So I treated my mealies with the Marathon. Being a newbie I was frightened of using chemicals and in the beginning I was going to avoid them at all cost. I had dubbed myself the "Neem Queen", but Neem wasn't going to help with this. I remember (think it was Irina) in a past post a while back had said that at some point in our growing experience that we will get bugs -they will come. When I dumped that pot and raked through the soil and found those mealies - my heart sank. I thought I had been so careful. Most of my collection at this time is minis and semis and I re pot every 3 or so months and it was time. If they were all standards perhaps it would have been quite a while before I would have re potted and found them. Mealies are hard to see in all that perlite. My mealies had no webbing (that I noticed) and the roots were still good. It was a fluke I even noticed those little carcases and they very much resembled flakes of vermiculite. Treating them wasn't bad at all. I turned the fan off, had a mask, wore gloves.lol Marathon, like the instructions say is very water soluble. After sprinkling I syringed water on top and it just melted down into the soil. Easy. I understand the theory and in the beginning was going to follow, but after so much time invested and once your collection (becomes much larger than you ever anticipated) the thought of cutting crowns, re potting 200 plus plants all at the same time...or throwing plants out and taking leaf cuttings again? I've seen plants that have had an infestation of mealies and also beautiful crowns of flowers. Sometimes you just can't tell if you have them until it's too late. Lathy, your hybridizer is right - how to get growers from using chemicals when there may not be a need, but here lies the problem - peace of mind. How did I get mealies? Who Knows. Gees, my other plants might have already had them. These 16 plants came from a wonderful vendor. Will I order from them again? - Yes.

John, the pesticide mentioned in that very good informational site is Confidor, the brand name one of the many insecticides with Imidicloprid as the active ingredient. It is used as a soil drench because it is systemic. It's much more efficient to have a plant absorb this particular chemical into its system to control pests than to spray over the top. Imidicloprid can be found in a host of pesticides for the systemic control of aphids, mealybugs, whitefly, and scale. Its use, by the way, is well known to increase the population of spider mites and thrips. And before anyone asks...Imidicloprid is one of the very few systemics listed for use on edible crops, including citrus. It's not something that should be used unless you understand the timing of such applications so that the fruit or vegetable can be eaten safely. Again, systemics enter the system of plants, making the sap and other juices toxic to those that might ingest it. Wizzard, an untended scale infestation can kill plants. How quickly that can happen depends upon the species of scale, the species of plant, and the overall vigor of the plant. You chose the best option for your cotoneaster, a horticultural oil. A light spray can really help in getting these pests under control. Scale insects won't be completely killed with one application, but an occasional misting will do the trick. Horticultural oils are something that every plant grower should have on hand, including those who try to grow organically. With oils, it's important to avoid spraying in very warm or very cold temperatures. Gloxinia, horticultural oil is your best bet. Read and follow the directions. Also, I am curious about your kiwi. When kiwi are purchased from a bonafide nursery, it will be clearly labeled as a male OR a female plant. What was the name of the kiwi you purchased? They can be grown in a container for the first year (5 gallon) but won't take kindly to that for much longer than that, I don't think. Don't really know from first hand experience.

mobenchain, you have a formidable problem but it can be solved. Think Eliminate, Reduce, Protect and finally, Control; not as isolated items but as an integrated plan. By removing some host plants you have already done some of the first two. Consider ways of doing the same on the remaining plants, like pruning the most affected parts. Note that the primary purpose of this pruning is for pest control and it may clash with the aesthetics. You will have to make that choice. Take the plants outside and hose off (protect the soil against the heavy watering). A hose-end shutoff, opened just enough to give a thin, forceful jet will knock mealy bugs out of leaf axils without dislodging too many leaves. If the plant is too tender for this treatment, use a sponge to do the job. You will be using water volume, rather than pressure to get rid of the pest. I cannot think of practisable protection devices in your situation but think of how you can use sticky traps, netting covers and barriers to prevent reinfestation. Control methods offer the best hope. These can be mechanical like glue traps and sticky (on the OUTSIDE only) bands on the stems near ground level. Cultural controls embrace watering and can include manipulation of the environment. Can you lower the temperature in this space long enough to simulate winter? Painting the room has possibilities. A newly painted room, locked up for a week or so may make the air toxic to small insects-I do not know. Biological methods will include elimination of ants, introduction of lady bugs, (I do not know how this will work with that painting operation) and others which I cannot recall right now. If your philosophy includes the use of chemicals, I would recommend a pyrethrin (not pyrethroid) formulation. The latter are tweaked to add properties like residual- the same property for which other chemicals were withdrawn. Scales pose special challenges. Even when they are dead they persist and look terrible. An oil spray (I recommend, not endorse, "Volck") will smother the crawler stage but once they are established on the plant, only a systemic or hand picking will control them. 'Going forward' as they say, inspect your plants on a weekly basis and try to catch the FIRST insect. You may not succeed in doing that but you will not have a serious outbreak. I would not worry too much about these insects infesting other places like walls and glass surfaces. Routine housekeeping practices will take care of that; but do keep a sharp look out for honeydew on surfaces like plant containers and tabletops. You have a most interesting challenge and in the end you will be able to teach us all a few things.

I've had promising results using Talstar with imidacloprid granules. Talstar is a contact insecticide, i.e., kills on contact. Talstar is used more in the commercial agricultural business and is avaiable online for reasonable cost. The active ingredient, but not as strong, is available in BBS as Bug B Gone. The granules provide three month systemic protection and deal with soil infestations. I add a surfactant to the Talstar. Avid looks like a great product used in limited situations, especially as a miticide and ow for whitefly, aphids and thrips; somewhat pricy. If you want to use an imidacloprid based product, Bayer Complete (Active ingredients: 0.36% β-cyfluthrin; 0.72% Imidacloprid) offers the most bang for your buck. It is usually sold as a premixed ready to use spray and as a concentrate.