Kim
All I can say is to check daily, repeat the alcohol treatment if necessary (it will be neccessary; they keep laying eggs in warm weather). I make spray (water+rubbing alcohol) sometimes, if you can't get into hiding places.

You could blast them off with spray off water to decrease numbers; use neem oil or insecticidal soap. Keep out of full sun while treating, and isolation is great idea.

Nice plant, I would have picked it up too.

Rina

Hiiii Kiiiim.

Yeah, real nice! Any chance you could take a couple of pictures in bright light from ground level? I'm really curious!

One of the best pesitcides is putting the plant outdoors. Wind and rain carry some away, but mostly that's where the predators are that munch on them(although I admit an infestation also needs human intervention, and you seem to be doing the right thing).

ez

I am officially jealous. The plant, the backyard with open space, the coolio dog...

ez

I've never seen a plant like this before. I'd buy it too...mealy bugs and all.

Aeonium Luteovariegatum = mid to large sized Aeonium with white leaves striped with green. May develop pink tinges at the margins

Monrovia (and many others) have this name: Aeonium decorum 'Sunburst' = Large rosettes of variegated green and white leaves are held on long bare stems. In full sun, the tips of the leaves show a coppery red. Pale yellow flowers bloom in mid-winter to early spring on mature plants.

...just got the names from searching. Gorgeous plant.

Thanks! Of course my cattle dog Orion had to photobomb, hahaha. How long do I wait after the last mealy bug siting to trust it inside my house? Or even to bring some of my others like my jade out onto the porch with it for some summer sun.

I'm not much for alcohol and Q tips. I put some in a spray bottle and doused entire plant 3 times a week apart. 2 week cycle for egg laying.

ez

Does anyone here raise these? It is monocarpic, but does that mean just one rosette will die after it flowers or is it the whole plant? How long can that take, and can I do anything to prevent it? Once it is nice and healthy again I am going to take some cuttings. Hmmm, and should I wait until the mealies are gone to repot? The roots seem to be alright, its pot bound so easy to check that.

I had a MAJOR mealy problem when I was in the apartment, in outside in the balcony during summer, even with the winds, it did not deter them. I actually almost gave up on all my succulents until I recently moved into a house. Now finally having a backyard, I threw them outside and wow, it works. There are so many spiders here that there are webs all over my pots and succulents. I stopped spraying hort oil because I did not want to harm spider and other bugs. Its been 2 months and I see no signs of mealies or white fuzz. My succulents are growing amazingly even though they only get direct sun in the morning.

Good to know. I will have to pick up another spray bottle for that, sounds more efficient. As to outdoors, also good. Though this is a spider friendly house, to the point my best friend wont come visit in the summer. Most of my plants have little webs, even inside. They pay rent, they can stay. ;) I was planning on putting my jade out for the rest of the summer but I am reluctant to put it anywhere near the Aonium right now. I prefer keeping them sheltered, due to concerns ranging from deer, potential theft, and the antics of my wild child cattle dog and elderly beagle mix.

Someone will correct me if I have it wrong, but I believe that when a rosette flowers, that rosette only will die, not the entire plant. But like many other succulents, the stem for that rosette will give you babies.

I truly envy you and your plant! I have had a terrible time trying to grow Aeoniums in SW Florida. That plant of yours is a beauty!

Thank you! That would be great, I just do not want to lose this beauty. Truth be told, I would have still bought it if I knew about the bugs. They just could have been more civil about it. Good reminder to me as a new grower (at least as a newly serious grower) to quarantine and inspect everything.

That plant is super easy to grow. You can cut off the rosettes, wash them in the sink, let them callous for a few days and stick them in some clean cactus mix. Then you will have many plants instead of just one. You can discard the dirt they came in because there may be pests hiding in there. Wash the pot, too. The new plants will grow into a ball on their own with no coaxing. Most aeoniums are monocarpic.

Thanks, but to your knowledge is the monocarpic lifecycle referencing the ENTIRE plant or just the rosette? The info is conflicting on this.

Rina, what ratio do you mix your alcohol spray too? Swabbing just isn't going to cut it with all the books and crannies.

Oops, forgot to mention dilution, good catch.

ez

yes, I would start with no more than 50/50% solution. I use 100% often, but not on never-tried-alcohol spray plant...Rina

I believe it is Aeonium 'Sunburst' (not out of A. decorum, as listed in many places-those rosettes don't get near this large). Spray of 50/05 water & rubbing alcohol is good (repeat if necessary). Yes, only the rosette flowering will die.

Jumping in & out-have chores to get to now! :)

Am I correct that a few weeks of no bugs should be safe to bring these inside? Aeonium is looking alright after its alcohol spray, no bugs on it today but found some on the coleus I bought the same day. Sprayed that with alcohol, and the wandering jew from the same store. If they die they die, they were cheap and I just want to be rid of these. How often should I spray now?

I was back in that store the other day, it is just depressing how poorly they take care of their houseplants and even more so the animals they sell. I just can't keep shopping there, time to find a new local source of garden supplies.

Life cycle of mealybugs is about two weeks. If you make 3-4 weeks of careful scrutiny, that's a good sign. I would spray anytime you see mealybugs, otherwise it should be okay.

When I found out my mealybug infestation came from a Nursery, I brought the dying plant back and let them know. The girl there immediately checked and pulled two trays of succulents that had mealybugs on them, promising to check further after giving me a refund. Depending who the store manager is, they might be receptive?

Hmmm. Perhaps. That is a good idea, I will let them know next time I am in the area. Not holding out much hope they will do anything though. Also, I think I want to keep this plant. I am content with trying save it if I can, this isn't something I can pick up at home depot and I do not want to bring it back in there for more buggies. Maybe I will just call them.

I ended up keeping my battle-torn plant. They asked me "Are you SURE you want to keep the plant? It may infest your other plants!"

Wasn't optimistic that they would do anything either, but this particular nursery sometimes has interesting finds and good prices.

Worst case if it dies, you could attempt to bring it back for a refund or exchange. I supported my claims with photos taken the day I bought mine.

Good to know, I called today and they asked me to call and speak with the plant manager tomorrow. If nothing else I just want them to start treating their plants for infestations rather than leaving it to be the customers problem.

Kim, I noticed next to your name that it says your in eastern Wa, where abouts in E. Wa and what store is it? I too live in eastern Washington and I've visited a lot of nurseries and was just wondering if you got this succulent from any place I know...I have quite a few nurseries on my no-go list cause of their plants being infested with bugs and workers not seeming to care....

Northwest seed and pet in Spokane, the one on Sprague. I also picked up spider mites from a Hoya I got at Lowes, the one on Sprague across from Costco. Sure there is a Sprague street joke in there somewhere ;). Lots of learning experiences for me this week on that score, but at least the mealies are outside. And both they and the spider mites are very unhappy with me. Cool that you are local, perhaps at some point once my bug issues are over we could talk about cutting trades or whatnot. Where do you like to go for plants? I will post tomorrow after I speak with the main plant lady and give a full report. If they seem to take it seriously and give me confidence they will address the issue properly, that could make a difference.

I have dunked many of these aeoniums in a large bucket or basin with warm water, 70% isopropyl alcohol and some dawn or Palmolive dish detergent, one capful of each. I submerge the entire plant this way I don't miss a spot using the spray bottle.

I then rinse the plant with a light setting on the spray nozzle. For smaller plants you can use the sink, just clean up well.

You can let the plant dry out for an hour or so before planting it again. I try to dry them upside down so water does not settle into the crown of the plants. If you can't do that, dab the rosettes dry with a paper towel..gently.

If you don't have new soil you can use the old soil if you absolutely must. but, before you do I would microwave the soil first. 2 minutes on high should kill anything living in the soil. If you have a lot of soil microwave it in batches if you must. Prevention is always your best friend when dealing with mealy bugs and scale insect especially.

After the soil is microwaved...I spray it with some insecticide...lightly, just a few squirts and mix it into the soil. Just enough for bugs to be aware of it and stay away. Spray the bottom and sides of the containers too.

And, as I learned from Rina in our forum...use sand as a top dressing. Most bugs especially fungus gnats don't like it. Use just enough of it so you can't see the soil anymore, just the sand. It also looks better.

These are the methods I have tried and worked for me. I have not lost a plant using these methods yet. However, do what would work best for you and of course your plant. Keep checking back here to see what other, more experienced people would do, then make your decision as quickly as possible. If unchecked, scale and mealy bugs have a way of expanding their numbers in short time.

Good luck!

Neil, did yours lose a lot of leaves at the base of the rosettes? I notice they get a little bit of black color underneath then start to die at the tips. This was going on when I got it. I haven't dome much with it recently, no visible bugs, but had treated it a few times with alcohol. I know I need to repot, just haven't had a chance. I will give it a 50/50 cactus soil perlite mix. Also do they like being root bound, or can I pot it up? I have a glazed terra cotta pot, rounded sides so not entirely ideal but the best I have at the moment.

Kim- Aeoniums I've had especially the arboreal ones lose their lower leaves from time to time. I did lose some leaves when this happened but, to be fair it may have happened anyway despite the treatment. On larger aeoniums I cut the leaves off when they start to wither. I think doing that is helpful to the plant as they don't have to expend any energy to it.

Most succulents thrive in smaller spaces. I find aeoniums especially the larger ones need a bit more room. But, checking the roots from time to time will reveal that as well as the overall health of the plant. If the roots are taking the shape of the container and it's a tight mass, that tells me it's time to put it in a larger one. If at that time you notice unhealthy roots you can prune those right off.

Thanks, we are definitely at that stage. Time to delegate the pretty Martha Washington geraniums to die as annuals in the garden. They are way too much indoors for my liking anyways. I really appreciate all the input, I might be a bio student with a bent for botany, but they don't really teach us how to grow this stuff. As a newcomer on the houseplant scene it is so great to have a group of people to talk with about this, and I really want to acknowledge that. So, thanks!!

Kim- Not only are most of the people in this forum knowledgeable and passionate about their plants, they're also empathetic, genuine, kind and generous. You will see this for yourself too, so stick around. I've made many new friends here and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Found a mealy bug today, indoors on one of my Hoya babies. Haven't seen any outside in awhile, but that was the last straw. Picked up some Safer spray (hilarious to me that pymethrins make the OMRI list), and doused everyone. They will get another round next week, and picking up some systemic stuff next week just to be sure. These little mother cluckers are going down. Mess with my Hoyas... Grrrrr.

Kim- I think most of us here can relate to that. I know I can. Go get 'Em!