Mealybugs on Orchids

[daniel]

last week i discover that i have a problem whit Mealybugs ,( those big white fury pest) there was a lots of them , waited to long before doing something i did not know at first ..i tot it was just white dust.
i have cut off all the flour and all the stem on my orchid
lost a keiki will cleaning it. i freak out wash every leaf one by one took me 6 hour to clean all my orchid plant and check daily for those pest that hid in the small space . (my question here) should i change the media and wash the roots .did anybody had this problem in the past?

[Becca]

Yes! I would change the medium and make sure there is nothing on the roots! Them little buggers will hide in the medium and feed on your roots! Several of us have had this problem. Check before it is to late and you loose your 'chids!

[boytjie]

I had a bad mealybug problem on a few of my Phals and Paphs. Before I took the step of changing the medium (and disturbing the roots), I tried flushing the entire pot (including roots and foliage) with Safer soap insecticide which I got at Lowes, repeated several times over two weeks. Seems to be working.

[camille1585]

I'm battling them too. I repotted almost everything and found quite a few on the roots. I seem to have gotten it under control with imidacloprid. I'm treating them again soon, since the systemic effect wears off after 3 weeks or so.

[Myst]

oh my my hairs is on end...this mealy bug things can they be found on other types of plants or are they just found on orchids?

im scared.

[kiki-do]

I had them on a few orchids that I had outdoors on the porch this summer. Cut the spikes down and sprayed the beejeebers out of them before bringing them indoors. That was Sept. Today I notice more on those same plants. I will have to repot and change out the medium. It's either that or I get the shotgun out and blast them. I thought I had them all. However, I was not using a fan in the room I had these particular ones, and wondering if that too is causing more onsets of these nasty critters.

[camille1585]

Myst, any plant can get mealy bugs. I'd rather they be on the other plants than on the orchids!

[Kath]

I checked mine after treating them with Propolis, made by bees, and they all seem clean. Also, I water a lot less, which might help.... please?http://www.orchidboard.com/community...milies/cry.gif

[Ray]

Please be aware that Boisduval scale infestations can also look like a mealie attack, and is a lot harder to eliminate.

While an alcohol spray will kill mealie bugs, it usually takes the big guns to get Boisduval scale.

[Grandma M]

Ray. Which big guns do you recommend for boisduval scale infestations? I have found them now on some of my plants.

Marilyn