Neem Oil spray is not getting rid of mealybugs of Fukien Tea

[Chris Frechette]

My Fukien Tea is infested w/ lil white cottony things, I'm assuming mealybugs. I've sprayed numerous times w/ neem oil and it doesn't seem to be working. Should I hit it w/ a higher concentration and more often? Should I physically clean out all the lil cottony things and if so whats the best way to do that?

 

[0soyoung]

Can you 'knock them off'? If so, they are probably dead.
If not, try brushing them off with a cotton swab (Q-Tip) saturated with alcohol - live scale will come off.

So, when you spayed, you sprayed up onto the underside of the leaves as well as on top - right?

Did/do you also see any little foamy looking globs; stuff that might be eggs? Often times one spraying kills everything but eggs and a couple of weeks later the bugs are back because the eggs have hatched.

Lastly, you might try a systemic insecticide.

 

[Chris Frechette]

I tried to be pretty thorough w/ the spray and hit it from all angles. The lil while blobby things are at all the leave junctions. I'll try a try a q-tip next and continue to spray.

 

[Underdog]

I hate my Fukien Tea... My wonderful sister got it for me out of love so I have to keep it alive. She probably paid too much for it as well.
That said I've had success with Dawn and water spray every couple weeks and a garden hose when weather allows. Nasty sticky bastards...
Maybe I need to try systematic.

 

[Petebak]

you will need something stronger than neem oil. Bayer Advanced NATRIA 706230 Insecticidal Soap works well!

 

[shinmai]

I have a lavender star flower that became infested with whiteflies at the end of warm weather last fall. I tried everything--Garden Safe spray, dish soap in solution, even Sevin. Nothing stopped the little monsters from coming back. I finally wrapped the pot with saran wrap to keep the soil in, and put the tree in the kitchen sink. I used a toothbrush and the spray nozzle, and scrubbed the entire tree clean. Then neem oil every other day for two weeks, since I was told that if they lay eggs before you kill 'em, their progeny will be back before you know it. So far, so good. It suffered a considerable amount of leaf drop, but is now shooting new growth and forming numerous blossoms [which I can't help but think has to be a good sign.]