Jill, When I lived in the Fort Worth area, I lived in an older suburb built after WWII and it was named "River Oaks" so, obviously, we had billions of oak trees and many pecan trees too. I had a neighbor who waged a long and exhaustive war with the squirrels from the day he moved into our neighborhood, 2 doors down from us, until the day he died several years later. I'd like to tell you that he won the war, and was able to keep the squirrels away, but he really didn't. Since you have squirrels, I am sure you know just what he went through with his huge (probably 50 years old or older) pecan trees and those squirrels. His best success came when he used some kind of metal flashing wrapped around the trunk of the trees. It was about 3' wide (maybe "tall" would be a better description) and he put it about 3' off the ground. For a short while it deterred the squirrels. After a little while, though, the beasts figured out they could climb the tree up to the bottom of the flashing and "leap" over that 3 foot expanse and continue upward into the tree. So, he added another layer which gave him 6', but the squirrels soon learned to breach that too. I felt sorry for him--he tried every deterrent known to mankind, and I don't know if he ever got one single pecan from those trees. At our house, the dogs seem to keep the squirrels away from the one pecan tree near the house. Of course, there are so many more native pecan trees everywhere that the squirrels don't "have to" come to our tree for food. My cats also like to chase squirrels. Once, our big old white Tom Cat, named "Moose" because he was huge and broad-shouldered, brought us a tiny squirrel. that he found on the ground under a tree after a really violent thunderstorm. We went to the feed store and bought one of those teeny, tiny bottles and some milk replacer and bottle raised that squirrel. It was adorable and would ride around in my son's shirt pockets. Eventually we quit bottle feeding it and got it to eat a purchased squirrel chow that had muts and seeds and stuff in it. We released it back into the wild and for the first few weeks it would run back over to see us when we came outside. That's the only wild thing we have ever raised and released. Now, if I find squirels biting into tomatoes in the summer (mostly because they are thirsty--so I built them a little drinking pond and they mostly go to that nowadays), I always wonder if they are the descendants of that little squirrel. Dawn

Time for an update (and a question below). I posted on the hydroponics forum about the white stuff (my post), and although they also couldn't identify it, we all decided that it probably wouldn't survive out of water, so I scratched some off, gave the water a little hydrogen peroxide, and called it good enough. I planted the first wave of cuttings - four in a soil pot with sticks to climb, and one in a little hydroponics pot I had sitting around, with just rocks and a wick (very unscientific hydroponics, but it's just an experiment). I put a plastic bag over them for the first couple weeks, to help them transition from the water environment. It has been about a month, and both are doing well (see photo on right). I then cut several more cuttings from the big daddy and washed them more thoroughly than the first wave (soaked them in soapy water for about 20 minutes before rinsing hard with water and spraying with alcohol), and then took apart the big daddy and threw away the plant and soil. I couldn't resist keeping just a couple more cuttings when I did that (they just looked so happy and healthy!), so I have a total of eight cuttings in water right now. During one of the inspections I do every few days, one adult (fairly large, actually) mealy was found, but oddly enough, it was out in the open on the side of a stem and there were no signs of nests or babies. I got rid of it and sprayed the cutting with alcohol again, and I haven't seen anything on any of the cuttings since (about six days). Meanwhile, there's the issue of the pot and lattice, and that's my next question for you guys. QUESTION HERE ;-) Conventional advice for mealy problems is to dispose of the pot entirely, but I really like this lattice and have not seen anything like it in stores. So I would like to try to reuse the lattice and pot, and the lattice is screwed to the sides of the pot for stability, so it would be nice not to have to take it apart. I cleaned the soil out as best I could, and then sprayed all the surfaces with alcohol, and it has been sitting outside with nothing in it ever since. But it's hard to get all the soil out of the bottom ends of the lattice poles, because being bamboo, the end is hollow until the first joint. So I'm hoping that time will help, because I assume that if there are any eggs in there, they would have to hatch at some point, and then without any plant matter they would starve or go elsewhere looking for food. Also, the mealies I have seen are the long-tailed kind, which some websites say don't really have much of an egg incubation period at all, but do essentially a live birth. So...how long do you think I should wait before declaring that the pot and lattice are safe to use again? Or is there some other treatment I should do to it?

Qdog, I agree. There are many nice places to live in both PA and NJ and there are always the bad areas. The same as any other state. Call me weird, but I actually like living in NJ. Yes my property taxes are more than most people's mortgage payments, but we do live in a town with one of the top school districts. And even in a down market our property values have held steady. Also I love being fairly close to NYC. We get the best of both worlds. We are close to the best (IMO) city in the world while being able to raise our children in the suburbs. And this is just my experience so don't attack me, but I have found the NY/NJ area to have the most diverse, highly educated and sophisticated populace in the country. Most people we know are college educated, worldly and tolerant of other religions and races. I haven't found that to be the case in most other parts of the country. C

Been a long time since this thread has been active, but thought I would add a new section of information. If you have any updates/additional experience with pests or pesticides on your specific succulent species, please contribute! Dealing with Mites on Succulents (Practical and Effective Guide) Mites are horrible tiny creatures that can do a lot of damage. It starts off slow, but as their numbers grow the damage increases very significantly. Note: There is a lot of crazy advice and misinformation about mites on the internet, do NOT believe it all. I have done not only an incredible amount of research but also worked with a PHD in surfactants, PHD in microbiology, and Professor of Entomology to develop my strategy for mite eradication. Step 1: Recognize them and their damage. Thin wisps of webs (depending on mite type). Distorted growth (bubbles, lumps, galls, strange shape). Happens at the fastest growing areas of the plant - center of rosettes, leaf buds, flower buds. Extremely tiny crawling creatures (may or may not be visible). Small pin-sized damage to leaves or unusual drying/dying of new growth. Step 2: If you suspect mites, you will need some tools to find them. 60x loupe, highly recommended. 40x loupe is the minimum. LED light, preferably as part of the loupe (alternatively a very bright working area). 250x microscope or similar, recommended if you have Eriophyid mites (USB microscope by Pluggable brand works well). Clear tape for slide mounting mites if you have a compound microscope. Step 3: Identify the type of mite. This is VERY IMPORTANT because different mites are killed by different pesticides. Red Spider Mites: Little red specks (400 microns) that move at a moderate speed. Can be seen with a sharp eye. With a loupe, look for a reddish fat round body with tiny legs on the sides. If you shine a bright light on them or blow on them gently they will usually scurry off. Tarsonid (Cyclamen / Broad) Mites: Very tiny white blobs (250-300 microns) that move a little slower than red spider mites. They look like little translucent eggs that move. With high magnification you may see their front appendages and legs while moving. Without a 40x loupe, seeing these is fairly hopeless. Eriophyid (Aloe) Mites: Extremely tiny worm-looking creatures (150-200 microns). Their 'tails' can move around when feeding or disturbed. Without a good loupe, you will not see them. At 60x you can see them but only the overall shape. Microscope is required to see the details. You should only find these living on Aloes and Haworthia as they are very host specific. Step 4: Quarantine affected plants and treat immediately. Luckily, most mites like to stick to their host plant. But if you go splashing around water, spraying them near other plants, or let them touch other plants they will spread. You should treat immediately because the longer you wait the worse it gets. If you wait too long, the damage is irreversible. If the plant is cheap and/or only a few are affected you may opt to pitch it in the garbage/burn it. If you are lazy, I would definitely throw the plant away because to eradicate mites it takes quite a bit of effort. Possibly more than any pest listed above except maybe thrips and whiteflies (I never had those but heard nasty things about them). You MAY opt to treat your entire collection. In fact, this is probably a very good idea because if you miss some, you will end up spot-treating your plants in a game of cat-and-mouse for weeks or months. Step 5: Decide what miticides you will use. You WILL need more than one. Consult this list and choose two with different Modes of Actions (MOA): OHP Chemical Class Chart You NEED at least two miticides because if you use the same one, the mites will become resistant and your miticide will become useless. Make SURE the miticides are different MOA. If not, then you are wasting your time and money. Step 5a: Here are some of my recommended miticides. Not all miticides kill all mites!! You need to check the label to know what they work against. MOA Group are included below with the active ingredient. Avid (Abamectin Group 6): Translaminar action (absorbed into the leaves) which lasts for 3 weeks! Highly recommended and extremely effective. Also extremely expensive. Bayer 3-in-1 (Tau-fluvalinate Group 3): Contact action. Can also use Schultz Houseplant and Garden Insecticide 709 which also has Pyrethrin and is cheaper. Note that Imidacloprid does NOT kill mites so Bayer Tree and Shrub is useless. Insecticidal Soap (Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids Group M): Believe it or not... soap can kill mites but really it's not very good. The real use here is to COMBINE the soap with your other miticides to provide better coverage. Any soap works, but the long chains of insecticidal soaps (or something like Lutensol XL-90 or Triton X-100) will minimize leaf tissue damage. You just need 5-10% in solution to help. Floramite (Bifenazate Group UN): Unknown action but kills on contact and lasts for 3 weeks! Highly recommended and also extremely expensive. Does NOT work on Eriophyid mites. ?Sevin? (Carbaryl Group 1A): Have not tested this on succulents, but works against all types of mites. Should kill on contact. Unsure if it causes leaf damage. Ultrasonic cleaner (Group M): Damages eggs and can kill mites. Recommended to use indirect cleaning method (to keep your cleaner safe for other uses) and duration close to 10 minutes with surfactant/soap. This combination is proven to kill 98% of two-spotted mites (study by J. D. Hansen). Adding miticide will improve effectiveness even further. Step 6: Remove ALL affected plant tissue. If simple damage from red spider mites, just remove any dead/badly infested leaves carefully. If there is distorted growth you must cut it ALL out. Use an exacto, scalpel, or razor blade. The distorted growth gives nooks and crannies for the mites to hide in so it has to all go. Your plant will become ugly. Step 7: Wear the proper protective gear and apply. Recommend nitrile gloves, respirator, safety glasses, long clothing. Mix pesticide with 5-10% soap/surfactant. Shake well. Outside, spray thoroughly on all parts of plant, especially nooks and crannies and under leaves. Leave plant in well ventilated or air exhausted area. Do NOT re-enter for at least 16 hours or the recommended re-entry time (check label). Take your gloves off properly and wash your clothes/take a shower. Step 7a: Highly recommended to use ultrasonic cleaner if practical. Applying miticide with surfactant/soap and ultrasonic action is extremely effective. This is THE best method I've tried yet. Ultrasonic cleaners are pretty cheap on Amazon or found locally. Plus you can keep your jewelry sparkling clean! Hopefully your succulent is small and in gritty mix. Remove all soil. Small because you want to put in a glass (jar or beaker) which will sit in the ultrasonic cleaner. Fill the glass with well mixed miticide + surfactant (so you use less) and outside the glass with water to the fill line. If your miticide solution is warm, that is better because you will get better cavitation (should not be hot though). Cleaning time close to 10 minutes is recommended. Simply repot in gritty with minimal disruption to the roots and follow re-entry protocol for that area. If you are tidy, it will be easier to re-inspect plants because any debris, dust, egg casings, etc. will be removed due to ultrasonic cavitation. I did not observe any tissue damage after multiple ultrasonic treatments. Step 8: Post-spray care. Keep your plants out of light to prevent phytotoxicity. Do not water your plants. Mites feed easier on fresh growth so slowing plant growth down will slow the mites down. Week 1: Examine very carefully to verify your treatment was effective. Week 3: Re-apply the SAME miticide as the first. Week 4: Re-inspect. Hopefully you found nothing. Week 5: Apply your SECOND miticide. Week 6: Re-inspect. Hopefully you found nothing or else you may need to improve your treatment method. Week 7: Re-apply your SECOND miticide. Week 8: Re-inspect. No mites! Step 8a: If you found mites after 8 weeks. Check if you removed all distorted growth. If not, more surgery is required. Check you used the right miticide. Reapply your first miticide IF you have not exceeded the # of allowable treatments per year for that miticide. If you have exceeded the # of treatments, you will need a THIRD miticide with a different MOA to add to your rotation. Overall summary notes: You CAN eradicate red spider, Tarsonemid, and Eriophyid mites. It WILL require a lot of diligent work, you cannot be lazy. Good miticides are very expensive. You can use cheaper ones too. If you have an expensive or extensive collection, I do not recommend trying weird/dangerous homebrew or DIY methods for dealing with mites. As you can see above, you need a well planned and structured method to eradicate them fully. It is very helpful to understand mite biology and life cycle to get in the mindset when treating for them. This applies to any pest, but mites can be particularly challenging to deal with. I really don't know if anybody will read or use this guide or information, but at least I thought I'd try to share my findings and experience! Took far too many words to explain it, but when you do it in person the process is actually very quick.