Cochineal vs Cactus

When you look at the white spot covering on Opuntia, do you think it's from fungus or insect?  The answer is from an insect infestation. The white sticky mounds are the housing for cochineal bugs (also known as mealy bugs.  


 The white sticky mounds are the housing for cochineal bugs (also known as mealy bugs)  All of the host plants of cochineal colonies were Opuntia species. Cochineal feed on plant moisture and nutrients.

Like the aphid (a related insect) the female drives her tubular proboscis through the cactus skin, where she will remain affixed for the rest of her life, sucking out the juice.  Simultaneously, she produces a white, waxy, fungus-looking coating that will help protect her from predatory insects and birds and shade her from the desert sun.  However, she sometimes fall prey to a rare carnivorous caterpillar and more commonly, to our good friend, the ladybird beetle.  Over time, a heavy cochineal infestation can kill its resident plant. 

However, Cochineal has industrially important insects because Cochineal can produce scarlet, orange, and other red tints. The  colors are produced from carminic acid which is today primarily used as a natural dyeing for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries .  And seriously, there are cochineal farms for export in some countries such as Peru, Australia, Mexico, Chile.

If you don't want cochineal on your healthy plants, it’s suggested to treat  the damaged areas by scrubbing them with insecticidal soap or unscented dish soap. In small areas you can scrub with a tooth brush but for larger areas it is best to use a long handled brush. Or you can just spray all of the surfaces of the prickly pear pads thoroughly using a power nozzle attached to your hose and then thoroughly spray with a solution of spectraside and insecticidal soap. Do not rinse after applying the spectraside and insecticidal soap.

source: http://www.desertusa.com, http://www.thecactusdoctor.com, http://en.wikipedia.org

Aphid at Cactus root

On New Year holidays, I had free time to notice that my poor astro. baby cactus became flatter and smaller.  When I removed them out of the pot, I got the answer: aphid stayed at the root.  This awful insect suck the juices of root for food.  I think it was because I rarely sprayed the chemical insecticide.  I usually use the organic one which may not be strong enough.

You can see the small white thing in the soil.  This is evil aphid.

After realizing the problem, I also washed and cleansed the cactus root in water.  I tried to remove all soil and dust from the root softly.  If do severely, the root might be damaged and the recovery will take longer time.

Here is the cactus after I scrubbed all soil.  It becomes bare root now.

I'll leave them like this for several days and plant in the pot later.  Hope you guys will have time to care your cactus, not ignoring them like I did.  

Cactus vs Scale

Today topic is about the scale, one of common pest for cactus as the blog reader has asked me about how to heal the cactus when scale attacks.  Hope it'll be helpful for you guys.

Scale is pinhead-size insects that present themselves as raised tan/brown spots. It is actually hard shell coverings that protect the insect or eggs underneath. Scales reproduce like rabbits, prefer columnar and rock cacti, and dine on plant juices. Infected plants appear yellow and weakened. Left untreated, scale can cause bud and shoot drop. Scale are treated similar to mealy bugs. 

Life cycle 

Scale and mealy bugs are related insects, and since their life cycles closely parallel each other.  In a general scale life cycle, eggs are produced beneath the female shell and hatch into tiny crawlers which are invisible to the unaided eye. Crawlers are not covered by a hard shell and they migrate to newly expanded foliage, finally settling near leaf veins on the underside of leaves or stems. It is this crawler stage, which is practically impossible to detect on cuttings or other propagation material that is responsible for spreading the infestation. 

Outbreaks of scale can be triggered by plants being under stress (overwatering/underwatering), too much new growth resulting from an overabundance of nutrients (overfertilizing), overcrowding (unavoidable in some collections) and other conditions specific to the infestation. These other conditions can include injudicious spraying that kills the predators but leaves the scale eggs alive, introduction of a new, more favorable host plant, etc.

scale on rose branch

How to rid scale? 

Many remedies are available for control depending on how much the scale outbreak. 

1. At the beginning, you may choose organic controls including alcohol spray (isopropyl alcohol, straight or diluted), soapy emulsion (can be mixed w/alcohol), horticultural oil (read the directions, taking the plant out of the sun is a must) and pyrethrum spray. 
Soapy water/alcohol should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. This is because little residual action can be expected, and newly hatched insects are occurring.

Alcohol in large quantities in the root zone is generally to be avoided since it can dehydrate some tissues. Soapy water/alcohol mix should not be allowed to dry in the root zone since damage can occur. If it is used, after a short period it can be flushed by pouring clean water through the root zone.

2. The most common and easy choice to remove scale is Chemical spray with proven results include Sevin and malathion.  DO NOT use sprays containing malathion on the Crassulaceae family of plants. These plants include the common Jade plants.  Some species in these genera are very sensitive to Malathion, and damage or death may result.   For your safe health, follow the pesticide instruction strictly when you use Malathion.

3.  Sometimes, spraying contact pesticides on scale is not effective since their protective hard shell coverings shed water like a well-made roof and the chemical ends up killing the natural predators (lacewings and their larvae that generally keep the scale under control in garden). 
Systemic pesticides can work but we should get rid of the alive scales, too.   They can't move, so once they are detached from the plant they will die. So you should scrape off the cactus scale by washing the plant with a weak detergent solution or by mechanically removing insects with a toothpick.  Then spray Malathion to control major infestations weekly. When fighting scale, be sure to cover the soil, otherwise, these pests will just drop off and then get right back on the plant. 

Information & Photo Source: http://www.cactusmuseum.com/, http://www.oldandsold.com, http://bugyou.blogspot.com/

Natural ways to get rid of ants

Ants, a small animal, prove to be beneficial to the gardener by feeding on destructive garden pests such as caterpillars, spiders and small insects. But, some species of ants like black garden ants live together with the aphids (for their honeydew). In such a case, ants are inviting a notorious pest in the garden.  Here are several natural ways to get rid of the insects in your garden.

1. Try a vinegar spray. 

Mix three parts vinegar with one part warm water, and spray around the perimeter of the garden. If you know where the ant hill is, you can spray the mound directly.

 2. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper in your garden around your plants.

Ants won't cross it, and it doesn’t cause any harm to you plants.

 3. Ants hate any type of strong odor.

The pungent aromatic scent of mint leaves acts a natural pesticide for the ants. So, do not delay in planting mint in your garden so as to get rid of the troublesome ants. The permanent solution for garden ants is to grow and maintain mint plants throughout the year. 

 4. Shake out a line of baby powder around the garden.

For some reason, ants don't seem to like the smell, and won't go near any part of the garden that has a baby powder smell.

5. Find the ant hill, and pour corn meal on top of it.

Ants will eat the corn meal, but they can't digest it, so they will die. If you hate the idea of killing ants, put a jar of honey in a tree near your garden. The ants will relocate so they can be near the honey, and it will keep them.

6. Use Citrus Peelings 

Collect citrus peelings (orange, lemon, etc.) and ground them by using adequate amount of water. Remove the liquid concoction and spray it over the ant mound. This method is an effective natural remedy for getting rid of carpenter ants and other garden ants.

I don’t recommend the ways with boil water and boric acid because the boil water is too cruel to ants.  Imagine how you would feel if your body was burn by hot water.  Meanwhile, boric acid is chemical, I also am unsure about its side affect to the soil, plant even or my health.   

I hate you - Pests on my cacti!

The pest and disease always visit your cacti & succulent without the invitation. In this year, I lost about 5-8 cactus for pests. I hate them so much and they inspired me to write this article. I think most people should feel like me, too when you look the pests damage your fat, green cacti.

It is said by experts that Healthy Soil can prevent about 80 percent of insect damage. Healthy soil breeds healthy plants that are better able to resist pests. If your plant pot has ant nest, get rid of it. It may look cruel but it's good for your plants because ants always bring pests to your plants according my experience.

I use the nim/neem oil mixed with plain water to spray once a week to prevent any pests. It's biological and safe to any animal or human.

The pesticide or insecticides are always my last choice to kill pests. Many pesticides are harmful to people, and though they do kill pests, they also kill soil nutrients and beneficial insects. If you must spray something on your plants, start with plain water—it will kill some insects and force off many others.

Here are the common pests for cacti & succulent:

Mealy Bugs:

These are white/gray insects about 0.1 inches in length. These bugs consume the cactus sap and reproduce rapidly by laying their eggs underneath a cotton-like covering. Mealy bugs are covered with these white spots and sticky texture. You will find these pests on the stem or spines of the plant. If left untreated, the cactus will stop growing, take on a sticky appearance, and begin to shrivel.

Non-chemical treatment:

• Physically remove these bugs by using external objects such as fingernails, scrub brushes, tweezers, and/or water pressure.

• Apply rubbing alcohol onto the insects by using a cotton swab. Rubbing alcohol will dissolve the waxy coat and kill the mealy bugs.
• Mixing the dish washing liquid with water in the ratio of 1: 50. Best time to spray the mixed water on mealy bugs is the evening. If you do in another time, the solution will burn leaves

Pesticides:

• Use systemic or contact insecticides such as malathion and dimethodate to control widespread mealy bugs. Weekly applications of malathion or dimethodate are recommended to prevent recurring mealy bug attacks.

• For root mealy bugs, remove the cactus from the pot, rinse off all white spots and soil with lukewarm water. Then, allow the plant to dry. After the plant has dried, you can repot the cactus in a well-drained, fresh cactus mix.

Red Spider Mite:

Mites are small, reddish insects less than 0.2 mm long. Red spider mites may also appear as brown dots or red pepper on young growth.Found on the top of the plant, these mites begin as pale yellowish spots and later turn rusty brown. Without treatment, these red spider miters lead to scarring and sometimes webbing on the plants

Non-Chemical Treatment:

The reddish-brown mites thrive in hot dry conditions, yet dislike humid conditions. Acting as a preventive measure and cure, overhead watering and spraying plants may reduce mite attacks. In addition, increase the humidity to prevent further attacks of mites.


Aphids:

Aphids are small, soft-bodied, slow-moving insects that suck fluids from plants. Aphids come in many colors, ranging from green to brown to black, and they may have wings. They attack a wide range of plant species causing stunting, deformed leaves and buds. They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing/sucking mouthparts. Aphids, generally, are merely a nuisance, since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage. However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface growth called sooty mold.

Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating. Aphids often appear when the environment changes - spring & fall. They're often massed at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue. Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing.

Treatment:

Spraying with most insecticides is usually effective. A repeat treatment may be applied after a few days.

Pesticides:

Apply miticide for widespread red spider mite problems. You can also use an all-purpose bug killer called “Rose and Flower Insect Killer,” which can help eliminate mite problems.