Mold mite/grain mite infestation

[FLCatLady]

Hi orchid friends,

I am currently very stressed out dealing with a mold mite (aka grain mite) infestation in my orchids, and I'm wondering if anyone else here has also had this problem and eradicated the mites successfully? I couldn't get any photos of them because they are so tiny, but here is a video of what they look like from Youtube:

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I would stop with straight vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Those will damage roots.

Mold doesn't grow on good bark. You're going to have to take the bull by the horns and repot. In a very humid environment each plant probably needs repotting every 1-2 years if you use bark.

People in very humid areas often pot in scoria, lava cinders, LECA clay balls from hydroponics shops and other inorganic substances. Those don't mold and don't decompose.

[FLCatLady]

Hi, thanks for the reply!

To clarify, I have not been applying vinegar to the orchids, just to the sunroom furniture, floor, and baseboards to kill any mold spores in the room that the mites may be feeding on.

The mites seem drawn to the dampness, as the bark is relatively fresh. All of my orchids have been repotted within the last year, which is why I wanted to avoid repotting again so soon. I use a high-quality bark mixture from repotme.com, and I repot every 1.5 to 2 years. I tried out leca and wasn't happy with it due to mineral deposits which eventually burn the roots (the water here is very hard).

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I'll have to defer to other people from Florida or high-humidity regions. There are quite a few here - hope somebody replies.

[Orchidwizard]

Any Insect heavily relies on moisture to survive and breed. Remove the moisture and you will minimise the problem considerably.
Mold is obviously a problem too but mold only grows on certain things, it generally does not grow on a clean sterile surface. It also heavily relies on moisture. Open windows and fans constantly circulating the air will reduce the moisture.

The problem is our Orchids love moisture too. If you want to eradicate one you will most likely affect the other, there is no way around it as like you say they will hide in the smallest cracks and will have eggs laying all over that will hatch again to repeat the cycle a couple weeks later.

I don't know how bad these bird mites are if it really is them, if all they eat is mold then maybe the orchids aren't affected..

Can't really help with your problem but I know how annoying mites are, it's always been a year long challenge to eradicate them completely, I've had the red spider mite, the false spider mite and the moss mites.

The red ones I had to get rid of everything in the end and start over, I could not get rid of them any other way.

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Many parts of Florida is so humid things mold even if not ever sprayed with water. Towels damp from use will mildew before they dry if you leave them on your bed. The original poster has a sunroom open to the outdoors, so the humidity is going to be very high.

[DeaC]

Hello. Would a dehumidifier for sunroom be an option? Some have receptacles that need to be emptied but others allow you to use a hose set-up to drain right into a sink or the like. Good luck. Furniture also benefits but breathing moldy air is such a health hazard.