mealybugs on Echinocereus Dasyacanthus
Quick answer
If your Echinocereus Dasyacanthus has mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Spine and root mealy bugs (Pseudococcus subspecies) are most often found on varieties of cactus with a dense thatch of spines, such as pincushions; the Texas rainbow cactus with its showy horizontal spine bands alternating white and red provides exactly that kind of dense spination, and the insects leave distinctive white pupae on the spines while the root mealy bug works its way up from the root system into the base of the plant.
Start here:
- 1. Treat the plant with neem oil spray on the body and around the roots, which often requires numerous applications to penetrate the waxy protective coating the insects exude, or use a stronger systemic insecticide for severe outbreaks.
- 2. Bare the roots of the plant, remove any visible sign of infestation by hand, then dip the entire plant in a dilute pesticide before re-potting in fresh compost so the root mealy bug is eradicated before it works its way into the base of the plant.
Why Echinocereus Dasyacanthus gets mealybugs
Echinocereus Dasyacanthus
Spine and root mealy bugs (Pseudococcus subspecies) are most often found on varieties of cactus with a dense thatch of spines, such as pincushions; the Texas rainbow cactus with its showy horizontal spine bands alternating white and red provides exactly that kind of dense spination, and the insects leave distinctive white pupae on the spines while the root mealy bug works its way up from the root system into the base of the plant.
How to reverse mealybugs on Echinocereus Dasyacanthus
- 1
Treat the plant with neem oil spray on the body and around the roots, which often requires numerous applications to penetrate the waxy protective coating the insects exude, or use a stronger systemic insecticide for severe outbreaks.
- 2
Bare the roots of the plant, remove any visible sign of infestation by hand, then dip the entire plant in a dilute pesticide before re-potting in fresh compost so the root mealy bug is eradicated before it works its way into the base of the plant.
Keep mealybugs off this Echinocereus Dasyacanthus
Quarantine new cactus plants and inspect them and their roots before introducing them to a collection, and sterilize the area when any infestation is located so spine and root mealy bugs cannot spread outward from an infested pot via the bench.