I have a magnificent desert rose that has been in my possession for 30 years. I was told it was approx. 20 years old when I purchased it, so the plant is half a century old.This past winter, it developed a devastating mealy bug infestation and I was afraid that I would lose it. I tried every remedy I could find on line with very limited success. The ends of the branches were wilting and sticky-looking and I cut the branches back significantly. Parts of the base looked as if the surface was being eaten away and slightly squishy. It really looked like a goner. Finally, out of desperation, I sprayed every mm., every nook and cranny of it with the cooking spray, Pam. My thinking was that I would coat and suffocate the little suckers with this very heavy, sticky spray. It stayed visible on the plant for over a month giving it a strange shiny, oily, look. Well... the plant is now outside on our patio. There are no signs of any infestation at all, the plant has leafed out beautifully and all the cut branches have developed multiple branches making it a bushier, healthier looking specimen. It is obviously thriving. This treatment is worth a try if nothing else has worked.
Did you try Neem oil? You can also look up Predatory bugs; the quick fix isn't necessarily the ecologically sound one. :)
