Garden Pests!?

Question

I have pests eating the roots of my plants in my garden. When I dug one up there were little white eggs all over the roots. I saw one hatched one and it looks like a tiny white piece of cotton. Does anyone know what these are and how I can get rid of them?

Answer 1

It sounds like mealy bugs,you can get a spray or herbicide from your garden center.The best way is to dig out the plants and replant,as they can get really covered.But if you can't , ask your local garden center for advice.

Answer 2

if you are looking for a natural, non-toxic way you can go to a good nursery and ask for beneficial nematodes, usually the big box stores do not carry these they will also kill fire ants, grubs, fleas really all your bad pests that live in the ground

Answer 3

Sounds like it might be mealy bugs. They will even get down in the soil and in the roots of the plant.  They make everything sticky if they are really really bad.  Very hard to control especially when they have gotten into the soil.   You can get rid of their protective covering on the bug (you know that cottony looking stuff around the bug by using a mild detergent mixture of dawn and water and spray on the plant and water into the soil around the plant.  If there aren't too many on a plant you can use a little rubbing alcohol on a Q tip and touch it to each bug and kill them that way to wash them off.   You can ask someone at your local garden center which is the best pesticide to use if you wish to use that on the bug.

Answer 4

GET MANTIS

Answer 5

I had those too.  What a pain.  I got the Ortho Rose Food that has the insect and fungus killer in it and it stopped it dead and did not take long.  Then I use Miraclegro quite heavily and most everything that was not just 'done' survived and now are flourishing.

You just sprinkle the rose food around the base of the plant and water with a sprinkler.

Also sometimes I use the Ortho concentrate that also kills bugs and fungus.  .  If you apply it about 1x per week for 3 wks and then 1x per month after that it won't come back.  The concentrate is a liquid you put in a spray bottle and put the right portion of water in with it, shake it up and go spraying.

You cannot use these on edible foods - like tomatoes etc.  You can use Sevin Dust for up to 7 days before harvest.

Good luck!