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By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46612
Hi everyone

My heli giant has lice all over it. I freaked out and used Shultz Pyrethrin insect spray. Is that o.k for CP's? I also segregated it away from my other CP's and away from myself!!!!! What kind of strong insect spray is safe and effective?
Should I buy the Safer brand insecticide? I am really really freaking out.

My other CP's don't look like they have anything but I am still concerned. Luckily my Heli Giant was not with all my other Helis. The Heli Giant was near Cephs and 1 other Heli.
I just need to know which is insecticide is safe and effective.

Should I spray any CP's that were in the same area? I don't want to use Neem Oil. I want something stronger but again I don't want to kill a CP with a chemical that is very harsh.
Last edited by ZackNJ on Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#46639
I prefer using Ortho orthenex (active ingredient is acephate). It seems to do the job on just about everything and is safe to use on most carnivorous plants (definitely on Sarracenia and flytraps). I've not tried it on Sundews and Pinguiculas and they're a bit sensitive, so I'd be careful using it on them.

However, it would be helpful to know exactly what kind of pests we're dealing with so you'd be sure that whatever insecticide you use is effective on them. Can you take a photo of them or try to identify them on the web?
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46819
Sorry but I dont know where my camera is. :(

I bought "Garden Safe by Scultz" which has Pyrethrin,Piperonyl Butoxide, Technical. I couldnt find the brand you were talking about. Do you think thats o.k?

I saw that underneath The Sars care sheet that Pyrethrin was o.k to use on Sars but I don't know about using it on my Heli. What do you think?

I am going to go to another nursery tomorrow to see if i can find the Ortho Orthonex.
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#46823
Hey Zack,

I doubt that it will harm the plant, but it's really hard to say if the insecticide you're using is o.k. for getting rid of the pest if we're not sure what the pest is. It would be like trying to treat an unknown health condition by taking some medicine you picked randomly off the shelf at the pharmacy.

It's going to help immensely if you can identify the pest.
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46831
Matt wrote:Hey Zack,

I doubt that it will harm the plant, but it's really hard to say if the insecticide you're using is o.k. for getting rid of the pest if we're not sure what the pest is. It would be like trying to treat an unknown health condition by taking some medicine you picked randomly off the shelf at the pharmacy.

It's going to help immensely if you can identify the pest.
It looks like lice to me. I have looked online for anything else that it might look like but I cant find anything. The insect is whitish brown with two black eyes and it is wingless. It is also round and very small.
Last edited by ZackNJ on Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46833
I found a hardware store that has the Orthenex. I am going to see if they actually have it so I can pick it up tomorrow. Should I spray the 2 other Helis that were next to the infected one? What do you think?

I did spray the infected Heli with the Schultz pyrethrin 2 days ago and it has killed the insects. I want to buy the Orthenex for the 2 other Helis that were next to it just to be on the safe side. The infected Heli does not look like it was damaged by the Scultz Pyrethrin spray.

Im sorry for all these questions but I do appreciate your advice
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#46864
Again, you're probably going to be better off identifying the pest so that you know which insecticide to use to get rid of them.

From the description, it sounds like it could be mealy bugs maybe?:
http://images.google.com/images?q=mealy%20bugs
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46865
Matt wrote:Again, you're probably going to be better off identifying the pest so that you know which insecticide to use to get rid of them.

From the description, it sounds like it could be mealy bugs maybe?:
http://images.google.com/images?q=mealy%20bugs

Yes thats it Matt!!!! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I dont know why I was thinking Lice lol. Thank you!!!!! I feel better now. So you think the Orthenex is good for that?
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#46868
I don't know if Orthenex works on mealy bugs. It's not in the list of pests that it treats:
http://www.flytrapcare.com/Orthenex.pdf

Now that you know what they are, you might need to do some Googling to find out how to get rid of them.
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#46871
Matt wrote:I don't know if Orthenex works on mealy bugs. It's not in the list of pests that it treats:
http://www.flytrapcare.com/Orthenex.pdf

Now that you know what they are, you might need to do some Googling to find out how to get rid of them.
Actually the Orthenex does kill mealybugs. I looked it up. I think it just wasn't listed on that website. Thank you Matt!!!!!!
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#47894
Matt is this the Orthenex you were talking about? It is a concentrate Orthenex. I finally found my camera and I took a picture of the Orthenex. Here it is:

Image


The guy at the hardware store said that they are not making this Orthenex Concentrate anymore. Im not sure if he said that they are going to discontinue Orthenex all together.
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By Steve_D
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Posts:  3913
Joined:  Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:06 pm
#47905
If they discontinue Orthenex, just buy the generic form of the original Orthene, which has the same main active ingredient, acephate (that's also the generic name). That's the primary insecticide I use for almost everything. Acephate's good for aphids, scale, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites (but I add another specific miticide to the poison mixture just to make sure), even grasshoppers. It poisons the entire plant, so anything that sucks the juices or chews the leaves will almost surely die.

You can buy acephate from DoYourOwnPestControl.com--

DoYourOwnPestControl.com, Acephate

Happy hunting-- :)
Steve
By ZackNJ
Posts:  283
Joined:  Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:02 am
#47909
Steve_D wrote:If they discontinue Orthenex, just buy the generic form of the original Orthene, which has the same main active ingredient, acephate (that's also the generic name). That's the primary insecticide I use for almost everything. Acephate's good for aphids, scale, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites (but I add another specific miticide to the poison mixture just to make sure), even grasshoppers. It poisons the entire plant, so anything that sucks the juices or chews the leaves will almost surely die.

You can buy acephate from DoYourOwnPestControl.com--

DoYourOwnPestControl.com, Acephate

Happy hunting-- :)
Steve
Thanks Steve
I actually bought the last 2 bottles from my local hardware store. He gave them to me for 5 bucks each. I didn't really need the second bottle but i figured why not :) Each bottle makes 8 gallons!!!. It should last me a long long time.
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