Are they blooming? If not, then no worries for the bees. If they are blooming, put netting over the plant.

Alternatively, spraying with isopropyl alcohol also works really well on mealies, but you have to do it several times to get them as they hatch.

*spray bottle

*2 tablespoons baby shampoo

*1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

Pour the 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol in spray bottle. Add water, the the two tablespoons baby shampoo. Spray the ENTIRE plants, except roots. Wait for the plants to dry completely, keeping out of bright light/sunlight. After they are completely dry, rinse well. Repeat every week until you no longer see evidence of mealie bugs.

I recall hearing something about the chemicals staying in the plant for a while.

So that even if they are not in bloom now, when they later bloom there may be residual chemical that can still effect the bees.

Even though it seems mild i guess i can try the baby shampoo.

yes, bayer is systemic. i don't use this product.

although not on hoyas, i had a mealybug problem with my string of pearls succulent. i repotted it - removed all potting medium - and put it into a coir/pumice mix. no problems since.

spraying/dabbing with soap and alcohol and neem didn't work for me. only repotting and thorough cleansing/removal of the bugs helped.

Bayer 3 in 1 only stays on the plant for 30 days. I wouldn't worry about it. I would worry more about the mealybugs because just when you think they may be gone BAM! They're back and could infest your other plants.

but the plant is currently outside, where he wants to keep it until the mealybug situation is resolved. putting that bayer stuff on the plant while outside is part of the problem. thankfully, he seems to want to avoid doing that.

i don't know if that 30 day estimation is correct. some of those products last 12 months, according to the label on the actual bayer package label AND the product name. 30 days or not, the plant still might have to come inside to avoid exposing pollinators to that rough insecticide - and that may be before the bugs and their eggs, are dead.

i say repot and THOROUGHLY clean. he'd probably need to cut some of the plant as well.

My husband works for Bayer and he said the consumer line (Bayer Advanced) is true to the label. They do extensive testing to ensure accuracy to eliminate any possibility of litigation.

Tony, you can always spray the plant inside a box to avoid the spray from being carried to surrounding areas by any wind. Once it's dry it should be fine, just keep it away from any flowering plants or trees (which is a good idea anyway so you don't infest other plants with mealybugs)

i know you said you husband works at bayer. some of their labels clearly say 12 months efficacy - part of the title of the product and evidently a selling point for some people - that's partly why they put it there so prominently.

at any rate, applying these chemicals while the plants are outside still ignores the op's desire - which is to avoid chemicals that will kill off pollinators. 30 days or 12 months outside will still kill pollinators whether they are sitting near other plants or not.

just avoid it or find something that won't unnecessarily kill insects. i personally would not use these products.

I have not received the plant yet. I will get in the mail next week. If there are any flowers on in i will remove them to keep bees from going at them.

Yeah, i think the pruduct stays on more than 30 days.