Mealybugs on plants I got for my enclosure

[bbyoda]

Hi everyone,

I got some plants for my bioactive enclosure and have been keeping them outside while I assemble my chameleon's adult size cage, the branches, soil, etc.

Unfortunately it looks like the hibiscus I got has mealybugs. I'm new to Florida but haven't had any issues with mealybugs in the past so I thought it'd be okay to keep plants outside in the sun.

Is there a way to clean (alcohol and soap scrubs are my plan, followed by neem spray) and quarantine these plants and still safely use them in my bioactive enclosure? Are the plants around the hibiscus safe to use if I don't see any mealybugs on them? Or are they all just outdoor plants forevermore now?

It seems like these pests are pretty persistent from other threads I've read so I'm leaning towards not risking it.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[snitz427]

These guys are a pita! Ive been battling thrm and several other pests in my bio enclosures for months. I introduced a few plants too soon and now its impossible. Ill be starting over soon.

I’d take at least 2 weeks to quarantine them. I’d pull them and rinse ofd the soil. Spray the whole plant with a mix if soapy dawn dish soap + alcohol first, and a strong blast of water to rinse. Then I’d immediately treat with neem oil and repot. Wait two weeks and repeat the soapy wash to get all the neem off. If you can spare the time, you can retreat with neem and wait another week or two since their life cycle lasts over a month.

It sucks but once theyre established in your cage its very difficult to manage them.

 

[bbyoda]

These guys are a pita! Ive been battling thrm and several other pests in my bio enclosures for months. I introduced a few plants too soon and now its impossible. Ill be starting over soon.

I’d take at least 2 weeks to quarantine them. I’d pull them and rinse ofd the soil. Spray the whole plant with a mix if soapy dawn dish soap + alcohol first, and a strong blast of water to rinse. Then I’d immediately treat with neem oil and repot. Wait two weeks and repeat the soapy wash to get all the neem off. If you can spare the time, you can retreat with neem and wait another week or two since their life cycle lasts over a month.

It sucks but once theyre established in your cage its very difficult to manage them.

Thanks! Wild to think that this is a month long battle. I'm also dealing with my cats having giardia after fostering a feral (despite using meds and separating them for an appropriate amount of time). I'm on high pest and parasite alert and going to get a fecal for my cham done. I definitely made some mistakes with my cham's baby cage (mainly around drainage) and don't want to repeat those or have to start over after the big initial investment.

What would you say is the safest way to introduce plants to an enclosure? You referenced putting new plants in too soon. Are there certain plants mealybugs don't like?

 

[JoXie411]

Ugh hate mealy bugs, I never end up winning and have to throw out the plant. My Hibiscus haD an aphid Problem, took me all winter to get rid of them all the way

 

[bbyoda]

Soooo @JoXie411 you're saying they're just outdoor plants now, right? That I spray with neem constantly?

I have a ficus that was near the hibiscus that doesn't seem to have any mealybugs. I'm thinking of quarantining it and hoping for the best.

 

[JoXie411]

Soooo @JoXie411 you're saying they're just outdoor plants now, right? That I spray with neem constantly?

I have a ficus that was near the hibiscus that doesn't seem to have any mealybugs. I'm thinking of quarantining it and hoping for the best.

Yes they are thrown outside and just my plants and not good enough for cages. Like @snitz427 said it will take awhile to treat them but if your consistent with it eventually they’ll go away in a couple months lol

 

[snitz427]

Soooo @JoXie411 you're saying they're just outdoor plants now, right? That I spray with neem constantly?

I have a ficus that was near the hibiscus that doesn't seem to have any mealybugs. I'm thinking of quarantining it and hoping for the best.

I think if you do 2 cycles of treating/cleaning with neem (every 2 weeks) and then do a really good wash with soapy water at the end of week 4 you’ll be good. Dont forget to change soil and wash the pots.

Make sure you wash the neem off well before introducing to cham cage.

 

[bbyoda]

Thanks very much @snitz427. My cham is digging and screen walking so I want to get him into his new enclosure asap. That said, sounds like mealybugs could be a problem from plants I get from a nursery or store, right? Would you recommend that treatment for any plants you want to introduce to a bioactive enclosure?

 

[snitz427]

Thanks very much @snitz427. My cham is digging and screen walking so I want to get him into his new enclosure asap. That said, sounds like mealybugs could be a problem from plants I get from a nursery or store, right? Would you recommend that treatment for any plants you want to introduce to a bioactive enclosure?

At a bare minimum, I would remove a new plant from the soil.... gently rinse the soil off its roots... and then spray the plant (not roots) really well wish a mix of soapy dish soap and rubbing alcohol. Let it sit for like 5 mins so the soap gets in all the crevices (dont forget to spray underside of leaves, too). Then rinse with as much pressure as the plant can take. Rinse really well, and gently rinse roots again. Then pot it up in new soil or directly in the cage.

Sounds like a lot of work but only takes like 10 mins. Once its in the cage start spot checking the leaves like every day or two to make sure no mealy bugs or other pests crop up. If so dab them with alcohol.

 

[NikkiA]

I am in agreement with everyone else that once mealy bugs are present it is very difficult to get rid of them. My thoughts are once you see several you are in for a LONG battle that you most likely won't win without the "big guns" a.k.a. toxic pesticides. They hide in places that are difficult to get to without systemic chemicals.

I grow orchids. If a cheap, common orchid comes to me with mealybugs, it is a compost plant (if I lived in an area I was able to grow outside year round, it would become an outside plant). While I realize that this may seem wasteful, I have too many plants to risks the mealys slowly sucking the life from them. I grow the orchids in a sunroom off of my kitchen and we also raise butterflies so the chemicals are not an option for me. It's very time consuming to organically get rid of mealybugs.

I definitely would skip putting that plant into your chameleon's enclosure anytime soon. The life cycle of mealybugs is normally six weeks to a couple of months, so IMO you should quarantine for at least two months. Plus, some species of mealybugs produce asexually, so you only need one mealy for there to be an infestation.

 

[bbyoda]

I am in agreement with everyone else that once mealy bugs are present it is very difficult to get rid of them. My thoughts are once you see several you are in for a LONG battle that you most likely won't win without the "big guns" a.k.a. toxic pesticides. They hide in places that are difficult to get to without systemic chemicals.

I grow orchids. If a cheap, common orchid comes to me with mealybugs, it is a compost plant (if I lived in an area I was able to grow outside year round, it would become an outside plant). While I realize that this may seem wasteful, I have too many plants to risks the mealys slowly sucking the life from them. I grow the orchids in a sunroom off of my kitchen and we also raise butterflies so the chemicals are not an option for me. It's very time consuming to organically get rid of mealybugs.

I definitely would skip putting that plant into your chameleon's enclosure anytime soon. The life cycle of mealybugs is normally six weeks to a couple of months, so IMO you should quarantine for at least two months. Plus, some species of mealybugs produce asexually, so you only need one mealy for there to be an infestation.

Excellent context and advice, thank you. I am going to just get new plants and clean and isolate them the way @snitz427 suggested.