Could you take a picture of the bugs and post it? We might be able to help you ID them, which will make it easier to recommend the appropriate treatment.

Sara thanks. I had black aphid lava ID'd from a photo I took not long ago and had to go away before I finished dealing with them. So I assume its the same. Do aphids fly though?

Nick, I was thinking of that too, if the alcohol spray didn't work. Maybe I should just buy some whiskey and drown them with that lol

No,I think you should drink the whiskey ;-)

Yes, aphids fly and you should be able to get rid of them with soapy water. Perhaps you need a stronger solution. The hosepipe also works wonders. I understand you are in a flat, if you have a shower hose attachment, you could put it in the bathtub and spray, or even set your spray-bottle so that it squirts a stream of water and spray them off that way. Water will be less damaging than alcohol or even soapy water

I agree that a strong blast of water is great for knocking aphids off. They have soft bodies and their mouth parts are the only thing that's firm, so when they've got their little suckers jammed in a plant, a blast of water will literally detach their bodies from their mouth. Effective and satisfying!

I would follow that up with soapy water anyways to get any buggers you may have missed. Make sure it's soap and not detergent, which can be damaging to plants. Neither soap nor alcohol is harmful to the majority of plants, although soap may spot flowers.

But Nick, I thought rubbing alcohol was the way to go for bugs? :-/

Mealybugs (woolly aphids), not black aphids

Show us pictures of your pests

Britters, thanks but I havent got attachment for a hose and a lot of my plants are quite small.

I think I remember now, someone advising soap but not detergent. But when I get home and if there's no damage done from the detergent already used, I reckon I would use it again.

Rubbing alcohol will be next on the list if the bugs dont move out.

Thanks for the feedback, ideas and the vital encouragment. Any other thoughts would be great too.

Well 3am, spose I should go to bed.

Thanks

I use alcohol for black aphids. They are incredibly hard to get rid of. The thing about alcohol is that it evaporates. Oil/dish soap is going to leave a residue.

I use dishwashing liquid when I use soap. Detergent isn't a good idea

Nick, just got me in time. I'll go find where I put them then do another post

Hoov thats one of the things I was concerned about. But the ones my friend sprayed didn't seem to have anything obvious. And mine looked ok too. Also worried about sunburn but that didn't happen, even with the oil in it. Just about weird lol. Anyways I should be back with a black aphid larva photo in a sec.

Nick, thats what I was using in the spray, dishwashing liquid yay. Not so bad?

Night night all. And thanks

Not bad, maybe you just need a stronger solution of it. Also, water more to prevent aphids

Many soaps are detergents - just take time to look up ingredients in them. Dishwashing liquids are the same if not worse. Dawn has been recommended a lot as it is supposedly mild, and yet - here are the ingredients:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Chloride

Lauramine Oxide

Denat. Alcohol

PPG-26

PEG-8 Propylheptyl Ether

PEI-14 PEG-10/PPG-7

Copolymer Phenoxyethanol

Methylisothiazolinone

Colorants

It isn't such good idea to use these on plants, since they are designed to dissolve grease - oils, fats, waxes. It will do the same to plants leaves.

Soaps made from naturals oils and fats are much safer for plants (like Castile soap).

There are Insecticidal soaps available, made specially for use on plants. These are made only with potassium (no sodium) and long chain fatty acids, and are much milder on plants.

I am sure occasional use of few drops of dishwashing liquid and regular soap will not kill plants, but it may be better to get used to other products in the long run...

Goodness! Thanks heaps Rina. Will definitely look into insecticidal soaps for plants. Might ask a few questions at a health food shop I've seen that sells seeds and some herb type plants too. I was hoping you would pop your head in, thankyou.

Hi. Depends really on the bug when dealing with them. But yes, a first line of defense is rubbing alcohol, which deals with mealy bugs.

Usually if not totally infested, I use a Q Tip with rubbing alcohol and dab the mealybugs away. Do this daily for the 1st week since its unlikely you got them all if you do it once time.

If it's too infested, then I suggest getting a spray and filling it with rubbing alcohol mixed with liquid soap. The alcohol strips off the protective cover of bugs and the soap suffocates them. Then wait for an hour then re-spray it with water to wash away the alcohol solution so your plant wont burn.

Thankyou Jayvee. I'm also glad you popped in because I have a young lad in this forum from the tropical Philippines who has plants that I think one particularly is dying of rot. Besides I have no experience with tropics at all, I'm not sure what products are available and what shops sell more suitable inorganic stuff to make potting mix with.

I can't remember his name (I think it's Anthony) or the title of his thread, so I will be back in a sec that info.

And I fogot to tell him that sea shell isn't good.

Thread title is "Succulent Help" and his name is Glenn Garcia.

Rina I would love some help from you too, if/when its a good time ;-)