If you know these, plese tell me.

[leimia]

Hi. This is first time foa asking question.
I uploaded two photos of some kind of pest or desease.
I have been had this for four years and never gone. This plant is "spider orchid" but shape is very bad. I separeted from other orchid and think about will abondon or not...

Please tell me what is this if you know...

Thank you!

leimia

[Lagoon]

Hi Leimia,

Looks like your plant has scale

Check the link below for information --

Scale Insects on Orchids

[leimia]

＞Lagoon

Thank you for answering my question. Scale!? I never imagine that because scale is almost white and mine is completely brown.... but I am going to check other scale site may be this kind??

But thanks again!

leimia

[Ross]

Scale is most commonly brownish like this. I must say, this is a very advanced case.

[Dorothy]

Those little helmets are SCALE!
I hate when that happens!
You might be thinking of Mealy bugs
They are usually fuzzy white or whitish.

[Charles]

Yep. These guys are hardened criminals.

[leimia]

>rsfrid

Oh... after several years wondered it seems likes that I finally got right answer! Thanks!

>Dorothy

Uuum...I did not think about Mealy bugs because I have got them (real them!) few years ago.
Have you had scale too? May I ask how did you beat them? I really hate them!!

>Charls

So you mean I have to abondon this spider orchid?
Is there any way to save this orchid? sigh...



Now, I would like to know how to beat them. Insect soap is not good soluition. Would you like to tell me if you know best solution of sacle insect?

Thank you for your insure of scale. I am glad cleared my long time questtion.

leimia

[Dorothy]

I am new to orchids .. just started this March .. I have not dealt directly with them but know them when I see them. I had been to the Orchid Show in NYC and was about to pick a very green healthy(?) plant when I noticed those dreaded little helmets .. I put the plant back down and took another that was not as big or long in leaf (but clean )

I did find this on orchid.org.uk
Scale, there are two types of scale which you are likely to encounter when growing orchids;-

The first one attacks Phaleanopsis in particular, and can migrate to most other soft leaved plants, look on the underside of the leaves for these hard brown limpet like creatures, if you have only one or two, wipe them off with a cloth soaked in methylated spirits, or resort to a systemic insecticide regime as mentioned in the above paragraph, systemic insecticides act by being absorbed into the plant tissue, effectively making the plant poisonous to its attacker, but they should be used with care, do not exceed the stated dosage to avoid damaging the plant.

Boisduval scale (a very fancy name for a real horror), can be very nasty, and primarily has a taste for Cattleya's and their cousins. You may notice flat round scales on the underside of the leaves, which if left unattended will produce a whole shipment of what appears at first to be a white fungus or mealybug, these are the nymphs by the thousand, and they are setting off to desiccate the rest of you collection, the problem we have in the UK is that it is a tropical insect, and many of our pesticides do not treat the problem, one we have found to be of use recently is Leavington's Natures Answer Insecticide and Fungicide combined, this does unfortunately cover the plant in what appears to be white dust, but it is very effective against this type of scale, and several other pests as well, you will probably have to give the plant a good cleaning after a couple of weeks or so for aesthetics.

I believe you have the second .. ick!

They also say this:
Common scale - Dimethoate, Malathion, Insecticidal soap
Boisduval scale- Sulphur and fatty acid mixture

Here is yet another site and info -
Scale Insects on Orchids

Google Boisduval scale and read, read, read
(That's what I do if I don't know)

Good luck!

[weng]

With an infection on just one plant, the simplest solution is to treat them with alcohol - meths or vodka is fine ! I 'scrub' them off with a 1" paint brush dipped in any alcohol I find in the cupboard.

Weng

PS. I cannot imagine that your other plants don't have scale too. Look out for the tell tale sticky exudates and black fungus.

[Dorothy]

Use the meth and send me the vodka .. I can think of better uses for it