Gardening and Horticulture - unwanted guest
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06-21-01, 03:24 PM
i have a ficus tree that needs to be repotted but before i do that i need to get rid of the little vistors i have these little almost impossible to see white bugs every where is there a simple way to get rid of them before the tree dies the leaves are falling off very badly please give me some advice and yes it's an indoor plant i need cheap but sure fire help please.
thank you!
thank you!
06-21-01, 07:56 PM
I can think of two different white bugs you may have; both are very common.
White fly - tiny white flies. They'll fly when disturbed. Live mostly on the undersides of leaves.
Mealy bug - little white cottony bugs. Live mainly on stems and joints, tucked away.
Unfortunately, they are both really hard to get rid of. You can try a spray with pyrethrins, but you will have to do it over and over every couple days for a couple weeks to get rid of the hatching eggs. If it's mealy bug, you can also attack each cottony deposit with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.
If you have other plants in your house, though, I would think about pitching the ficus. Both of these insects are hard to get rid of AND love to spread to other plants. Ficus trees are readily available and relatively inexpensive. They also have LOTS of hiding places for bugs as they have so many leaves and thin stems. It would be a shame if these bugs spread to your other plants. Seriously. If the plant is easily replaceable or inexpensive and has one of those pests, I get rid of it ASAP (and I'm on a tiny grad student budget) because it spreads so easily to my other plants, which are harder to replace.
White fly - tiny white flies. They'll fly when disturbed. Live mostly on the undersides of leaves.
Mealy bug - little white cottony bugs. Live mainly on stems and joints, tucked away.
Unfortunately, they are both really hard to get rid of. You can try a spray with pyrethrins, but you will have to do it over and over every couple days for a couple weeks to get rid of the hatching eggs. If it's mealy bug, you can also attack each cottony deposit with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.
If you have other plants in your house, though, I would think about pitching the ficus. Both of these insects are hard to get rid of AND love to spread to other plants. Ficus trees are readily available and relatively inexpensive. They also have LOTS of hiding places for bugs as they have so many leaves and thin stems. It would be a shame if these bugs spread to your other plants. Seriously. If the plant is easily replaceable or inexpensive and has one of those pests, I get rid of it ASAP (and I'm on a tiny grad student budget) because it spreads so easily to my other plants, which are harder to replace.
twelvepole
07-05-01, 10:05 PM
Isolate the plant and sponge every leaf and stem with rubbing alcohol. Repeat. Repeat. Takes time and patience. It works.
Gami
07-06-01, 11:00 AM
Hi Special Mom,
If they're white flies, you can mix up 1 TBS. of liquid dish soap (non-bacterial) with one gallon of water and spray them. If you don't mind chemicals Malathion works. You need to spray often to keep them from laying eggs.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef303.htm
Gami
If they're white flies, you can mix up 1 TBS. of liquid dish soap (non-bacterial) with one gallon of water and spray them. If you don't mind chemicals Malathion works. You need to spray often to keep them from laying eggs.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef303.htm
Gami
r_abela
07-10-01, 09:18 AM
Malathion works fine with me. As already mentioned you have to spray once a week and repeat the same process until you won't see them anymore.