well for db to say it someone would have had to pay big bucks, but if you contact your local dpi they should be able to put you into contact with where to buy bugs to control bugs. and white oil works well on mealy bugs, but then the white oil makers weren't paying db now were they.

len

it all comes down to the almighty dollar, a friend told me he (db) was quoted as saying 'i don't know a thing about gardening or growing things but i'm going to make my money telling others how to do it' or words to that effect, sounds about right to me.

len

www.bugsforbugs.com.au

I once read on another gardening site that the "babies" were "as fine as dust" and that if you have one infected plant, you didn't really - all the plants in that area would be involved just not visible yet, and that you might as well bin them all and start again! Well I couldn't really afford this, and it would have broken my heart to dig up all my beautiful plants. So I struggle on with a combination of crushing the blighters by hand, Folimat and white oil. The Folimat is absorbed by the plant and is supposed to concentrate in the sap and hence kill the critters for 2-3 weeks. I find it sort of works, but better in combo with white oil. Of course, this is not friendly to the other bugs, and so I try to move the ladybugs away before doing this. (There are usually a few around, but not enough to cope with the load of mealy bugs.)

A lovely old lady from the North Coast who grows and sells hippeastrums told me that you just have to be vigilant and get on top of the problem before it gets out of hand. She also used white oil and (unfortunately for me) something else that she couldn't remember the name of but bought at the Yandina markets!!! Oh well. Good luck with the mealy bugs.

There is another web page I would recommend:
http://www.goodbugs.org.au/default.htm

Amelie, the use of biological control in gardens and commercial crops is becoming increasingly common and it has great benefits. If it is a conspiracy to make money, long may it reign. The CSIRO is a conspirator in this field. Better than genetic mutation and the use of many of those mass destruction insecticides.

I have even controlled my curl grub infestation with the application of nematodes. It was expensive but it seems to be working. I have lost a quite a few plants as a result of curl grub (African Black beetle). The only other alternative was to water in an insecticide which would have resulted in the death of countless worms etc.