Yeah, I always skip over the "Pest" chapters in my orchid books because "This will never happen to me!" HA! :help: :disappointed:

I do check out my plants often and give them a good looking over when I water them, and that is at least once a week. So here I am photographing this paph with a potential seed capsule, with the intention of posting the photo and asking whether I have a seed capsule going. (I pollinated it about 2 weeks ago and the flower is "crispified," with the ovary looking large.)

The good old megapixels in my digital camera are better than my eyesight!!! Look what showed up in the photo!!! Bugs!!! I'm so embarassed to post this photo, but I need help to identify what kind of bug this is and how to eliminate them. Aphids come to mind, but I want to make sure. I immediately washed off the plant in mild liquid dish detergent, rinsed it like crazy, and isolated it from my other plants. I looked at my other plants (with glasses on this time) and did not see any more, but will be digging out the old magnifying glass, just in case.

What do I have and how do I get rid of them????

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b234/dustyatticstuff/Capsule2.jpg

(Not exactly the kind of thing you want to bring in to a "Show & Tell" orchid club meeting) :embarass:

Thanks!!!!!

Susan, sorry Girl!
You've got mealies!
Lucky you! :poke:

Get a bottle of alcohol, and make yourself a gin and tonic. :D

Then get a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a whole slew of Q-tips.
Then go over the plant and any neighbors, heck, all your plants is probably the best idea, and kill the nasty brutes w/ the q-tips soaked in alcohol. The alcohol dissolves their waxy coating.
After you are sure they are gone (look on underside of leaves and in each leaf bract also) spray with some water with a few drops of mild dishsoap and the alcohol. Check daily.

Have you done your leaf cleaning yet? if so, that should also help if you have chosen the soapy water method.

I tried orthenex on them last year, as I got fed up with the above method. But my plants really didn't dig it. So now I do it just like this.

Those are mealy bugs, still in their young stage. Check inside your leaf fans and any overlapping areas of your plant like bracts as this is where they like to hide.

I usually crush all the ones I can see on sight. Next I wash the plants with a strong stream of water. Then when the plant is dry I spray it with a hot pepper solution. To make it I soak the hottest peppers I can get in rubbing alcohol for a few days(red habenaros work well), add a few drops of dish soap and shake it up good. DON'T GET THIS ON YOUR SKIN!! I have had excellent luck with this, and have experimented on the little beasties and found plain alcohol does not kill them. You can also use pesticides, but I only use this as a last resort...chlordane bottle still unopened.

Jon

Thanks Heather. (I think) WAH!!!

I'll get my dog to pour me a Scotch (recall the photos of Moses with the bottle that I posted) and get the rubbing alcohol for my poor paph!!!

Fortunately It was never out in the screenhouse with most of my slippers, so only 4 or 5 more plants may be affected. I can deal with that. If all my plants were exposed to it, I'd be a major emotional mess!!

How embarassing! YUK!

dont worry susan everyone has got mealies at some point even if they dont admit it johns idea with the peppers is the best and worked for me :D

:(

Peppers? How interesting. Do we know what it is in the peppers that does the trick? The capsaicin (sp?)? :?

I forgot to mention--I found these little creeps on the ROOTS of a plant once. A horticulturist just yesterday was telling me she repots in a new clean pot along with treating roots as a response when she finds pests.

I forgot to mention--I found these little creeps on the ROOTS of a plant once. A horticulturist just yesterday was telling me she repots in a new clean pot along with treating roots as a response when she finds pests.

Yes, definitely check the roots also, they like hiding underground. They are real pests but easy to get rid of.

I forgot to mention--I found these little creeps on the ROOTS of a plant once. A horticulturist just yesterday was telling me she repots in a new clean pot along with treating roots as a response when she finds pests.

Yes indeedy. Mealies hide around the base of the plant and in the roots. I always repot when I find mealies. Fortunately they are among the easiest pests to kill, if you keep on top of it. Make sure you do the alcohol thing at least three or four times over the next few weeks. Even if you don't see any bugs.

You can use straight rubbing alcohol (70%). I do. Although the peppers aren't a bad idea.

Susan,
Stan's right - we all get them. Just don't freak out, and do check the shadehouse plants on occasion also. They love hot humid weather, this is the worst time of year for them. Mine broke out on dianthum blooms last year and I thought I was going to cry I got so mad, and they were persistant and then showed up on my Berenice and a hybrid I had and I think two others, but never major, just one or two. Now they just make me mad as hell, but I keep my alcohol handy and keep them in check. This is one of the reasons I check all my plants weekly, carefully. I don't ever want to deal with a difficult infestation!

I'm going to try the habanero mix Jon suggests next time! That sounds devilish! :evil:
Shady - yeah, I'd imagine it is the capsaicin. The hotter the more wicked! I am a chile addict. :embarass:

also susan mealies are probably the easiest and least problematic to get rid of :D

They make a great meal....:poke: I have never had mealies :poke: Yes I have, of course I tossed the plant. :evil: No problem after that :) Out of sight out of mind. Go and buy some liquid sevin at your local box store. A spray bottle, a tsp of dish detergent, annd a tbsp of Sevin. Shake it up and spray the plant after you have repotted it. Allow alot of the spray to run through the pot. The spray only last 24 hours in the bottle, so only make what you can use. Wait a week or two and hit the plant again. Or go to your local box store and buy Raid Home and Garden Spray.(Aeresol in a green can) Works on all kinds of bugs, and it is harmless to you and your plants.

Tadd! You are such a little killer!

You guys are great! Thanks so much for all your replies. My daughter, who raises snakes, is right into this bug thing as snakes can get mites. I didn't want to post the photo of the little beasies, but she told me to post the photo and then took off to buy some hot chiles, rubbing alcohol, and Q-tips. I've been waiting for a shipment of clear pots so I can start repotting and cleaning roots & leaves, so I will add the mealybug check to the repotting.

Now, Jon, how do I do this? Do I just cut up the hot peppers & add them to the rubbing alcohol? How many peppers? Do I dilute it? Do you spray this, or apply directly? And if all else fails, do I go into the barn and bring out the DDT that the farmers left here when we bought the property? :evil: (We haven't figured out how to get rid of the stuff.)

I didn't want to repot this just yet, as it *might* have a seed capsule and it has another bud opening up, but I think the plant is strong enough to stand the shock. I don't know about the "capsule," if it even is one, and wonder whether I should just cut it off?

So how do you get mealies?? Do they come from other nurseries? Or are they just out there? I only had this plant for one month, and it never got close to most of my other plants, so that gives me some comfort.

Thanks again!!!

Not sure what Jon does (and I'd follow his advice!) but I used to make flavored vodka, and in New Mexico made it w/ Thai hot chiles and chipotles. We never drank it. Too scared! Still downstairs, at least 8 years old now! :shock:

Flavored vodka? Sounds great! I just bought a bottle of kaffir lime vodka. Essential for making Gina Lollobrigidas. 8) But I digress....

I do spray plants with rubbing alc when I see mealies but be warned: If they're in bud or spike they'll most likely blast. :(

I will be a good girl and go to the OT forum to post instructions, Shady!

hello dustyatticstuff, Don´t worry is comum this bug, use any inset killer for garden !!! And that's ok Spray in the morning and put the plant in shadow !!!

I usually make small amounts at a time by eye, but it doesn't have to be exact. I start with about a cup of alcohol in a sealable container, chop up two ping pong ball sized habenaros(only a couple peppers with more capsacin out there) pretty finely or three long skinny chiles and soak them in it for at least a day or two. It should turn a light tea color. I then put in two or three drops of liquid dish soap, I don't know if it is needed but it makes it sudsy when you shake it up. I usually just dip a Qtip in it without straining it and apply directly on the bugs, but if you have a spare spray bottle you could strain it and spray the plant...but be very careful not to "pepperspray" yourself and be careful touching the plant afterward.

Straight alcohol does work, but I had the unfortunate opportunity to have a few large mealies a while back and ran some experiments on them to test it's effectiveness. Three got dunked in rubbing alcohol and were still and lifeless until they dried out, then they began moving around again. The two in habenaro alcohol weren't so lucky and I was sold. They were large adults and this may have skewed the test...but it is almost satisfying to test so I will probably run some more.

I wouldn't worry about repotting harming the plant...just be gentle and it will never know.

As for where they come from, they are extremely tiny when very young and you can have them for a while before they get old enough to be able to be seen easily. They are expert hiders and I have yet to meet a grower that hasn't had them, so quarantine new plants if you can...but I never do unless I notice them, and be thankful they are not orchid weevils like a friend of mine had wipe out his collection.

Don't use the DDT, but it does make a good threat to the little beasties. I swear I blow the dust off the chlordane bottle and they disappear for months.

Jon

ACtually, thanks for posting this, because I saw one of those bugs on a new paph a few weeks ago. Wasn't sure what it was, but I nuked it with alcohol, then subsequently used Orthene (I believe) on the entire plant (man, that stuff stunk inside my apartment even though everything was outside on the deck). I may try a Malathion run in a week just to be safe, now that I know what it was.

John,
If it is was just one bug, carefully watch for more, but be careful w/ using the big guns. My plants did NOT like Orthene - dessicated some nice succulent leaves in a big way. Not sure I would use it again. JMHO!

Thanks so much everyone!! You've been a great help and I'm reassured that lots of folks encounter these little creeps. Actually dunking them (the bugs) with the alcohol & chile pepper solution sounds somewhat gratifying to me! :evil: :evil:

Hopefully, my order of clear pots will arrive today and I can start my repotting project. That way I can rinse off roots, clean leaves, and check for little pests. I'm also going to start to inventory my plants, while I am in the process of repotting.

So far, so good, I think the infestation is limited to that one plant.

As for the DDT?? I'm petrified of it. I'm afraid to touch it. It has been out in the barn forever, and we have no clue as to how to get rid of it. I will take Jon's advice and threaten the mealy population with it.

THANKS!!!!

Susan, I believe most municipalities have some sort of office that would deal with toxic waste. I just looked up mine and it's run through the refuse/recycling department. Maybe call them and see if it can be dropped off at some site or if someone could come pick it up. Depending on what kind of container it's in, it could start leaking in time.

those are long tailled mealybugs which lay nearly live young instead of eggs in the cottony sacks as citrus mealybugs do
there are also root mealybugs, though so far i haven't seen them

I got em too, but it always seems like more of a chronic control thing than all out kill. Right now I'm trying out some mealybug destroyers (kinda like ladybugs) The first time I turned them loose in the GH they munched them good, but disappeared after only a few days. So the mealies are trying to come back again, so I'll try turning loose another horde of destroyers.

For the most part I can smash or alcohol the buggers enough so they never cause any plant damage, but its always constant diligence. Slugs are definitely the worst for trashing a plant or its blooms.

The pepper spray sounds intriguing though.

You get em in Australia as well. I'm basically finding them impossible to eradicate. As Rick said, the best I hope for is control to minimum numbers. I hate them.

David

Jon, do you use straight alcohol? I use the cayenne pepper in alcohol treatment that Barry uses and it was great, except in the basement the fumes almost killed me. I cut the alcohol with half water and it still seemed to work on my roses, but I haven't tried it with my orchids yet.

I got em too, but it always seems like more of a chronic control thing than all out kill. Right now I'm trying out some mealybug destroyers (kinda like ladybugs) The first time I turned them loose in the GH they munched them good, but disappeared after only a few days. So the mealies are trying to come back again, so I'll try turning loose another horde of destroyers.

the crypts (mealybug destroyers) only reproduce in the prescence of citrus mealybugs and the larvae look a lot like mealybugs
most of what i've heard is to use the crypts to get the mealys on the run, then apply lacewing larvae to finish 'em off....
all of this is useless if a pesticide with any sort of residual action. ladybug-types are very sensitive

If you're not opposed to using insecticides and can move the plants outside for a little bit, I recommend good ol' Orthene, especially the soluable crystals Orthene powder. The Orthene has systemic action, so you don't have to get it on the insect to kill it and get control. A problem with many of these bugs, mealy bugs and scale, is that the young insects can be anywhere in your growing area, and they travel back to any plant and set up housekeeping and makin' babies. This makes it really tough to control them, and if you don't stay on it constantly, you will be right back where you started. Orthene's great. I use it in conjuction with the liquid Sevin as Tadd suggests, and I only have to use it a couple times a year to keep my collection pest-free. Oh, I also spray every single plant coming into the greenhouse - twice and quarantine for two weeks. The Orthene is licensed for orchids and most other ornamentals, but only for greenhouse and outdoor use. It really stinks when in the dry form, but less so when mixed up with water. Among all the insecticides, this one is one of the safest.

O.K. I've tried to stay on the side lines and just read but I can't help it, I just think you should here my 2 cents. I used to us Orthene to kill those guys. There is a couple of tricks to this. First off repot the plant and secondly you MUST do repeat sprayings. There is no short cut to getting rid of these guys. When using Orthen I spray every 7 days for one month. Other wise you are just fooling yourself as they'll be right back. That being said I now use the more expensive product, Enstar II. Yes it cost alot but you only need to do 2 spraying with it 7 days apart not 5. Also it is not as harmful to yourself as many other products. I use 5ml per gallon of water and put down a heavy spraying on as many sides of the leaves as possible. I just do the best I can as we are talking about a greenhouse full of more then 500 orchids. It will stop those mealies from reproducing. If I have a heavy infestation of mealies (happened once) I mixed up Orthen seperatly and then Enstar II and then combined the two products and sprayed heavily. The Orthene knocked the mealies down quickly and the Enstar II stoped the once that lived from reproducing. The second spraying I used just Enstar and truth be told I did a third spraying of just Enstar II to make sure the job was complet.

Just some thoughts from one guy who wants to help.

Hi Bob!
Thanks for posting!

With any forum online, and elsewhere for that matter, we are going to have a variety of experiences based on what each individual has had direct experience with. So, know that you should feel free to post whenever you have something interesting to say! I enjoy (and more importantly learn from) every post here!

Post often! We like that! :D

Hi Bob,

Thank you for posting. You have good information. I think (really hope) the mealies are only confined to one plant. Perhaps that might be wishful thinking. I've been treating the plant and it is in quarantine. As of today, I have not seen any more mealies, but I will inspect this plant 2 times a day.

Besides the mealie creeps, I have other issuse with this plant. I think it might be "pregnant" or in orchid talk, I think it might have a pod. Can anyone tell me?? I will post another photo. It was pollinated on 6/27, with roth pollen. The flower "crispified" and I think the mealies found a home in the old flower. The flower was very reluctant to come off. Finally, I removed the flower, as I could see little cottoney mealy nests in there. Mind you, the flower was just about dead, but still hung on to the stem. I looked into the old flower and could see webby nest things in there, that might be a haven for mealies. So, I pulled the very old "fossilized" flower from the ovary and while doing so, I noticed a tiny thread that led from the bloom to the ovary. I think I might have a capsule!!!!!!

:whoo: Can anyone help me with the capsule question??? And, if I have a capsule, what next????

You guys/girls are great!!!

not to dash your hopes, but if you've got mealies on one, you've probably got'em elsewhere, too, especially those within an air gust

Yes, I've been looking at the few plants that were near the infected one. I haven't seen anything, but I keep monitering the situation!!

Thanks for the warning!!!

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/jonbar2/DSC05905.jpg
:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

(finally got a pic of the bottle...needs dusting it looks like)

Jon

Yikes! They should all run away when they take a look at THAT!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: