cactus pests/bugs ew...

[XxRachxX]

i was wondering if anyone keeps cacti? we have a few in the porch, Last year i bought a few more from the botanical gardens here, You would have thought that the Botanical gardens would have been a trustworthy pest and disease free place to buy plants! noooo..... a little while after buying them i noticed little woodlicey type bugs, which ive now found out are a kind of mealy bug http://cactusclinic.telenet.be/ca_mealybug.html
all of them on my new cacti seemed dead but there are more appearing...ick... Now they've infested my mothers beloved cactus.... but now.. theyre alive and kicking, crawling all over the place! i guess its because hers is so much nicer than my scrawny little thing
i think theyve already caused some damage, the top of one of the uuurr... well my cactus looks like a foot, and the top of one of the toes has gone brown, crispy and a bit dead looking.
i dont want any damage done to my moms cactus.. i will feel so guilty!!

anyone have any experience? tips and advice on how to KILL the ugly little blighters?
cheers

[Kyle Barker]

Liquid dishsoap diluted in water and sprayed. It coats their body and the cacti, so they are unable to move very well. May want to rinse off everything after, kinda messy.

[XxRachxX]

ooh ill try that thanks!
we have plenty dish soap.... lots to pick from! now.... lemony fresh or citrusy clean? hmmm the choices!

i so badly needed something "householdy" nothing like pure alchohol with distilled water mixed in with cat brains! ok.. maybe not the cat brains.....

[Kyle Barker]

lol, i hear ya. I use liquid sunlight, cheap...

Make sure its teh liquid stuff tho.