Help! please Orchidguy

[Heidi S]

I have mealy bugs on two orchids! Yech! Never seen them before so I had to look them up.

I have reviewed all the orchids, used a toothpick to remove each and every bug that I can find, and have sprayed with insecticidal soap.

Last year it was scales and now this! I am horrified.....

Any other suggestions?

[Lulu]

Not Dan, here,,but,,I get them on my brugs; use rubbing alcohol on a q tip. Works to clean them up; not sure how to prevent them!

[orchidguy]

Heya Heidi

As Lulu said, using a q-tip doused in rubbing alcohol should do the trick, but you have to keep it up for quite a while, as unhatched eggs can still be present.

Something other orchid growers use is to place their orchids in a garbage bag, spray lightly with an Indoor Raid, close it up for 24 hours, then remove the plants and rinse them off with tepid water.

I don't use chemicals (not even fertilizer) but others swear by this method.

Hope this has helped Heidi

[otnorot]

Orchidguy all my orchids go in the garden in the spring and in the fall are put in green bags and sprayed with insectacide the bag is sealed for 24 hours.This gets rid of earwigs,pill bugs and any other critters that get in the pot.I used to soak them in water up to the pot rim but they would climb the stems and leaves and then go back in the mix.
Bill