Black Bugs On Vanda Spikes....Please Help

[Dene]

I have begun noticing little black bugs on my Vanda spikes. I hadn't noticed any until one of my Princess Mikasa 'Mood Indigo' had begun a new spike, I tried removing them but the flowers were ruined

I am now noticing them on my Suksamran Sunlight - what can I do to remove the bugs and save this spike before it is too late?

Thanks,

Dene

[Judi]

Can you take pictures of the bugs? It's really hard to guess what kind of bugs you may have without seeing them so please post pictures if possible.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Do they look like these? These are pics of black aphids:

http://seeded.files.wordpress.com/20...ean-aphids.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/u47/johnclare/lar...s_DSC_3465.jpg

http://bayercropscience.co.uk/images...ull/pest70.jpg

http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/wyom...d_wingless.jpg

Or do they look more like these (garden fleahoppers look similar to black aphids, but they're not aphids):

http://ipmnews.msu.edu/fieldcrop/Por...HopperFig4.jpg

Google Image Result for http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeaninsects/files/images/garden%20fleahopper%20females%20copy.jpg

Google Image Result for http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG295/pics/garden_fleahopper.gif

http://bugguide.net/images/raw/ERSH4...XZHHSZSH4R.jpg

Or are they black springtails? Here are the pics:

http://www.lheyden.com/thegeneralist...ringtails4.jpg

http://magickcanoe.com/invertebrates...ing-algae2.jpg

Google Image Result for http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2588562495_bdb9c428d1.jpg?v=0

Until we know which ones they are, no one can tell you how to deal with them or whether to even deal with them at all.

[limak]

Hi,

I have the same problem. The black bugs are in the media, when I shook a piece of bark about 10 fell off. I am not sure if they are harmful. I am attaching a couple of pictures. They are very small and can jump. Under the microscope I can see that they have 6 white legs, and antenna on their head. There are also a couple bigger white ones. Perhaps these are some sort of fly. Someone please help.

Thanks,

Kamil

[Gin]

The first thing comes to mind on the Vanda spikes are thrips just a guess . Google has pictures of them .
I don't know what the bugs are in Kamil's post but could pour some soapy water thru the pot to get rid of them ..

[Judi]

If they jump, they may well be springtails; a rather large family of bugs. If you google them there is a lot of info on the web, here are just two links:

springtails pictures - Google Search

Springtail

[limak]

Thanks Judi,

I think its springtails! They might have come with the orchid bark mix. Now I am not sure whether they are harmful, I am getting mixed information online. They seem to be mostly breaking down the bark, but could hurt the roots.

[Judi]

I have gotten in the habit of baking the bark medium before using it—about 1 hour at 300 degrees. I had a bout with springtails a while back, and although I read they were harmless, I didn’t like having them around. I got rid of them by keeping my plants drier than usual and making sure humidity trays, saucers, and shelves were clean. I’ve seen way too many springtails hanging out in saucers and humidity trays!