Safe insect exterminator.

hawkeyes · Post by **hawkeyes** » October 22nd, 2016, 3:54 pm

What do you suggest to control, scale, mealybugs and something making my ficus leaves curl up,(with a little grub inside). I have tried Confidor recently and killed a little Azalea. Is there a safer insect controller.

shibui · Post by **shibui** » October 22nd, 2016, 4:20 pm

You really need different products to kill different pests.
Eco oil or pestoil are relatively safe and will kill scale. It will probably also kill the mealybugs that are on the branches and leaves but won't get to the ones that are on the roots. You really need a systemic for that. Confidor is only one of the systemic insecticides. It is listed as suitable for azalea lacebug so should be safe on azaleas. Are you sure it was the spray that killed your azalea? I've been using RichGro 'BugKilla" which is granulated - just sprinkle on the surface and water it in. It has imidacloprid which is the same active ingredient as confidor. Some oil sprays will burn leaves on very hot days. Spray when it is cooler for safety.
Methylated spirits will kill the mealy bugs too but will only get the ones you spray it on. Evaporates very quickly so no lasting side effects.
Soapy water will also get rid of most of the mealy bugs that you spray it onto but you will need to repeat every week or so for full effect.
Bacillus thuringiensis is the least toxic caterpillar killer. It is a naturally occurring fungus that only attacks caterpillars so is safe for birds, humans, etc. Even those that eat the sprayed caterpillars. Sold as 'Dipel'.
Soapy water ill also get rid of caterpillars but only the ones you spray it on so not very useful for the types that hide inside curled leaves.

hawkeyes · Post by **hawkeyes** » October 22nd, 2016, 5:04 pm

Thank you Shibui, I have Pest Oil I will try, I can't understand what happened to my little Sao-to-me Azalea. I kept it in the shade after treatment. Did not feed it, and slowly the leaves died and fell off and left me a skeleton of a tree. I found a soap insecticide recipe on the web, using sunlight soap, vegetable oil, water and ground pepper, I thought I would try on the ficus. They are pretty hardy.

shibui · Post by **shibui** » October 22nd, 2016, 6:37 pm

Good luck with the soap recipe. It sounds like a contact insecticide which will work best when it is sprayed onto the bugs. Unfortunately with leaf rollers it is very difficult to get it onto them.
Azaleas do die unexpectedly. Always look for other possible causes when one of your plants die. It is sometimes something that happened a few weeks ago that you've forgotten about.

KIRKY · Post by **KIRKY** » October 22nd, 2016, 7:26 pm

I have used confidor on Azaleas for over 10 years and never lost one due to confidor. Did you remember to water it after you put it in the shade? An Azalea that dries out will die quickly. If you have only a few leaves on certain plants that have insects on them. it is just as easy to cut the infected leaves and put them in the bin. Becarefull with home remedies that suggest oil. You are safer using an eco oil insecticide.
Cheers
Kirky

Firecat · Post by **Firecat** » October 22nd, 2016, 10:51 pm

shibui wrote: Azaleas do die unexpectedly. Always look for other possible causes when one of your plants die. It is sometimes something that happened a few weeks ago that you've forgotten about.

KIRKY wrote:I have used confidor on Azaleas for over 10 years and never lost one due to confidor. Did you remember to water it after you put it in the shade? An Azalea that dries out will die quickly. If you have only a few leaves on certain plants that have insects on them. it is just as easy to cut the infected leaves and put them in the bin

Yep Azalea death ain't about 'confidor'...like KIRKY it's been good for me for years and I use it for every thing.
Cept when fruiting flowers such as Cot's and Pommies need a bee or two.
If over sprayed I just hand pollinate.
Steve

Beano · Post by **Beano** » October 23rd, 2016, 12:44 am

Your fig sounds like it has thrips. They're a pain in the butt but have mostly left my figs alone this year. They're hard to kill with topical remedies but I just pick off the affected leaves and don't touch the healthy leaves after you touched affected leaves until you've washed your hands. Throw the removed leaves in the bin, don't leave them around your bonsais

Starfox · Post by **Starfox** » October 23rd, 2016, 3:54 am

Yeah I had thrips on my ficus this year and the rolled leaf with bugs inside. I did what Beano said and removed and disposed of the affected leaves and I also sprayed with a pyrethrum spray after.
I had to repeat this about 4 or 5 times as needed for about a month as they would go for the newest leaves next.

The local street ficus here have just been sprayed with warning signs not to touch them, every ficus I have seen has them this year but at least mine is now clear.

macca66 · Post by **macca66** » October 23rd, 2016, 11:16 am

Confido also comes in tablet form, pop it into the soil and it does its job.
I've used it on my azaleas,elms and maples with good results.

hawkeyes · Post by **hawkeyes** » October 23rd, 2016, 12:50 pm

Thanks guys, yes, I take on board regarding the Confidor. Probably, because I put it in the shade for a few days and alas, may not have watered it. Lesson learned. I think the Confidor tablets are a good idea. Regarding the curled Ficus leaves, this a.m. more and inside was a little grub. So I plucked the leaf concerned and it's in plastic bag.

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