You can chase them every 2-3 days with a spray soap/alcohol (1 tea spoon of liquid soap, 2-3 tsp of alcohol [isopropyl, ethanol, title 70° or more, it's diluted so will do], 1 liter of water), spray all parts you can access.
Chase them with a toothpick or coton with alcohol on (always 70° title) everyday. As long as necessary.
Remember to repot if the invasion is out of control, with a good cleaning of roots. It'll put a good stop to manageable proportions. Do not repot on species like Catts that really don't like it, wait till it's time for them save if it's a life and death situation.
In normal situations you can have a manageable situation in less than 2 months with dedication and simple means safe for you and the environment.
Now, in my experience, you won't kill them all this way.
I've had a 2 year span invasion on complex hybrid phals I've managed only to eradicate (after much trials) with a 3 sides strategy:
- the alcohol/soap spray each time necessary, that's the "everyday" kill'em all for the bgs you see and don't see on the plant.
- Alternate treatments on the chemical side, 2-3 treatments of one (like you 3 in 1), then alternate with another molecule, it's IMPORTANT. It prevents creating resistance! That's the long effect killers, thru poisoning.
- Plants with scales/mealybugs have a disorder of some sort, or are weak. When I associated spray with nettle manure (A SFO member reported 5% solution, I used only 1-2% solution) once, then at each watering over a month, it did the kick. It's insecticide, repulsive and a weak fertilizer with lots of oligo-elements. Scales and mealybugs don't like at all.
Some use the repotting to bath the whole plant, I've only bathed roots in a weak alcohol solution (1tsp/liter) it worked. But I can't detail for complete baths and methods.
Of course, all the time, check there's not a scale reservoir on a plant somewhere. Any plant! Even outside. And treat all the invaded plants, and the ones surrounding, and if there's same genus plants elsewhere, be cautious. (I've had mealybugs over complex hybrid phals, with species nearby, only the hybrids were infected, sometimes meters away in other rooms).
The cycle of scales runs over up to 2 months to complete, so you have to keep the pressure at least this duration. My mix this spring gave me success in 2 month (disappearance of bugs with peeps every 2 weeks). Then 2 months of no scales in sight save on one plant that was forgotten in the treatments (oops). In a few days I'll know if it came back or not… as I went on holidays.
You can control (control, not eradication usually) easily thru organic means, but if you use chemicals, please: alternate molecules as I stated. It'll prevent scales to adapt to the product. It's very important and not enough repeated on the english speaking forums I am a member of.
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