Pictures show white substance formed mostly at the base of my orchids. They come off easily either by scraping or wiping with a cotton swab. I even tried jet-spraying with Hydrogen Peroxide (followed with water). My question is what are these moldy substance and what was the cause? They indiscriminately infested my orchids and do not seem to be going away. Help!

looks like mealybug residue(which is easy to remove)..but hard to tell, mold usually has variations in color from black to blue to off white and doesnt particularly like growing where the light is..mealybug will continue to infest until you offer the correct conditions...as will mold...but ive never seen mold like that

looks like mealybug...


yup
70% isopropyl alcohol spray can kill them but needs repeated for a few weeks

Yes mealybugs for sure. Apply alcohol repeatedly until they are gone.

Looks like mealy bugs to me which I'm familiar with the garden plants.

Definitely mealybugs. Along with the alcohol, I have found that watering them with a soapy water solution helps to kill the eggs.

Yes mealy bug infestation. Treat it with soapy water.

That doesn't look very good. Looks very much like mealie bugs.

Definitely mealybugs. Along with the alcohol, I have found that watering them with a soapy water solution helps to kill the eggs.

Yes mealy bug infestation. Treat it with soapy water.

i agree!!!

Were you able to get rid of them?

It is definitely mealybug infestation.

I've had one infestation of mealy bug and cured it by spraying the whole plant ( and into the hidden parts ) with neat methylated spirits. A few minutes after spraying I dunked the plants into warm water. I then repotted and so far they have not returned-- about two months ago. The plants don't seem to have been damaged in any way but with paphs I think it would be sometime before any bad reactions came to the fore.
Hope you've eliminated yours ( the mealy bugs I mean )

Ed

Yes mealy bug infestation. Treat it with soapy water.

:iagree::iagree:

Mealybugs definitely and good thing is they are not very hard to get rid of. You got some great advice.

Definitely mealybugs. Along with the alcohol, I have found that watering them with a soapy water solution helps to kill the eggs.

Thank you guys for all the valueable advice. I started the alcohol treatment and am keeping my fingers crossed. Regarding the use of soapy water, how about 409? If yes, will it be straight from the bottle strength or watered down? Thank you. By the way, I noticed shiny / slimy tracks over the media, could that be slug? If yes, what will the best treatment.

Thank you guys for all the valueable advice. I started the alcohol treatment and am keeping my fingers crossed. Regarding the use of soapy water, how about 409? If yes, will it be straight from the bottle strength or watered down? Thank you. By the way, I noticed shiny / slimy tracks over the media, could that be slug? If yes, what will the best treatment.

Looks like slugs. Before doing anything drastic like slug pellets ou may find that a slice of apple placed on top of the medium will bring them out when it's dark but this isn't a 100 per cent guarantee.

Ed

Use dish washing liquid to make soapy water. Good luck.