scale insects! Arrrggh!

[fishingman]

I just cut off my entire grape vine yesterday as it was 50% covered by scale insects. It was heartbreaking cutting it all off after growing it for more than 1 year.
I think it might have infected my ventrata too. I noticed a few small white spots on the 3 developing pitchers and one of them had a deformed lid now. It's still growing but I'm sure it's gonna be deformed.
Any of you have problems with scale insects? I've been battling them for years now. I wonder where they came from.

[bifurcatum]

My Platycerium Coronarium die cause by scale insects too.
Scale insects will be vigorous when hot and windy day.

[fishingman]

I just hate them! If I can I'll gather them all up and roast them with a flame thrower! This is already the second time I'm cutting down my grape vine due to scale insects. And my grape vine provides shade for my neps and also to increase the humidity on my balcony. I really hope none of my neps will die now that my grape is gone.
same thing happened to my curry leaves plant. I had to prune it by almost 90% but it's ok now.

[Robert]

will spraying with mild multipurpose insecticide helps? I have problem with very small black ants that build nest on pots with cocopeat. I went to a nursery and they recommended me plant friendly ants and insects spray.

[khairimhd]

Treatment for sucking insect;

SCALE INSECT, APHIDS, WHITE FLIES, SPIDER MITE.


Several method you can try.

1st - home made

Ingredient - cooking oil, chilli, garlic, dish liquid

Step : 1. Blend chilli and garlic to get the juices.
2. Mix cooking oil, dish liquid and the juices together
3. Put in sprayer, shake and spray to the infected area.
4. Repeat 4 days interval.

NON TOXIC and CHEAP


2st - Use neem oil emulsion and spray to the infected area, repeat 4 days interval

NON TOXIC

3rd - Buy pesticide with brand ALBAROL ( RM25/liter)

TOXIC at Class 4


PRECAUTION : Don't spray during hot day. better early in the morning or late evening. WHY? Bcoz of oil content can burn the leaves bcos of heat.


Hope that help

Regards
Khairimhd

[artificialive]

Thanks Kahiri for the home made recipe
I think it is better using the non toxic pesticide than using the commercial pesticide..
For the 1st home made pesticide, how much is the ratio for each ingredient?
Thank u.

[David]

Thanks Khairi for the recipes. Interesting home made recipe! Just one concern tho'. wonder if the cooking oil and dish liquid would harm the nepenthes in any way.

We can try and see. If it works this would save costs and it is safe to use indoors... perfect for me ;D with my family and plants living together in the apartment.

[khairimhd]

To

artifialive : here the ratio of 1 liter solution preparation
1 cloves garlic
3-4 of 'cili api'
2 table spoon of cooking oil
1 table spoon of dish liquid

Dato D : harm the nephenthes?
not sure - but can try at 1 plant as an experiment
this recipe I tried at my orchids and its work.
AGAIN - don't spray during the hot day or heat
source (like artificial light) bcoz of oil content
in your recipe.


Regards
Khairimhd

[David]

khairimhd said:

Dato D : harm the nephenthes? not sure - but can try at 1 plant as an experiment this recipe I tried at my orchids and its work. AGAIN - don't spray during the hot day or heat source (like artificial light) bcoz of oil content in your recipe.

Regards
Khairimhd

Ok Tun Khairi. Thanks.

[Robert]

I don't mind to try on the leaves if mine have such problem. Thanks for the receipes ;D

[ameliepoulain]

did anyone try the natural remedy on CPs?

did it work?

any undesireable side-effect on the plant?

feedbacks on experiments very much appreaciated

[phissionkorps]

I have always used 90% isopropyl alcohol on scale. Kills them instantly.

[alienfx]

The natural remedy i use is similar to khairimhd:

1 part of garlic(blender and filter),
1 part of salt,
1 part of oil,
1 part of powder soap

For 1 liter 1 big clove of garlic and the rest 1 tablespoon.

I have been using this since i was in form2 when a professor&his students come to our school for our hydroponic project.He taught us this method.This thing works but too lazy to prepare it each time and each time it rains it washes away the formula.So,i only do it once a while for my plants.Spray it on late evening after sun go down.I havent tried it on cp's yet.Currently im using seaweed herbal mix(non toxic) frm a local company.So,far so good but if it rains i need to redo it again.

[ameliepoulain]

James, the seaweed herbal mix, are you using it on CP? What's the insect giving you problem?

I'm going crazy with the mealy bugs & whitefly! The mealybugs has started to infect some neps. & drosera roots. It killed my byblis liniflora too!

I too was given a natural remedy recipe, but don't dare to use it on CP!

Here's the recipe,

1 part oil that's been used to fry fish ('minyak goreng ikan'!)
1 part dishwashing liquid
water

[alienfx]

The seaweed herbal mix i used on my normal plants and neps only.I didnt use it on other cp's like drosera because i dont see anything attacking them.Whiteflies attack young leafs of nep.Whiteflies 1st attack my grape plant then attacked the neps which was under the grape plant.

For mealy bugs,we must kill the ants 1st because if ants are alot the mealy bug will be active.Ants protects the mealy bug from its natural predators.

Anybody tried Diazinon?I read it really works on cp's.I got the herbal seaweed mix from careffour.Its a small plastic bottle costing rm12 and i think it will last a year as need to use little bit only.

[dom]

care to share how to make the neem emulsion?

[fauzi]

Hi all,

I have just got this receipe from a friend of mine whom is growing orchids (she is doing conservation work on orchid with her husband - about 1,000 orchid spp worldwide in their nursery and lab) As they are conservationist, they do not use chemical insecticide, fungicide etc. What they use is the neem oil + dishwasher liquid (not normal detergent)

The neem oil you can normally buy from a grocery store - margosa oil (According to my friend, normally indian store will have this oil). The liquid dishwasher you can get it from any store in a bottle of 1 liter.

What you do is, transfer out half of the liquid dishwasher from the bottle, then fill about 25% of the liquid dishwasher bottle with the neem oil. Shake the bottle to emulsified it. Once they have mixed together without the oil floating on top, add 20% of water into the liquid dishwasher bottle.This will dilute the content a bit so it would be easy for you to pour it out when you want to use it.

Use only 1 table spoon of the neem emulsion for every 2 liter of water and for effective result, first month spray every week, 2nd month spray every 2 weeks and after that you can spray it every once a month. This emulsion may not kill the insect but if they survive they will not be able to reproduce. Result will show after the 3rd months.

Thanks

Fauzi

[marigoldsfail21]

Phissionkorps, isn't isopropyl extremely toxic to plants too? When I was growing some plant tissue cultures I made sure I washed all the isopropyl off from the tools since I thought it would damage the plants.

Also, does any know if just plain neem oil will work? I'd prefer not to use dishwashing liquid since I think it would stain the leaves. (It seems that the normal multipurpose miticide/insecticide/fungicide that I've been using isn't killing the pests I have very well, so I've had to manually remove the pests)