Mealybugs on new orchids

[Orchid grower]

Hi everyone!

I bought three new orchids from ikea yesterday. Right when I got home I took them out of their pots to examine the roots and remove a lot of the moss they were tightly packed in. The roots looked pretty good on all 3 plants and they have good leaves.

However today as I was giving them another good look, I saw what I thought was maybe mold. It looked like a white fluffy substance around the crown. As I inspected all of the orchids they all had the same white fluffy substance on them. All orchids had very little bit of it and I found it where the leaf meets the stem.

I got a cotton swab, iso alcohol and tried removing the white substance the best I could.

I'm going to be reporting them this evening but is there anything else I should do?
Should I also spray the roots with the alcohol? It's 70%

I'm nervous the alcohol would be too strong for the plant and might do some damage.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

[bil]

Ok I sound like a stuck record, but chemical megadeath is your friend. You can mess around with 'natural' treatments and odds are, they will keep coming back.

Get something like imacloporid. Sprray the plant liberally, then soak the medium with it. Repeat in 2 weeks if you are paranoid like me.

[PaphMadMan]

70% alcohol would be bad for the roots. While I fully endorse bil's nuclear option where mealy bugs are concerned, I know not everyone is comfortable with it. Especially in homes with pets and small children I understand caution. Insecticidal soap, the real stuff not some home-made concoction your aunt Martha swears by, is an option. 2-3 times per week for at least 6 weeks, dip the whole pot and completely drench the plants, every surface. Maintain quarantine with full biohazard containment protocols and close examination for an additional 6 weeks minimum.

[Dollythehun]

FWIW, I have left my IKEA orchids in the mix and they have done so well that i actually switched mixes to that same stuff. I only water when the moss is crunchy. If you leave them in moss, you might be able to use a systemic. I have used insecticidal soap with good results but, you have to continue even if you don't see them. If you don't repot, systemic might be your best bet.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Use an imidacloprid-based systemic insecticide, if you can get it, or another systemic. Imidacloprid is widely used (at ~ 700% higher concentration) in flea control products sold in the USA (Advantage/Advantix brand names). It is a good systemic for orchids.

Acephate is another systemic widely used on orchids.

You may find other systemics on this list: http://staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/Pe...ySueBottom.pdf

[Orchid grower]

So what I did was I repotted all the orchids spraying the with 70% Iso alchohol. It's been a few days but I'm still finding an odd mealy bug here and there. I'd say out of 3 plants I'm finding atleast one a day. When I find one I immediately kill with cotton swab and alchohol. Do you think I've solved the problem if I keep treating like this? Thanks

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Orchid grower

So what I did was I repotted all the orchids spraying the with 70% Iso alchohol. It's been a few days but I'm still finding an odd mealy bug here and there. I'd say out of 3 plants I'm finding atleast one a day. When I find one I immediately kill with cotton swab and alchohol. Do you think I've solved the problem if I keep treating like this? Thanks

Nope. You won't.

If these were my plants I'd follow the exact procedure Bil advises. It's a great insecticide, but as chemicals go it's pretty safe. Mealies WILL win anything less but an all-out war.

[Orchid grower]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

Nope. You won't.

If these were my plants I'd follow the exact procedure Bil advises. It's a great insecticide, but as chemicals go it's pretty safe. Mealies WILL win anything less but an all-out war.

I believe they don't sell that chemical Bil mentioned in Canada anymore. I did see an insecticidal soap at walmart though. It's called Ecosense bug b gone. It says it will work for mealybugs. My concern is would this have any negavtobe effects on my orchids?

Thank you and everyone else for the replies!

[estación seca]

Alcohol doesn't kill the eggs. You will never get rid of them that way. In the mean time they will spread to every other plant in your house.

The grower tried to save money by not using pesticides, and look what happened.

I might add... it is possible to drown insects and eggs by submerging the entire plant in a solution of slightly soapy water for 8-24 hours, but many people are afraid to do this. I would only do it during warm weather, when the plant can dry out rapidly after the soak.

[bil]

Get a serious pesticide. They must sell them somewhere, and remember, you MUST soak the medium, and repeat in two weeks, so that any eggs that hatch, the bugs will die before laying eggs themselves.
I really don't think you will harm the plants. You should see how heavily I dose mine!