"Mushtywoof" wrote in message
. ..
SCREAM

I went into my greenhouse today and spotted mealy bug on a handful
of
cacti.........how can i get rid of them ? I have a can of spray
stuff (cant
recall the name offhand) but it says to 'water well prior to
spraying'. As
the cacti are now to be kept dry till spring what can i do ? There
are too
many for me to pick them off, i havent got that much time free!

I like to be 'organic' so dont routinely spray to debug 'just in
case'.....is this my downfall ?

'Don't know if it is still on the market but there used to be a
product called
"Fowler's Mealy Bug Destroyer",
marketed by Oak Dene Nursery, Barnsley.
It had to be painted on the affected areas - and, as I recall, smelt
like neat white spirit - is that considered organic?
I'm pretty sure that the Oak Dene Nursery specialised in cactus and
succulents.
It worked fine on the visible problem but if you had root mealy bug
then one had to revert to a systemic insecticide - which also treated
the visible problem.
I also think a 'natural predator' was marketed but presumably after it
has seen off the mealy bug, it too will die off.

--
ned