Not Toni, but I found this link for homemade scale repellant on the internet and it shows "Ivory Dishsoap". I have made a homemade aphid spray before and that is also what I use...Ivory! Seem to work okay for me...

Here is a link that might be useful: HomeMade Aphid Repellant

May I also recommend crushing a whole garlic root into a clear plastic jug, add a quart of water and sit it in the sun for a week. Strain the solids out, save the liquid, add 3 more quarts of water and a teaspoon of DAWN dishwashing liquid.

Sarah, sorry I just noticed this thread.
I use any dishsoap except for Dawn. I prefer something with citrus but it's sometimes hard to find.
I'll finish this thread tomorrow..it's 12:19am..LOL..night..Toni

Sarah, didn't mean to sound hasty, but I was about to turn off the puter, when I noticed your thread.
I was using a dishsoap with Citrus. One of the ingredients is true citrus, so they say. LOL. Used it for years, now it's like the brand is extinct. Can't find it anywhere.
Ajax has a citrus scented dishsoap which is what I now add to the mixture.
Acually any dish soap will work, just steer clear of Dawn.
You poor thing..all those bugs!! What the heck happened?
Sarah, it's strange, beneficial insects are dying/dead while the bad guys are flying around..that doesn't make sense?
Why in the world do people use so many chemicals??? By doing so, they're killing off the good guys. Not to mention, spraying something that most likely causes cancer. I feel bad for people who don't use chemicals, yet because of their neighbors, have to breath in that crap.

Sarah, the mix I use will kill mites and scale, but it won't touch whitefly..Before your plants are totally infested, purchase Yellow Sticky Traps..they work fantastic, and no chemicals. They're sold on Ebay and a place called Gardens Alive. Cost is more reasonable on Ebay. In Ebay's search window type in yellow sticky traps.
Traps come with a little, metal holder. Traps are attached to these holders. Stick holder in soil. You'd be amazed how many whitefly they capture.
About 3 or 4 yrs ago, I had the same problem..Whitefly. I found the source, a hardy Hydragea..95% of my plants were whitefly infested. Some plants worse than others, especially Hibiscus, citrus and gardenias. I bought the traps, placed one trap among a group of plants. Each trap captured hundreds of whitefly days later. That was it, they died. So, if you have whitefly, and want to use natural, non-chemical 'help,' buy the traps, ASAP.
Keep us posted, Sarah and Good luck, Toni

Thanks puglvr1 and tsmith2579 for your suggestions. I appreciate it and will keep them in mind for using on my plants.

Toni, thanks for replying. I will have to make some of the fish emulsion spray with the dish soap and garlic this weekend.

As for using yellow sticky traps I stuck some of the ones I got for my houseplants to help control the fungus gnats in the soil outside a few days before I posted here and they have been catching some of the whitefly. Thank you so much for letting me know that is what you used to get rid of your infestation. I now feel more confident that I can get rid of these darn bugs on my plants.

The reason I believe there are so many harmful insects around is that some are becoming immune to the pesticides being sprayed. I also think that since the bugs that eat the mites, aphids, etc... are being killed from the pesticides there is nothing keeping them from multiplying (and driving me crazy by hurting my plants!). This is actually kind of a weird situation for me since I have lived in various locations from coast to coast and have not had this problem before. I am hoping I will be able to get everything under control before I bring my plant back in this Autumn.

Hi Sarah..Yep, that's the problem using chemical insecticides..it kills off the 'good guys.' The good guys eat the bad. And like you said, after a while, insects suddenly become immune..Probably kills off the good guys, and the bad guys continue munching away..sheesh.

What type of pesticide are/were you using?
I can't use chemicals, even if I wanted to, which I don't.. we have birds, if you're familiar with feathered frineds, the slightest, least-most odor/strength, can kill a bird..even if a bird lands on something cleaned with chemical residue, the stuff absorbs through their pores..that's all it takes..
A burning non-stick pan will kill a bird. See how sensitive they are? There's no non-stick pans in the house.
I can't stand handling pesticides/weed killers anyway...My nose and skin react. When neighbors treat their lawns, my nose stuffs up, and sometimes causes a headache. The treatment is done super early in the morn, before I wake, so I'm unaware they're spraying that crap. In other words, it's not psychosomatic. (S)

The yellow sticky traps should capture whitefly. I don't know how/if they work with fungus gnats, though some people vow they do.
Thank God fg's don't visit..but my soil drys quite a bit between waterings, something those little sh**'s don't like. LOL. In winter, we run a humidifer, and if air feels stuffy, a rotating fan is turned on a few hours per day.
What's the main insect your having problems with, Sarah? The Fish Emulsion will rid scale without adding soap/garlic/citrus rind or juice, but the 3 latter additives should keep other pests at bay..At least you're not dealing with mealy..they're the worse.
Keep us posted, okay? Toni

I'm not sure what Toni has agaisnt using Dawn. I use it becasue it does dissolve the natural oils on leaves and allows insecticides and herbicides to get next to and cling to leaves rather than just run off the oily leaf.

Tsmith, IMO, Dawn is a tad harsh for plants. Especially fragile types.
Their grease-cutting commercial on TV is one reason I feel the way I do. Call it women's intuition..LOL. I'm sure Dawn does wonders on greasy pots and pans though. (S)

You said, Dawn helps insecticides/herbicides cling to leaves..I don't use either insectide/herbicide.
I use nothing other than my home-made, organic concoction and Fish Emulsion for ridding insects.

How long have you been using Dawn on leaves? Toni

Hi Toni

The bugs I have been having the most problems with is scale and mites.

The only thing I have used to try to get rid of them so far is insecticidal soap and a 3 in 1 fungicide that contained sulphur and pyrethrens. I am not willing to use the heavy duty pesticides since we have two cats a dog and three asthmatics (myself included). Just reading the caution labels on the bottles of many of these pesticides is enough to scare me from ever wanting to use them.

Many commercial dishsoaps contain strong chemicals that can be very caustic to plant tissues. Dawn is one of them, but so are most of them as they contain imitation fragrances (like citrus), grease busters, etc. Even Ivory, which as been touted as being so safe, is loaded with products that can be tough on plants.

Citrus can tolerate these detergents better than most plants because of their waxy leaves. Also, a couple of drops, used as a spreader-sticker should cause a problem.

Commercial insecticidal soaps are pure soaps, manufactured to be tough on insects but safe for most plants.

Hi Sarah. Let me know when you use Fish Emulsion..That alone should rid scale.
As for mites, depending on infestation, soap and water alone should kill those litle buggers, but sometimes added ingredients are necessary. Soap, Garlic, Citrus rind/juice, and even Listerine. A little hot pepper (Cayenne) keeps them at bay too.
I've been using the above ingredients many years, and rarely find insects on plants. Every so often, mites find a way on a plant/s during winter months. I mix a batch of above ingredients, spray..BTW, unlike fertilizer, which must be tossed after use, you don't have to rid this mix. When you're ready to give a second dose, shake the bottle thoroughly. Wait, let me reprhase that..If you're spraying for Scale, using 'Fish Emulsion,' leftovers MUST be disposed.
Any lefover fertilizers, organic or chemical, must be discarded.

Sarah, I'm sorry about your asthma. That alone is reason enough to steer clear of chemicals.
I have allergies galore, but nowhere near as troublesome as asthma. When chemical sprays are used by neighbors, I have difficulty breathing.

Pyrethins are probably the safest of insecticides, but I choose to go au natural. (S) Of course, it's up to you. Why not try the organic spray to see if it works. If you find it's not doing the job, then continue using what you were. But remember, one application may not be enough. I've explained how often I spray in other threads.
Since plants go outdoors in summer, they all get a thorough spray before coming in. During winter, I make up a batch, spray as a preventative.

It's best isolating any plant that has insects. That's the first step keeping plants bug free.
Please keep us posted..Toni

A good soap brand to look for (it has been mentioned elsewhere I believe) is Dr Bronner's liquid soap.

It's all natural - the soap is saponified organic plant-based oils (olive and coconut oils, mostly), scented with other plant extracts or oils. I get the peppermint or the citrus - the first is scented with peppermint oil, the second with a mix of lemongrass oil, lemon (rind) oil, and lime (rind) oil.

These in solution in a spray bottle seem effective at keeping insects at bay. I think I've added a little garlic into the mix. I've also been told that clove is very effective at killing harmful insects, though I haven't tried it yet.