Citrus mealy bug infestation

[olive]

I call them mealy bugs, soft white critters the size of a ladybird.

I have had them in previous years but early spraying has seen them off. This year I was a bit on the late side. The garden centre prescribed "Anticochinillas y mosca blanca" by Masso Garden. I have sprayed three times following the pack instructions. It is working but not as fast as i would have liked. I am going to need more killer next week.

What do other folk use and any tips? I have seen citrus with a cal/lime white paint on the stem . When is the best time to apply that and what does it fight off.

[El Cid]

That stuff is Piriproxifen 10% also sold as Atominal 10EC. I use it for cochinillas but that is actually to kill the eggs and larvae. I add it to Chas 48 (chlorpirifos) which is systemic and should kill the adults - also potassium soap in the mix will help.. It's also a good mix for ants and most crawlers rather than fliers. Chas 48 is the stuff of choice for cockroaches as well but we don't get any of those.

They are a problem to control but at least they don't usually spread too far. If possible cut out the growth that has them on. I found a rose this morning really covered so I just pruned it down to the ground. That works on a rose as it will be flowering again in a few weeks but you can't be so severe with citrus. Pick them off where you can and spray the rest.

The white bands are supposed to keep the ants out as they don't like crossing white. Personally I use either sticky faced tape or even a grease band.

Sid

[Kamila]

I didn't want to use chemical spray on my citrus tree so I used cheap vodka. I kept spraying the tree and the mealy bugs eventually dried up.
Kamila

[El Cid]

I didn't want to use chemical spray on my citrus tree so I used cheap vodka. I kept spraying the tree and the mealy bugs eventually dried up.
Kamila

Yes it would work as the problem with these bags is that they are scaly and the insecticides don't penetrate whereas alcohol would.

Bit expensive though - diluted cleaning alcohol from any supermarket would be a lot cheaper.

Sid

[Terry Tibbs]

I didn't want to use chemical spray on my citrus tree so I used cheap vodka. I kept spraying the tree and the mealy bugs eventually dried up.
Kamila

But what a way to go!