Mealybugs and Pests Winning... Fake Plants?

listen2justin

listen2justin

Established Member
idk if anyone have seen my previous posts, but over the past year I've had issues with pests in my enclosures. earlier in the spring, it got pretty bad with mealy bugs. it was also around the time I was due to upgrade my cage so I did... and got rid of all my plants and started over. then after a couple of months I got some gnats and mealy bugs again. got rid of those plants, sterilized the enclosure, and got a new batch of plants. turns out third time wasn't a charm. now, a few months later, mealybugs numbers are quickly rising again. I've only had live plants in my enclosures, but I just can't win against pests and I just feel so defeated.:unsure: they come back no matter what!!! is it worth the fight???

I think it's time to throw in the towel so I would like to hear from people who use fake plants. I'll probably go exclusively fake. what do I need to know/worry about? any tips, suggestions, and/or advice? pros and cons?
 
listen2justin said:
idk if anyone have seen my previous posts, but over the past year I've had issues with pests in my enclosures. earlier in the spring, it got pretty bad with mealy bugs. it was also around the time I was due to upgrade my cage so I did... and got rid of all my plants and started over. then after a couple of months I got some gnats and mealy bugs again. got rid of those plants, sterilized the enclosure, and got a new batch of plants. turns out third time wasn't a charm. now, a few months later, mealybugs numbers are quickly rising again. I've only had live plants in my enclosures, but I just can't win against pests and I just feel so defeated.:unsure: they come back no matter what!!! is it worth the fight???

I think it's time to throw in the towel so I would like to hear from people who use fake plants. I'll probably go exclusively fake. what do I need to know/worry about? any tips, suggestions, and/or advice? pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Hi, did you purchase all the plants from the same store?
 
If you are going fake, go really fake. The silk ones with the realistic bark, will generate mold like crazy. Imagine a non soapy sponge that never dries out.

Before you throw in the towel, you might be able to hydroponic pothos. I have done it in the past. Just put the roots in a heavy misting area, and have a finger bowel with some roots in for the nutrients.
 
What species of chameleon? Panthers chew on branches...so they might chew on the fake ones. Veileds eat leaves sometimes and fake ones lead to impaction.
 
Plants get pests like that from various things, what species of plants were you using sweetie? There are some plants safe for chams that discourage mealy bugs and aphids. But fungus gnats means you don't have good drainage in your soil because of the amount chams are misted.
 
nightanole said:
If you are going fake, go really fake. The silk ones with the realistic bark, will generate mold like crazy. Imagine a non soapy sponge that never dries out.

Before you throw in the towel, you might be able to hydroponic pothos. I have done it in the past. Just put the roots in a heavy misting area, and have a finger bowel with some roots in for the nutrients.
Click to expand...
yah i thought about possibility of most so would really look for straight up plastic types, no cloth based fake plants. thanks for the tip!
 
Andee said:
Plants get pests like that from various things, what species of plants were you using sweetie? There are some plants safe for chams that discourage mealy bugs and aphids. But fungus gnats means you don't have good drainage in your soil because of the amount chams are misted.
Click to expand...
fungus gnats problem has been resolved... i changed my soil mix ratio. right now i only see the mealy bugs... fingers crossed!:unsure:

i'ved used pothos(3 different kinds), hibiscus, dwarf scheflerra, crotons, bromeliads, and rattlesnake plant(Calathea Lancifolia). right now i have a bromeliad, pothos, and rattlesnake plant. everything except the bromeliads ended up with mealy bugs on them. the rattlesnake plant also has had some on it, but only here and there... maybe mealies don't like them?

which plants do you suggest that discourage mealies and aphids?

thanks for always chiming in regarding my bugs and plants questions @Andee! i actually thought about asking you directly hahaha
 
It's your hibiscus that's likely causing the initial issues. The other ones you have mentioned don't facilitate aphids and mealies from the get go. They have to be in an enclosed space with something that is massively likely to be affected by them without needing anything else to bring them in, just the correct environment. Your hibiscus will be the culprit for that. I have issues with it as well with my outdoor ones. In my indoor cages I only use schefflera, ficus and pothos, sometimes others but nothing like rose or hibiscus that encourage pests.
 
Andee said:
It's your hibiscus that's likely causing the initial issues. The other ones you have mentioned don't facilitate aphids and mealies from the get go. They have to be in an enclosed space with something that is massively likely to be affected by them without needing anything else to bring them in, just the correct environment. Your hibiscus will be the culprit for that. I have issues with it as well with my outdoor ones. In my indoor cages I only use schefflera, ficus and pothos, sometimes others but nothing like rose or hibiscus that encourage pests.
Click to expand...

the list i posted was all the different typse of plants i've had throughout my time with my cham. i got rid of the hibiscus a few months, along with the other plants that was with it. then i did a deep clean of the cage and waited a couple of weeks. then got new plants, which is my current batch. i just have a pothos and rattle snake plant and bromeliad. the pothos is the one that being infested right now. it was good for a couple of months then out of nowhere they started appearing little by little but now it seems like the numbers increased rapidly.

my enclosure is in the living room of my apartment. we have other house plants in the house, none of them have ever had mealy bugs... just the ones inside the cage, so idk where/how they are coming about.

do you have suggestions of other plants i can get that i've not used yet?
 
Andee said:
It's your hibiscus that's likely causing the initial issues. The other ones you have mentioned don't facilitate aphids and mealies from the get go. They have to be in an enclosed space with something that is massively likely to be affected by them without needing anything else to bring them in, just the correct environment. Your hibiscus will be the culprit for that. I have issues with it as well with my outdoor ones. In my indoor cages I only use schefflera, ficus and pothos, sometimes others but nothing like rose or hibiscus that encourage pests.
Click to expand...

I had mealy bugs infest My pothos plants a couple weeks ago. Had to get rid of them and get new ones. Just the pothos plants tho. Not any of my other plants.when I went to get more I had to go to a different store cause the ones at the original store were all infested. Here's hoping they don't come back.
 
There are effective pesticides that, when used properly and aloud to dry, then throughly rinsing, will kill mealy bugs and be safe for use with the chameleons afterwards. Pests often result from not having an ideal growing environment in the first place. Typically, the plants we use in enclosures are grown in open fields, in the hot FL sun or lightly shaded by shade cloth. They are growing in dimly lit, poorly drained, nutrient void, conditions in the average enclosure and this leads to soft growth that is a target of pests. Treating the plants before use is only half the battle, perfecting your growing conditions is where the battle is won. Even in the best indoor conditions, indoor growing is not ideal and some pests are possibly inevitable at some point, so understanding the pests, plants needs, and how to deal with the specific pests in the most complete, but safe way is a subject as interesting and diverse as keeping chamelons, so poke around online and message me if you need help with perfecting your culture or treating for pests.
 
Great read. I am learning a lot! Did I miss it or did you not give an example of a pesticide you use that is safe with the chams?
 
l like to provide information on pesticide use privately, so l can assess all variables and the person’s understanding of the treatment. l don’t chameleons harmed by inappropriately used chemicals and horticultural pests are becoming resistant to pesticides, from overuse, just as bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. You have people that will dump a handful of bags of poison on their lawn, because it’s Spring, whether they have a problem or not, because lawns are far more important than our waterways, our groundwater, or our ability to control pests with less carcinogenic chemicals.
 
Good read.
Curious as to how my hibiscus will do in a week or so when I place them in my enclosure.
 
Millwright said:
Good read.
Curious as to how my hibiscus will do in a week or so when I place them in my enclosure.
Click to expand...

Hibiscus are very problem prone, mostly due to low light levels. Some varieties, and l’m not an expert in hibiscus hybrids, are better than others, but overall they are prone to spider mite, mealy bugs, chlorosis, and weak, spindly growth. l tossed my hibiscus and l have much more lighting than most.
 
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