Ugh!!! Was about to take out of the black plastic pot and found these suckers ;(

Ok- I guess they're mealy bugs!!! Eeeek!! Help!!!

Sorry for posting again.... Just getting a bit worried and hate to lose it. :(

Chuy

I'd hate to lose that Aeonium as well because it's gorgeous. I'd isolate it (of course), check all other plants, and either spray off the bugs with a substantial spray of water or soak the plant in water to try to drown the nasty things. Then, I'd spray with neem or something else (treat while in an entirely shaded area--no direct sun on the plant for about 24 hours after, either, or it could burn), and examine the entire stem and underside of every leaf, and spray it. But I have never dealt with mealies this bad.

This post was edited by teatree on Sat, Mar 22, 14 at 14:11

I've had some nasty mealies on my plants, but not on one with tight leaves like your Aeonium. (Well - maybe I HAVE, since I can't keep Aeoniums alive here.)

The closest I've had (leaf-wise) is an Echeveria 'Neon Breakers'. Hubby sent me this picture when I was in Ohio helping my mother. He wanted to show me how well the plants were doing.

Of course, I saw the white spots on the inflorescence and the black sooty mold on the leaves (arrows) and panicked! I talked him through using a q-tip and alcohol to remove them, but he didn't get between the leaves. (hey - he tried!) Thankfully, he did isolate them.

I didn't get a picture when I returned 2 months later, but the plants were black and the inflorescence was totally fuzzy white. I took drastic measures.

First I cut off the flower stem. Then I went through with spraying 50/50 alcohol everywhere on the plant. I even wiped it down with a soaked cotton ball - and this removed the protective coating along with the sooty mold. I rinsed, protected from direct sun, and repeated the spray a week later. Honestly, the plants looked pretty sad.

That kicked the mealies, tho. And the plants look pretty again with plenty of new growth and babies.

Someone posted on another thread that they used Bayer 3 in 1 (I think) as a preventative for aphids and mealies, but I don't remember how it was diluted. And I don't know if it will kill those already present. Hopefully they'll chime in again here.

That is such a pretty plant! Good luck!

Ivory soap and water work to kill mealy. You have to use something to decrease the surface tension of the wooly mat. Rubbing alcohol also works as a spray. Imidacloprid is the active ingredient in Bayer products. Comes in a concentrate or pre diluted with instructions on the label.

Spray with rubbing alcohol daily for several weeks. After that, check daily and repeat as necessary. That particular Aeonium doesn't offset, and dies after bloom, so collect seed for a new plant when it does bloom. The seeds are easy to germinate and grow.

I've used Bayer on tropical plants with success, but not succulents. Do you wash it off after a while, 10 minutes or half hour? Or just keep them out of the sun for a while after spraying?

No one told me to wash off the soap. Boy did I have a crispy croton the first time I used it! LOL

Thank you everyone for your input. Would hate to lose it. Will keep everyone posted. I tried removing them first with a wet napkin and soap. Keeping it away from the sun and keeping my eye on it