I have been growing for 12 years and last year I got scale insects. I have been battling constantly and keeping them somewhat under control but recently they've just burst into life. From nothing to hundreds of the little bastards. I've had enough, I need to wipe them off the planet. Problem is I grow see of green so getting any type of spray everywhere is very very difficult if not impossible. Also, cos my plants are small/ delicate I can't go mental with a heavy dose of anything. Any advice?
Scale insects - Just will not die
- Thread starter forestboy
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Commander Strax
Well-Known Member
get some ladybugs???
Commander Strax
Well-Known Member
ha ha ha - too much time?
Commander Strax
Well-Known Member
for what ??
Crispy Bacon
Member
Do you have a pic of the little bastards?
The link to all those ladybird t shirts and other useless ladybug stuff
No, sorry but they are definitely hard scale insects. They are brown or yellow if young and leave a kinda waxy residue. I also found a couple of little white worms that were having a munch and leaving a kind of fur behind them. I just spent 8 hours meticulously removing and spraying everything. What a bitch. I'm gonna have to start spraying plants even if they are well into flower.
Bugeye
Well-Known Member
I've only used it in aerosol bomb form which works great on anything above the surface of your soil. Once you pop the top it goes off and drains the can so one use only. Not sure on the sq. foot coverage but pretty large and should be on packaging. Doesn't work on the little fuckers in your soil tho. Understand it is available in different forms (powder, liquid) so I'm not sure what you are looking at.
Dr Kynes
Well-Known Member
Make a Hot Pepper Spray:
You will need:
1 large saucepan
cheesecloth or an old T-shirt
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper flakes
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
a generous handful of fresh peppermint
2 tablespoons dishsoap
Strong Nerves
a pair of goggles
a disposable paper dust mask
heat 2 quarts of water to boiling, then reduce to a simmer
stir in cayenne pepper, garlic and peppermint
simmer for 5 min DO NOT BOIL
let the pungent mixture cool for safe handling
strain the mixture through the T-shirt/cheesecloth into a large vessel
pour the filtered mixture into your spray bottle, add dishsoap
swirl to mix (do not shake!)
now you are ready to rock!
moisten the dust mask with water and put that fucker on, then don your goggles.
spray that shit everywhere.
wait 2 days and do it again
the scale insects will be dead. (and also, spidermites, white flies, aphids, or anything else that bites your plant)
wash hands THOROUGHLY WITH SOAP before touching food, eyes, genitals or loved ones.
discard the dust mask. of you try and use it again youll be on fire.
you can do this all the way up to 2 weeks before harvest. it's non-toxic (to people) just spicy.
you definitely dont want it in your eyes, or on your junk. dont breathe it in, or youll be choking for an hour. (hence the damp dust mask and goggles.)
Commander Strax
Well-Known Member
I don't know what you are talking about that was the google shopping page for ladybugs.
I did not realize your money had a lady on it, try this link
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/product.asp?id_pc=34&cat=75
Great post Dr Kynes. Thank you also Bugeye and aimaim. OK Commander Strax thanks for the link, I though you were taking the piss with the other link. Dr Kynes I will definitely use that potion you wrote up. Cheers. Aim aim I have successfully been using neem oil to abate problems but it does not eradicate these particular pests. Also, you can't use neem oil in the last 3 or 4 weeks cos bud tastes like shyte. Sorry my enter button doesn't work hence no paragraphs
Dr Kynes
Well-Known Member
use the enter button on your Num-pad (it's that thing over on the right ---->)
