I found root mealybugs on my Hoyas... 🫠 AGAIN.

I have been very lucky to find root mealybugs on my Hoyas again. I cannot even begin to tell you the joy I experienced when I observed these hellish abominations on my Hoyas, but, not all is lost! So, you found root mealybugs on yor Hoyas? What next? Well, this is what I did.
__________
Do you want to support my channel on Patreon?
PATREON: / basieplants
__________
CHAPTERS:
00:00 So, things have not been going exactly according to the plan.
02:35 How to spot root mealybugs?
04:26 Patient zero and the TREATMENT.
08:11 Mineral oil treatment disclaimer + general disclaimer for treating plants
12:06 Back to root mealybug treatment talk :)
15:33 Why I cut some plants?
23:51 Potting the cuttings.
28:33 Some general pest talk.
32:23 Root mealybugs - what treatment is the best?
35:23 Patreon Thank You
__________
Do you want to connect with me?
INSTAGRAM: @basie.plants
BUSINESS EMAIL:
[e-mail]
__________
Music:
I use Epidemic sound:
www.epidemicsound.com
__________
Get one one-month free trial of Epidemicsound here!
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
This is a referral link. By signing up for Epidemic sound, you help me get my next month for free. Pretty awesome!
___________
#rootmealybugs

[@amymarshall1829]

Close to 20 years ago when I was primarily collecting gesneriads, I got a bad case of plant burnout and severely reduced my plant collection from about 300 to about 20. After that, I mostly just had Thanksgiving cacti and Phalaenopsis orchids, which didn't cause me any real problems. In the intervening years, I had almost forgotten the frustration (and horror) of dealing with pests in a large collection. But, looking back, it was one of the things that greatly contributed to the plant burnout. I do think in a large collection that it's impossible to avoid getting pests. But it's still really frustrating, really disheartening, and a giant pain when there is an outbreak. Keep fighting the good fight, Miro, and thank you for taking us along the (bumpy) ride.

[@BasiePlants]

Gesneriads are awful when it comes to pests! When I was collecting violets, I had thrips constantly and then they get root mealybugs. Super frustrating! They grow so fast and then your collection gets destroyed by a pest outbreak. Phals can be quite hardy unless you get on with a virus like I did 😅

[@amymarshall1829]

The gesnariads were awful when it came to pests! Particularly the AV's, which were the greatest percentage of my collection. Mealybugs weren't too much of an issue with mine, but thrips and cyclamen mites definitely were. Plus, bugs just skeeve me out on principle, so there's that. If cuss words killed them, I would have personally irradiated the world's population of all of them. haha @@BasiePlants

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

@@BasiePlants thanks for that. No violets for me

[@margaretcalifano1617]

I’m a veteran of all the pest wars, and I can tell the person who never had bugs that once you get complacent, you’re done. They will find you. I’m in the US, so I have access to imidicloprid and this still seems to be the gold standard for handling soil mealies. I had noticed that they can crawl up the plant, usually not too high, but they escape conditions they don’t like in the soil ball. Also, even with that insecticide, you may have to reapply it. I’m working on a theory that they can spread in an unexpected way, like through fungus gnats or airborne, because they popped up in my plant room in odd spots. I also have a very full Hoya Patricia that came up with scale!I bought the plant in March and they didn’t appear until December. The only reason I found them was the sticky sap on leaves. The scale matched the color of her stems. This of course happened just before it was going to bloom. I used a hefty dose of imidicloprid on Patricia too. No more sticky sap, but growth stalled

[@BasiePlants]

Yeah, the more you try to limit their spread, the more you realize how easy it is and impossible for it to never be any cross-contamination between the plants. So I have come to accept them and fight them when they come 🤷‍♂️

[@JacintheMessier]

I did find them crawling on aerial roots of my zigzag cactus, but thanks to you, I knew what I was looking at. I am sorry for your plants, but so greatful to you for showing me what to do!

[@BasiePlants]

Damn them! Do they not know their name is ROOT mealybug not AERIAL ROOT mealybug? Like, know your place! 😭

[@bettyparker9112]

To all who buy plants (Hoya) at big box store,I go to spray,l spray all my my plants before I check out(top soil N bottom N out side and bottom before I check out, sometimes I carry my spray,if I forget ,get one spray bottle

[@wandashaw3551]

Hello Miro, I'm so sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this beast again and I wish you the best in irradiatcating them. The worst I've gad so far are gnats a d just a few mealy bugs thank goodness. I feel that I would likely get rid of any of my 🪴 that would have those root mealy bugs, too much STRESS.

[@ac42405]

You're fabulous. So glad to find you. Sorry about the mealies.

[@ABilySecretly]

I had a root mealys recently in my begonia collection. I had to clean like 50 plants. For some of them I had no patienence and cut off the roots. Im not going to grow begonias in soil anymore. Luckly all my hoyas grow safely in hydroponics. It would be a nightmare to treat them as well. Glad to hear you are going to post more💚

[@pamgustaveson3735]

Good information and I’m glad you will continue to update us. I think you could call it the “Root Mealybug Challenge.”

[@judithkrmrs8533]

I so appreciate your blunt honesty! ❤😊 Keep going!

[@warncke87]

Have you heard of pure crop1? Many people in the US have started using it to treat and prevent root mealies. So sorry to hear this happened again!

[@Machka0]

I discovered them on one of my hoyas roots a few weeks ago (all inside a coco coir plug that some grower originally propagated the plant in) and decided to chop and prop it, but then 2 days ago I noticed them on the leaves of a jade plant and another hoya and picked of mechanically what I could and sprayed them with biokill insecticide so I pray that will stop them. My problem is that just like yours all my plants are pushed together in a tight space so it could spread easily.

[@emoo2342]

Heheh a viewer who never had pests? Or never saw or chose to see the pests?🫣😅 Pests are a real part of plant collecting-I’m glad you share the good, bad, and ugly with us, Miro. Please never stop.☺️🤗

[@BasiePlants]

I wish I could also chose not to see them xD But sadly, I am too obsessed for that :D

[@psycheready6958]

Thanks, this is really informative! I'm so sorry the little buttheads found your plants.

[@Beaueim]

So called root aphids can produce a flying version and fly to any plant. I don't know is that the same as root mealybugs but I actually once saw that root mealybug jumped to my magnifier. I have to mention that I know what springtails look like and have fighted against root mealybugs several years so I hardly saw wrong. That would also explain why they sometimes are found in the places that are practically not explainable i.e. somewhere where there are no other pots nearby they could have spread from.

[@e.p.3019]

This video came up shortly after I discovered one of my most prized cacti was absolutely infested with root mealies. Now I'm here with a bunch of soilless cacti and succulents sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be potted again after the big check-up. Not the life I imagined for either of us (the desert plants and me & the hoyas and you).

[@turogers13]

What!!??🙀 I never even knew that they could live in the soil. 🧐☹️💔 BTW your glasses look nice.

[@BasiePlants]

Yes, they can (but they are a different species). I wish they'd at least stay in the potting mix, then the treatment would be easy.

[@mwoods4608]

I cant picture them just strolling across the rudsta shelves in the middle of the day?? how do we never see them?? are the nymps the crawlers? 🤪🤔🫣

[@elphie444]

I’m sorry about your root mealies! Cuttently, I use a systemic w the imidacloprid every 2mo or so and spray the oil every 2-3 weeks always after watering. It’s exhausting and a lot and even then there are pests. I just found what I think is root mealies on a verticillata and decided to just cut the top off and keep that.

[@hoedown175]

Ughhh my heart goes out to you 😿

[@pamc.6605]

Hey Miro from South Carolina! Thank you for being real in your videos, pests and all! I always learn something new! You speak my native language… Sarcasm!! 😂😂😂😂

[@Livinglifetruthfully]

Love your videos. I haven’t had root mealies yet or that I know of but I’m gonna do a check on my plants as you just never know and better to be informed. Appreciate the honesty and that you are also sharing your journey with us as it helps a lot. Love my plants and they are work and sometimes they need extra care and you sharing the good and the not so good with us, helps a lot x

[@christineexley585]

Great content, as always!

[@Marlur]

Yikes! never had root mealbugs, but they don’t look fun. I’ve had regular ones and other pests lol, always fun :P. Ha, not really. Hope your plants bounce back with no probs!

[@paigemcmaster5040]

I just found some root mealies on some of my Hoyas and actually cried. Plant parenthood is so stressful!

[@atxadri]

Search for a video by LiquiDirt here on KZbin. He does a video on a pest mix that helps with Mealies. I dip my plants and put them in a new medium. I think mine came from an infested bag of soil 😢

[@Wendy-zl8kv]

Yikes bugs!!! I hate that you and for me!! Very informative video Miro for I would not know how to treat them in the soil and the roots! Thanks again 😊

[@nahidatanni1098]

Many hoya collectors are using Pure Crop 1 for this problem and having good result.

[@BasiePlants]

PureCrop is not available everywhere. We all live in different parts of the world :)

[@amazonite791]

Also, if the humidity is high, they crawl up to the top of the plant and live on the areal roots.

[@BasiePlants]

They clearly don’t know their place. 😂

[@atxadri]

I just finished treating over 50 of my plants (still have about 25 to go). Search for a video by LiquiDirt here on KZbin. He does a video on a pest mix that helps with Mealies. I took them out of the contaminated medium, showered them, and then dipped them in the mix. Let them air dry overnight in my garage (away from other pests and out of sunlight). I then put them in a new medium and clean/new pots. I think mine came from an infested bag of soil 😢 I treated all of my Hoyas (tiny and large leaf Hoyas) and anthuriums - they all tolerated it well. My next adventure is doing my string of hearts 😅

[@cate7777]

I don't encounter pests often, but yes, I have had pests before. Never have had thrips and hope I never do. I have had spider mites on something of which I don't remember what it was. The next time I found spider mites was on a plumeria that lives outdoors. I have had scale... those things are insidious because they don't look like much when they start. The ongoing current problem are mealy bugs on the foliage side of things that started on orchids... at least these are easy to get rid of relatively speaking.... It is just a matter of consistent daily monitoring and treatment as soon they are spotted. I go after them with a watercolor brush soaked in alcohol and then insecticidal soap spray down. The spider mites was mainly wipe down with a soapy sponge or wash cloth with daily monitoring after that for return if the mites and repeating the treatment if any found. It took two treatments to be rid of them. Those things are freaky. I never have had root mealys and I hope I never do. I actually didn't know about these till you talked about them in a previous episode. They sound terrible and difficult to get rid of. Yikes... And I agree with you, no one escapes without encountering pests at one time or other. It may not happen often but it does happen, it's just a matter of time.

[@doreenkkurthmeyers2375]

Thanks so much for you help, new to Hoya collecting and have mealy bugs a couple times . But not the root type yet. Preparing for that night mare.

[@suvivirtanen8242]

Thank you for the interesting video. Pests are always a problem.

[@Memphisgirl-jk5tq]

On another note; your Pictum TriColor💚🖤 is quite lovely.

[@BasiePlants]

Thank you! It needs to be potted :D Then it will look even better. 😅

[@Dwynfal]

Ahhhhh the kanyakumariana!!! My personal favourite! Mine has finally started to grow after pouting for about two years now (no pests, I checked sooooo many times!). I think I wasn't watering it enough. I'd be happy to take a polyneura green cutting off you, I've had no luck finding them (at a price I can afford) in Belgium! That outside variegated polyneura is absolutely gorgeous!!!

[@Planty-Mandy]

I’ve been battling thrips for a few months. Along with mealies and spider mites. But the thrips are the real war. A flame thrower would be sweet relief. 🔥🔥🔥

[@bettyparker9112]

N my green house l put spray n a vop😊

[@dianamcedenovaldes5828]

AHHHHH!! I have been battling them for a few months now! Loosing my mind 😖

[@BasiePlants]

I hope we can beat them 😭

[@planttherapy1860]

Damn those pests! Thanks for the video. I don't know if my plants have had them. I have experienced mealy bugs above soil. I recently bought a scope, but I don't think I want to know too much. 😅 It's still unopened.

[@rsdoconnor]

What about flushing the substrate with hydrogen peroxide to kill off root mealy bugs? I've not tried it for root mealies, but I've seen Miss Orchid Girl treat orchid roots and substrate with it to kill off root pests - particularly snails - that were affecting her plants. I have tried it on a couple of hoyas when nothing else seemed to help, and the hoyas did come back; but I don't know if root mealies were the cause of their problems.

[@daveoverstreet5148]

I'll be following your daily journey, mostly because you crack you up, but for the info, too 🤣 It's good to normalize pest issues, no matter how annoying they are, for the newer people in the hobby. Be vigilant, but don't freak out.

[@annie5069]

Hi, Miro! Do you have any tips on how to clean the pots and trellises of infected plants?

[@eyleentorresdiaz]

Omg my friend is dealing with root mealies too 😭hoping they go bye bye !

[@sheilacasper2030]

Oh no! I am so sorry for you. What a terrible thing.

[@annwan10]

oh god after hearing the let’s talk hoya podcast about root mealy bugs this week had me frightened and then i see your video 😭😭😭

[@BasiePlants]

They are real and they are here. 😭

[@amazonite791]

I have used a systemic with acetamiprid as the active ingredient against them successfully. I also had success with nematodes that I usually use against gnats but they eat root mealy eggs too.

[@BasiePlants]

Yes, I filmed this before our nematode talk 🫣😅 I am working on getting some to try them out!

[@ellennovak5214]

Doug Chamberlin just released a KZbin video on how he conquered mealybugs. Hope it can help you!

[@causetteladouceur6363]

2 questions for you Miro, ..a) Do you use sometimes stim-root powder for propagation? b) Is there a season for better result for propagation? Thank you and I love your video.

[@ashleynicole9036]

I think I may have jinxed you. Last week I found root mealies on almost all my hoya so like any other smart/dumb person I went to KZbin because I remembered a couple years ago you made a video. I also did some research on Reddit and someone suggested imidicloprid. I already had some on hand so I said fuck it. It’s been a week and none of my plants look stressed or anything. Not sure if you are able to get that in you country but if you are maybe it’s something to look into. I’m praying it works cause I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to chop all of them. Do you prop Hoyas in the gallon bags or are they just there in the mean time? Anyways one good thing is that this whole debacle brought me back to your channel and reminded me why I loved your channel in the first place. Best of luck!🤞

[@charissecarrigan2945]

The only pests I'd dealt with my first few years of plants was spider mites and then fungus gnats. I'd heard of mealie bugs and never saw any up-close and personal. I STUPIDLY thought that maybe mealies didn't like my part of the country. (I'd even seen scale before on a ZZ at a big box store.) Then one day, a particular ditzy woman I know saw a "close-out" rack at a big box store. I saw all kinds of hoyas that didn't look to great, and I moved right along. Then my eyes landed on a hoya exotica (or Krimson Princess/ tri-color/ I don't know, it wasn't marked except HOYA). She was beautiful, and hanging on a different rack, right next to the "close-out" rack. No price...so I found an employee to mark it for me. She marked it at $10 for a HUGE hanging 10" pot. I was so STUPID to NOT see the "red flags" and warning sirens. Boy, did I think I got a deal!!! Took the plant home, cleaned it up, threw away fallen leaves, repotted into good home-made substrate...and patted myself on the back. She was a beauty! The biggest Hoya I'd ever had. Long story even longer. I know that I know that I know she is the culprit that those damn mealies came in on...and I was clueless for almost 3 months. I'm not POSITIVE, but I don't think I have any more root mealies (did the hot water dunk...because by that time, I didn't care if the whole plant died). But now, I'm battling regular little mealies on the same plant. I didn't even notice them UNTIL I needed a bigger, better trellis. She looks so gorgeous, I just make myself search her about once or twice a week...and I go after them with alcohol and swabs. The plant is WAY TOO large for me to get her into my shower. With my arthritic knees it's all I can do to get into the shower. LOL The battle is REAL. Thank you again for your time making these videos!

[@ashleynicole9036]

Are you in the US?

[@charissecarrigan2945]

@@ashleynicole9036 If you are asking me, yes...I'm in the Pacific NW in Washington state. ☺

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

That’s the pest I haven’t had. And never will!! I use systemic granules lol. I had scale all over my umbrella tree and I cut all the green growth off of her. Put her outside last summer and she grew back! Systemics were used immediately and no scale. I bought a monstera with scale and could never get rid of it so after being root bound I chopped it up and will be replanting that and adding systemics too. What a product

[@BasiePlants]

If you have scale on Schefflera, just put it outside, seem natural predators take care of them. It worked for me several times lol

[@magalieg273]

Systemics are illegal (for a good reason!) in most developped countries! You have to have a permit.

[@BasiePlants]

@@magalieg273 sadly, not the case here. Which leaves them as the only option in majority of cases. For example, we do not have beneficials (only on paper). Nematodes would be useful here, for example. I tried ordering multiple times, years in a row, from a company that claims to sell beneficials only to be ignored. Even neem oil I mentioned is not meant for plants but for cosmetics and I found it useless. But other treatments we use for plants (not systemic) are dangerous - many use sulphur for plants and it is classified as flammable (and also not really safe for indoor use). That is why my preferred method for root mealybugs was to restart the plant but apparently not completely efficient. Interestingly, all imported plants are treated with the same imidacloprid.

[@michaelkerley452]

So sorry Miro! I know what a nightmare those bugs have been for you. Also, 1 degree.. 1 degree killed the dinosaurs! Couldn’t help it, sorry.😊

[@BasiePlants]

💀 Well, let's hope that additional degree was not necessary here. xD

[@bettyparker9112]

To spray all my plants

[@MsLindamee]

I use 3% undiluted hydrogen peroxide, mealies are soft bodied, they disintegrate on contact with the peroxide. I drench the roots and leave for about 30 minutes, then a quick rinse with water.

[@BasiePlants]

Do you unpot the plants and remove the potting mix? How does it affect the eggs? Do you do repeated treatments?

[@mwoods4608]

would love to hear these answers as well! lots of people say they use this method, but i never hear a follow up months later if it worked

[@plantypittsburgh]

Did you listen to the Let's Talk Hoya podcast episode work Doug Chamberlain? They have a root mealy solution! I don't remember the name off hand...

[@BasiePlants]

To my knowledge, that product is only available in the US.

[@plantypittsburgh]

@@BasiePlants I figured as much. We get all the good drugs.

[@lemorrisgalbreath2505]

Oh, yuck, I haaaaate mealy bugs. I repotted a hoya pubicalyx last week that had been losing a few lower leaves. I thought it was because the grower had potted it too low, and there was medium over the base of some leaves. When I removed it to repot, I noticed white fuzzies in the root ball. I thought it was mildew but then thought about root mealies. After repotting, I gave it a few squirts of foaming hand soap and a few spritzes of 90% alcohol then drenched the plant and medium with water. Repeated 3 or 4 times. Plant rested for a few days, and I repeated the process today. I found that this gets rid of mealies on my orchids. 🤞 it works on the hoya, too. Thanks for all your videos and great info!

[@BasiePlants]

I noticed some people mention alcohol and using it on roots - does it not cause any damage? I would be too afraid it would dry them out.

[@Dwynfal]

I've used alcohol on root mealybugs too, for different kinds of plants, not just hoyas. Actually soaking the roots for a few minutes, rinsing well in water and repotting a day after. So far no casualties, but I think any pest control intervention is always a risk. I try to take one or two cuttings as insurance. As you say, no two plants behave the same!

[@lemorrisgalbreath2505]

Alcohol has never dried out the roots on any of my plants that I've used it on. Probably because the roots don't sit in alcohol. I drench the soul after placing the root ball into a larger pot. Then add a few squirts of foaming hand soap, then water. The soap causes foaming. Spritz with the alcohol. This will pop all the foam bubbles. Re-water. Spritz. Re-water and spritz again. Repeat as needed. So far I've never killed a plant with alcohol. I also spritz alcohol all over any orchid with mealies. Rinse with water. Repeat as needed.

[@sallyfeldman1256]

Miro. Do you believe the substrate that was used with these plants had anything to do with the mealybugs? Or the self watering pots, if they were used?

[@BasiePlants]

I believe they most likely came in on another plant that I put in pon, and when I was repotting it, I reused the old po in the burmanica mix. And then they got transfered when I was showering them in the bathtub. That is one of the theories. It could just be as simple as - I was showering the plants in the bathtub and perhaps they got transfered from some new plant. :) Self-watering pots were not used, the pots should not make the difference. Potting mixes should be safe too, asuming they are sterilized... (unlike me reusing already used pon - big no)

[@OneMoreGreenPlant]

💚🌿💚🌿

[@ellennovak5214]

Sorry to learn you have these pests again. 😢. What is your criteria in deciding to use coco husk to propagate instead of your peat and perlite?

[@BasiePlants]

I recently started to use coco husk and I see that it works wonders and they root very fast in it. If I am going to grow it in high humidity or if it's a hoya with pretty succulent leaves, I tend to choose coco husk.

[@pitbulltjej]

I dont have any pest, can you come and inspect them now?? ;)

[@deborahmcsweeney3349]

Oh that sucks! It seems like a lot of people are getting these root mealy bugs! I hope I don't get them! Ugh!

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

I didn’t realize you lived in Sweden. I thought you lived somewhere else. Back in the 80s I worked for a Swedish company in the US callled Sunds Defibrator of Sundsval. . They make pulp and paper machinery for companies like Boise Cascade etc. All my bosses were Sweds. My grandmother is Swedish and grandfather was Swiss. The company moved to another state and I didn’t move. I was supposed to be taken to Sweden for my job but due to the move it never happened. My bosses were Bengt Peterson and Roland Peterson but I’m sure they are retired and what’s the chance you would know them

[@BasiePlants]

I think there was some misunderstanding - Maj April is from Sweden. She is a well-known, knowledgeable grower in the Hoya community that happens to be from Sweden, and I chat from time to time with Swedish growers. I am from Serbia. Sorry for the confusion!

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

@@BasiePlants Serbia. Thats where originally then I thought Sweden. Lol

[@KjamMolle]

What do you do with the bug soil? Just throw it away or can you heat it up an reuse it?

[@BasiePlants]

I would not reuse it.

[@markoe1652]

Can root mealybugs attack leaves? Or is it one or the another?

[@BasiePlants]

From what I know, they go for the roots. :)

[@markoe1652]

@@BasiePlants thank you!

[@judithkrmrs8533]

Have you tried dipping infested plants in a 0,5% Hydrogen Peroxide solution? It killed Thripse and Mealy Bugs for me. After soaking the plants in the solution for about 10 min. I flushed them with Tap water.

[@margimorris7360]

💚🍃🍀x

[@user-rv4jw4qr7z]

Have you tried watering your plants with hydrogen peroxide to get rid of mealybugs? (mix with water of course)