Yuck, Yuck, Yuck...and I'm not laughing....

[Mysbhvn]

I was just checking on some of my orchids this morning and this is what I found! First of all let me apologize for the terrible, blurry picture, a photographer I'm not! I found this white, fuzzy junk on the underside and on the stem of one of my plants. Any help on what the heck this stuff is, I've never seen it before. And secondly, what do I do to get rid of it? Will it spread to my other orchids? Should I quarantine this one? Thanks for your help!

LuAnn

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[cb977]

Those are Mealy-bugs, here's some info on how to get rid of them:

Diagnosing culture problems - Pests

Let us know if you need further help

[Dorothy]

I would definitely isolate it and thoroughly check all your other orchids

[kiki-do]

LuAnn,
Don't panic! Isolate and treat with alcohol or whatever else the instructions say to use, and recheck every now and then. These are fairly easy to get rid of....so don't panic and welcome to Orchid Board!
kiki

[Mysbhvn]

Thanks, Susanne, for the link to the pest page. In looking at the different pests I believe what is on my orchid is "scale". When I removed the cottony stuff there were little bumps like the ones shown in the picture. I am going to separate this orchid and treat it with insecticide or neem oil. It seems to not be under too much stress so maybe I caught it in the early stages and can get rid of it.

Any preferences, anyone, on how or what to use to treat scale?

Thanks, everyone, for all your help. I am so glad I came across this website. I would be lost without all of your vast amounts of knowledge....

[Ross]

I've treated lots of scale (and still do) and have never seen anything like that. Could it be both? Scale is little bumps when adults, but is there a cottony covering? I just rub the scale off with my finger whenever I see it. During summer when I can take outdoors I use Schultz Garden Spray houseplant spray after I have removed all the adults I can find. The spray attacks the crawler stage. It also works well for mealies.

[Mysbhvn]

I was reading on the "pest" page Susanne sent to me and this is what it said about scale....
The males of the species appear as cottony masses, usually in the crook of the leaves, or around the base of the plant. These are often mistaken for mealy-bugs which are a different pest entirely.

[Ray]

Could be boisduval scale, which can be a pain to get rid of.

I start by dipping a soft toothbrush in soapy water and scrubbing all of the visible patches clean. Then do a very thorough insecticidal treatment, repeating at least two more times at 7-day intervals.