Do you know what this very small black bug is?

[dounoharm]

whatever they are, you obviously don't want them in your house....I would unpot everything, all of your orchids, wash them thoroughly, and repot in clean media and clean pots...throw all the old stuff right out in the garbage....next warm day you have, spray everything (in the shade) let them dry (an hour or two) and bring them back in...done deal....good luck!

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

whatever they are, you obviously don't want them in your house....I would unpot everything, all of your orchids, wash them thoroughly, and repot in clean media and clean pots...throw all the old stuff right out in the garbage....next warm day you have, spray everything (in the shade) let them dry (an hour or two) and bring them back in...done deal....good luck!

Several were just recently repotted! I've heard from James that my Wils. (first Onc.) in spike does not like repotting and I should wait to do so until after the blooms have dropped. (One Phal just repotted after springtails found I've been watching and it's about to lose its flowers ). The trouble plant with these possible Euzetes globulus (they do look like them) has no media. Its roots appear stuck to the clay pot. I would be happy to repot it, or at least remove and bleach pot then replay but I'll have to research that so I don't damage!

I have a lot of plants in clay or ceramic pots so throwing them out doesn't make sense. I would assume that soaking them in a bleach solution would do the trick. In addition ALL of my old plants have been repotted just this year. Paph. 'Pink Fred' I got in March was repotted in Dec 13'. The young Phal Brite Lites I got last week I repotted. It and the rest of the new group are in the front room (about 15' feet from the others). Of the 6, 4 are in Spike (including the offending plant).

I contacted the Tolumnia lucayana seller, blooming size but not in spike potted in moss (micro-mini) that I believed I saw a mite on after seeing the shiny black ones on the other Tolumnia. Interestingly, they just replied to me stating that they took 3 other Tolumnia lucayanas they have, soaked them with water & looked under a binocular microscope. They discovered two different types of mites on all 3 plants (didn't name them) but said they're all harmless. They suggested that if I didn't want to have them on other plants I could repot or they'd pay postage to send the plant back. I will ask the type of mites these are but found interesting they're both apparently harmless.

Okay, I'll hurry this up and get back to work... Given the spiked state of several of these plants (& my fear of upsetting Wils.) I was just going to treat with Bayer 3 in 1 (kind I have didn't come as a spray but rather pour into substrate...?) next warm day I can leave outside all day (supposedly was going to rain starting an hour ago...hmmm). I read somewhere not to treat stressed plants and my Zygopetalum is stressed from getting lost in the mail but I'm certain it will survive.

Ironically as we speak I just found a very, very small shiny round thing on one of my rescues I got in March!!! Much smaller than those on the new plant, maybe no attempt to run or move on my finger, but I pinched and it squashed. Geez. I repotted this plant in the last week (though only wiped plastic pot down with 91% alcohol).

I watered all plants yesterday, old and new. I watered them in the bathroom sink, old group first, washed my hands then did new group. Same sink but no dunking in same water. I'm leaning towards spraying everyone or treating with Bayer 3 in 1.

So, after all of this information, do I repot again? Or treat substrate with 3 in 1 (presumably I could get a sprayer and use Bayer in it)? Here's the other thing, all of my old group is doing well, a new leaf, MANY new roots, my ailing "mother" Phal might actually be sending up a spike (my first, looks like a small green pill in between bottom leaf and crown). And dare I mention again that 4/6 new plants are in spike? Paph. 'Pink Fred' is on his way to opening a 3rd bloom with a 4th developing. (I should prob repot Paph Perfection #7 & mother Phal because I repotted them too big before and keeping watch over them; they're doing well but I believe they probably stay too moist in the bottom of the pot. I was even just going to take half of it out and add clay pebbles to the bottom portion of the pot instead of doing away with it all.)

I'm happy if these bugs are harmless but that doesn't make me happy to have bugs, just grateful it's not worse. All in all I'm with Dounoharm in that I don't want them in the house. One last thing, besides putting them outside this summer, I was about to move the old group (7 phals & 2 Paphs) into one of those 4 shelf Big Lots Greenhouses.

Thanks guys. This has been an interesting learning experience. The ID of these little beetle like mites has been a serious puzzle. Okay, I'm out! Have a good day.

[lepetitmartien]

You *don't* have to kill everything in sight just because it lives and moves. It's as bad for the little beasts as it is for you (really) and any living thing around.

Juste repot the "offending" pots and clean the roots well. Less deadly chemicals around and happy orchids afterwards anyway.

[dounoharm]

since they 'aren't harmful' (I hope that is so) maybe you can just plunge the seriously affected ones in a 5 gal bucket of mild soapy water overnite...all the bugs will try to climb out, and thus leave your pots....but still, first chance I got I would get them all outside and spray the heck out of them....soaking the media if you don't want to repot...if you mix dishsoap or insecticidal soap with your systemic, it will help hold the systemic to whatever it hits.....good luck!

[ryncoorchids]

This looks like mites only having 8 legs. Insect have only 6 legs. So sure its a mite.

[Salixx]

You *don't* have to kill everything in sight just because it lives and moves.

I agree. I have little bugs in a few of the plants that have come from very reputable vendors. And snails. And mites.

If I can't identify something, I isolate the plant as best I can and wait and see what happens to the plant. Although not always the case, things living in the substrate that only come out when I water probably are feeding on dead, decaying matter. And, if they are in largish numbers and the plant shows no signs of illness after a week or two, I stop worrying.

Just like on our skin and in our gut, none harmful critters, bacteria, and fungi might play an important part in protecting plants from the bad guys. For instance, scale insect larvae live in the soil. In something else is already living in the soil, it will compete with the scale larvae for resources and could keep and outbreak from happening. Sure, a few scales might live to adulthood, but it's better than the hundreds to thousands that might live in a competition-free world.

[u bada]

Originally Posted by Salixx

Just like on our skin and in our gut, none harmful critters, bacteria, and fungi might play an important part in protecting plants from the bad guys. For instance, scale insect larvae live in the soil. In something else is already living in the soil, it will compete with the scale larvae for resources and could keep and outbreak from happening. Sure, a few scales might live to adulthood, but it's better than the hundreds to thousands that might live in a competition-free world.

There more and more research and findings on the relationships of all things biggish to the microscopic organisms, and actually the insect size to microscopic level are showing to be ever so crucial for life... This is yet another reason why orchids do much better in greenhouses were things can be humid and where all the dirty things can thrive right along with all the plants. There need to be much more studies on orchids, i believe, on their long term relationship with mycorrhizae and such, but wiping out bad stuff with chemicals can often wipe out beneficial stuff as well.

If there is an infestation of something, usually that means an imbalance in conditions that allows for it and changing conditions often remedy a situation. In case of scale and mealies the spider mites however, sure you gotta get rid of them and that can require chemicals... but overall wiping out everything with chemicals isn't probably the best thing to do especially when you don't exactly what it is. I know people are just bug phobic but honestly so many of them don't harm you or the plants.

ok, so I get these little black droplets also but mainly in my orchid tanks where with all the water, humidity, light and mosses and plants there are various things rampant, so it's hard to pin point what they are, but they're really not a problem. They seem to be more a residue or possibly a by product (ie poop) of something living but not organisms in themselves. They don't move they just appear then disappear. I thought they were eggs but I've never seem them hatch or lay empty. Of all the plants I have in my apt, inside and out, the plants in my orchid tanks are by far the healthiest and vigorous so they have not been a problem whatsoever when I see them. and probably if you're not growing your plants in a greenhouse you won't seem them anymore, I've never seen them on plants on my windowsills or on my balcony, where it is much drier.

[estación seca]

One of the best gifts of my childhood was a microscope. Now they have become incredibly cheap, and attach to computers and phones with USB cables. They are not hard to use. People can learn a lot with a microscope.