Kinzu -white dots-help

[amazonida]

Hello! i don't know if Citurs is your speciality but i'm posting it just in case...
This white little dots have appear 2 weeks ago...the plant is okay.. in my ordinary view of course. But i'm afraid it can turn into a terrible disease in the future.
Can anyone help?
Thanks!

[LLK]

As far as I know it's a kind of scale insect, probably the mealy bug. I had the same on a native tree here. It's a world-wide pest from what I saw on the Internet. I treated mine with soapy water, applied with an old, soft toothbrush. It's a good idea to cover the soil with a towel first, so as not to get the soap into the soil. You may have to repeat the process several times, and have to keep watching the tree, because even if you get rid of the scale now, it will probably be back next season! If the bark and leaves feel sticky and you have ants, wash very carefully because the ants feed off the sticky stuff secreted by the bugs and spread the infestation. Sometimes the sticky stuff becomes mouldy and black; this is called sooty mould. I had it on my native tree and it's very hard to remove. OK, start washing, and good luck!

Lisa

[ric]

I think Lisa is quite right. I think scrubbing them off with a toothbrush and some simple soap like Sunlight or Lux will control the dots.
I've had a worse problem with my citrus - something has completely ringbarked my old limequat bonsai and attacked two other Fortunella hinzii but not so seriously. Ireckon its a rat or rats as the teethmarks are small. I have optimistically bound up the lime with sphagnum and cloth tape. Any ideas about controlling the dirty rats?

[LLK]

Hi Ric, I was told by a pest controller that rats hate a) bright light and b) moth balls!
Don't underestimate the gastropods, though. A few of us CBS members bought some 5 - 6 yrs ago a number of fairly big Seiju at a Tablelands nursery (not bonsai). We got them cheap, because they had been completely ringbarked close to ground level by an unknown animal, and the owner doubted whether they would survive. We couldn't work out what had caused the damage, but then got a phone call from the owner. He had caught the pests at work and they were big snails!! I am pleased to say that the trees we took home all survived. If I remember correctly, I planted mine in a deeper pot, making sure that the bare area was completely covered by soil.
So.... how about putting down some snail bait round your tree, hang some moth balls in it, and put it in bright light??
Desperate situations ask for desperate measures.

Lisa

P.S. I forgot a remedial tomcat, if you can lay your hands on one.

[Handy Mick]

White fly or citris mite, spray with "pest oil"

[amazonida]

Washed! i don't know if the pest will come back. Should i put some oil to prevent?

[LLK]

I would leave it for a few weeks, to give the bark of your tree time to repair itself.
You talk about "oil", but surely you know that we use PEST OIL against scale, that is a product
you have to dilute a lot. It is available commercially or you can make it yourself. See
http://www.aila.org.au/canberragarden/m ... te_oil.pdf A bonsai grower
I know adds a teaspoon of tea tree oil to the vegetable oil used in the mixture, he says that it
works much better that way.

Good luck,

Lisa

[amazonida]

Very helpfull Lisa.thanks. i have malathion here witch i think is a world wide mineral plant oil. i like the recipe.
i'll keep you posted.