Hi, I noticed that this cactus stopped growing and it is getting increasing covered with this stuff. Actually it seems as if there were two different things, one round and flat and another more like a fine fuzz made of little longish flakes.
I would appraciate help in getting rid of these. Thanks.
Looks like some kind of scale- a terrible infestation!
Yep, it's scale insects. I had a cactus with that and was told to use rubbing alcohol. I used a spray bottle and cotton balls to wipe them off to be sure they were dead. For the pads that are already dieing, you may want to cut them off and throw them away. You will have to use the rubbing alcohol several times to kill the new scale insects that grow up on the cactus (that you missed in previous treatments.) Hope that helps.
Thanks for the advice. I'll try ther alcohol approach, maybe I will use some strong Jamaican rum so they die happy...
LOL! But why waste the good stuff on the pests! Give them the rubbing alcohol and you enjoy the rum......
Cochineal scale....if these are outside cacti and you have a lot of them (plants), keeping them hosed off with a strong spray of water works...
Looks like cactus scale, Diaspis echinocacti (http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5121069 ), a particularly destructive pest of cactus. According to an article in Acta Horticultura, Neem seed oil should do the trick. ( http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=811_27 ). You should be able to purchase neem oil at most well stocked garden centers. I've used neem oil for other pests and all I can say is that it fairly effective but the smell and the mixing are not fun.
Cheers, Frank
Thank you....I should have zoomed the pic, it does not look like my cochineal...though, given that, I would not have known what it was instead. The only thing my opuntias have been hit with is the cochineal. Good thing we have experts around...lol..
Armstrong Nursery (in San Diego) recmmended Earth Tone (here is a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Espoma-Organic-Earth-Tone-Insect-Control/dp/B000HHHEHS). It contains pyrethrins and canola oil. The evil little pests were dead the next day. The cactus is slowly recovering.
