I understand Sue that your new plants will be planted in 4 inch pots. Soaking them will not be possible as they are in dirt already! I recently received 2 Compactas in 2 inch pots and was unable to soak them like I usually do with cuttings. One did have Mealies. This was in June and I think I finally got the mealies under control. I had to pick off all the lower leaves and spray with alcohol every week or so since June. They like to hide in the curled leaves of Compactas and are very sneaky!

They don't leave cottony stuff behind.... THEY ARE that cottony stuff! Very difficult to get a handle on with Compactas!!! They look like a small bit of perilite on the stems and leaves.... and sometimes it IS just a bit of perilte....

Here's hoping they don't tag along:-)
Diane

If you see cottony stuff and/or small (about the size of a tea leaf) grey critters that look like mini woodlice, then you have mealies.

I'm afraid I've gone very un-organic with this and I spray them with a systemic, in the UK this is called Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. This got rid of them good and proper. Although if it's bad you may have to do it twice (say, spray once then once again a month later) to ensure you've got them all.

I've got rid of the mealies, now if only I could get rid of the damn fungus gnats... grrr

Well, the cottony stuff is where they lay their eggs, and nest. Sometimes it seems the whole bug is covered in fluff, other times its very clear that they have a flat body segmented like a sow bug. They are white in color, for the most part.

No, USUALLY they are the size of the plastic ball on a small straight pin. Or there abouts, or smaller. Depending on the plant they are growing on, they can be different sizes.

They seem to have more legs than is strictly necessary, or they have a frilly underskirt, which you can see here. Sorry my pix are not any better.

This is one of my biggest and worst insect pets. I use straight alcohol in a pump spray bottle. You can also use a standard kitchen spray squeeze handle, or you can spend time dabbing with Qtips or sponge paint brushes. Depends on how many, and what time you want to use.

Then, there are Soil Mealies, which look like clumps of white powdery stuff, with white balls looking like mealies in them! Yay, MORE pests.

So far, some diatomaceous earth of the horticultural variety, not the pool additive variety mixed into the soil works for a bit. Once you water, though, it becomes something else. One tbsp to one gallon soil.

I find Hoyas to be sensitive to some chemicals. So test spray first with stuff like Oil Soaps and Degreasers.

OrangeSomething Degreaser from HD works well on aphids, but NOT on hoyas.

At the site below, I wouldn't click on anything until all the pix have loaded and you've taken a look... The Green and Solenopsis mealies seem to be my most often culprit.

Uniquely enough, that large mealie in my pix did come from a citrus tree!

Here is a link that might be useful: Everything you need to ID mealies

the mealies I received on my hoyas were sort of pink.

:)