Just in time for me to bring my plants indoors. I never had indoor plant pest until last year. And yes they came on a plant that was given to me as a gift. I didn't even know what they were until some one was visiting and told me I had scale on my beautiful abutilon. Thank heavens it was taken care of before they spread to any of the other plants.

Thanks for the great article.

Thanks Paul!
I bought new coleus a few weeks ago and noticed mealy bugs last night so spent about 15 minutes dabbing them with alcohol. I had planned to bring them indoors in December but may not unless I see a really clean plant.

GREAT article!

Thank you for a GREAT article Paul and I'm so thankful you have the solutions for those pesky bugs as well

Paul: Does insecticidal soap work on most of these pests? I've sprayed and bagged my 2 houseplants to rid them of insects.
I sprayed soil, pots and undersides of leaves as well. Then bagged them and left them enclosed for a few days.

If you don't like using insecticides, then soft soap is a good alternative, but this can be expensive. I don't know if it is available in the US, but Stergene washing liquid is a soft soap, is a quarter of the price, and works. The only thing is when I use soap, is to wash the leaves with clean water once a week. Please don't use washing up liquid. Too many chemicals in it. Also with Mealybug, I have heard, wiping the leaves with paraffin, then washing with clean water works. Never tried it, but maybe worth a try if all else fails.