Darn, it’s so annoying! We’re being bugged by bugs. Pestered by pests. Infuriated by infestation.
Every measly mealy bug seems to have meandered my way.

Never in the history of horticulture (well, my history, anyway) has eradication even been a goal. Pests have purpose too, though I don’t exactly know what that purpose might be when we’re working an indoor environment!

Of course, once a pest has taken hold, it will be there forever; the best we can hope for is control. This means constant, never-wavering vigilance. And this means varying the products used to tackle the pest. It means being sure to interrupt their reproductive cycles.

Here’s what this might look like: In the first week, you notice something that looks like cotton batting tucked under a leaf or at the base of the stem. As pests had never been a problem before, you note it and move on, pledging to remember to give it a thorough spray the next day or week or whenever you remember. Those buggers multiply faster than rabbits, I promise. The next time you approach the plant for watering, you notice more. But you are prepared so you squirt a little Safer’s Insecticidal Soap onto the plant and figure the job is done.

Wrong, oh, so wrong. Not only have you only just begun, but because of the initial delay, they’ve won round one already, and you didn’t even know the battle had begun! If you have not covered 100 per cent of the plant you may as well, in the words of one co-worker, be “perfuming the air.” Spray to drip. Spray the top of the leaves, spray underneath the leaves, spray and scrub the bark, and water with soapy water, and then spray the soil surface. Round one, using Safer’s Insecticidal Soap, is done.

Don’t stop now! The second spray needs to follow the first within seven days. Again, spray to drip and full coverage. Over, under, around and back again. Scrub the trunk and branches as mealy bug can hide in every nook and cranny, even getting underneath the bark.

The next spray, within seven days of the second one, introduces a new element. Mix a touch of hydrogen peroxide with your Safer’s. Again, spray thoroughly for full and complete coverage. If the spray doesn’t touch them, they’ll just laugh in your face. There is no lasting, residual effect, so no perfuming the air.

After this third spray, you’ve likely got the beginnings of control. This is not the time to relax. This is the time to confuse the enemy. I like to use cold tea for the next spray, because the acidity helps strengthen the cuticle of the plant, making it a less attractive target. Remember that tea stains, so be sure to protect carpets, upholstery, etc.

And now you must be committed to spraying every week. Use a drop of Pine Sol one week. We’ve used Tea Tree Oil, Citrus Oil, and even outdated flax oil, all to good effect. Every third or fourth spray, use the Safer’s again. It’s important to shake things up, because the pest can build a resistance to one thing if only one thing is used.

You will be spraying that plant now and forevermore. If you forget, the mealy will gain a little ground, and be that much harder to bring back under control the next time. Virtuous vigilance is the only way to maintain the upper hand when dealing with aphids, mites, mealy bug and/or scale.

If the pest you are dealing with is thrips, throw in the towel and replace your plant. They are so virulent, they’re beyond treatment. Replace with a thrips-resistant plant, a list of which I’m happy to provide if requested (email me at plantpal@telus.net).

Pests present problems and challenges, no doubt. A dedicated treatment in a timely fashion is your best offence. Keeping your plants dust free, your soils and toppings debris free is the best initial defence.

No matter what, remember to bloom where you are planted.

Gail Hirst is an Interior Landscape Specialist. 604-984-6341 plantpal@telus.net

Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Aug - Sep 08