore is just making an appearance, Both Agave mite and Agave bore are being spread through thew trade. The nurseries here are being hit hard by the stock that comes from California and Arizona. It makes growing from seed so much more attractive, but god the time it takes to get a good sized plant. I am bearing down on my 6th decade.

Nil, every time I see the MT Washington by your name I think of New Hampshire and one of my most favorite mountains, and I am confused when you talk of Californian plant problems. I guess there is another one in LA. Washington does seems to get around.
nil13
11 years ago
I'm going to have to stock up on some of those and give them a try.

Lol, sorry about the confusion. LA is geographically huge and full of microclimates so a neighborhood name is a little more helpful than just Los Angeles.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author
11 years ago
Nil, I have heard that using a couple of types of treatment is good to keep the Aloe mite from getting resistant.I am not sure how the procedure goes but I have heard of people treating it.
uscgardener
11 years ago
I have been treating a mealybug infestation on indoor plants with rubbing alcohol. It works well on smaller infestations. On bigger ones, I end up throwing away the plant to avoid risk of contaminating others in my collection.

Bugs, Mites, Scale, Aphids: Oh NO!!!

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teengardener1888

Microthrix

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Bugs, Mites, Scale, Aphids: Oh NO!!!

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