What are the methods for clearing root mealybugs and common scale insects?

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Text and images: Curator

Clearing methods for "root mealybugs" and "common scale insects"

I have been fighting these things for a year, so let me sum up my experience for everyone's reference~

The earliest discovery was five years ago. At that time I did not understand much either, and it passed vaguely, and a few plants were also killed by the bugs.

The next discovery, and the large-scale clearing of the bugs, was on November 20, 2011.

When I was repotting the succulents at home all together, I found root mealybugs in 90% of the flower pots. How hateful that half a year earlier I had been unwilling to throw away a small pot of soil with root mealybugs, and mixed it with new soil to replant succulents.

This time I started by throwing away all the soil, changing all of it together, scrubbing all the flower pots with steel wool, and then soaking them in potassium permanganate for two hours. All the succulents were also root-trimmed and then soaked in potassium permanganate. I also bought "Jie Bi Zhi", but did not use it.

"Root mealybugs" are different from "common scale insects". Since no "common scale insects" have been found in my home for nearly a year, there are no pictures for now.

First, let me answer a few simple questions:

1. Where do the bugs come from?

The bugs definitely come from hatched eggs. Most bugs at home are brought in with purchased succulents. Eggs carried in bags of purchased soil are very, very rare.

2. Can "potassium permanganate" kill bugs or eggs?

"Potassium permanganate" is for disinfection and cannot kill bugs or eggs.

3. Can "carbendazim" kill bugs and eggs?

Carbendazim is for sterilization and cannot kill bugs or eggs.

Clearing methods for common scale insects

They mainly attach to the undersides of leaves and the stems to suck plant sap, and are very easy to find.

They spread easily. Adult insects will crawl from one flower pot to another, so once found they must be cleared promptly.

Because they are visible bugs, they are much easier to clear. Just use toothpicks, needles and all kinds of tools by hand.

When they are clustered too heavily, you can use a pesticide spray. The "Hua Hua Shen" I use myself is convenient, cheap and effective.

Just dilute with water at the ratio of 1:200 according to the instructions and spray. Spray once more after a week and basically you will no longer see the disgusting bugs.

Note that after spraying, you must not expose the plant to sunlight. Put it in a cool place for 4-5 days before moving it to a place with sunlight.

Because if it is placed in the sun right after spraying, water evaporation will speed up, which will make the pesticide concentration higher and can easily burn the plant.

If there are children or pregnant women at home, or if you do not want to use pesticides, you can take the plant under clean water and wash it.

Or use a magnifying glass plus a needle to poke and burst them one by one! Just repeat the cycle of checking, finding and clearing.

Because there are eggs, and eggs cannot be killed by pesticides, you can only wait for the larvae to hatch, find them, and then clear them.

Clearing methods for root mealybugs

This one is a bit more troublesome, because under normal circumstances these bugs cannot be seen.

They almost all live in the soil, survive by sucking nutrients from the root system, and then lay eggs and hatch, making them extremely hard to find.

Usually they can only be seen when repotting and changing soil, so this requires us to do all kinds of inspection and cleaning work when newly buying succulents.

Their contagiousness is also terrifying. Adult insects will crawl out from the bottom of a flower pot and get into another flower pot.

But the most frightening thing is their eggs. When watering, they can flow out of the flower pot. If they touch soil and are then mixed into other flower pots, there will soon be a collective major outbreak.

When I checked in the winter of 2011, I found that almost 95% of the flower pots at home all had root mealybugs, about 200-300 pots.

According to the deep feelings of various experts, this kind of bug cannot be completely exterminated. You can only fight it long term, so everyone should be mentally prepared!

If you do not use pesticides, when repotting and finding root mealybugs, you need to immediately discard the original soil (or throw it outdoors to bake in the sun for several months before using it in the yard).

Wash all the plant roots clean, then trim them simply, then soak them in clean water for half an hour, then wash again.

Then dry them for 1-2 days, and repot after they are completely dry. The original flower pot must also be cleaned again, preferably scrubbed 360° with a brush.

If you find it troublesome and want to use pesticides, currently the most effective pesticides are "Jie Bi Zhi", "Su Pu Sha", "Bayer small green pills", and "furadan". These can kill the bugs, but cannot kill the eggs. This then requires continuous pesticide use. Personally, I am rather opposed to using pesticides. Not to mention that they easily harm the plants, they also cause secondary pollution to the soil. Everyone can weigh this for themselves~

For any kind of bug, everyone should treat it correctly, and there is no need to be overly nervous or afraid.

Because bugs and flowers are symbiotic~ Everyone who grows flowers knows that those outdoor-cultivated climbing roses and such grow several waves of bugs a year.

So there is absolutely no need to be nervous. After discovering them, first isolate the plant, then check what kind of bug it is, and then treat it accordingly.

When I first saw these bugs I also felt especially disgusted and especially afraid, and often sprayed pesticides on everything, which resulted in damage to a large area of succulents.

Now it is fine once you slowly get used to it. When bugs are found, remove them with a toothpick at the first moment, with completely no pressure~

Finally, I still hope everyone's succulents all grow healthily, and ideally with no bugs causing trouble~

(Below are pictures of "root mealybugs". You can judge from the pictures whether your succulents have been affected.)

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