Uh-oh... Found a fat old mealybug!!!!

[Paul Mc]

I was doing my usual weekly watering, pruning and inspections when I found a big mealybug on one of my starter orchids. And I mean it was huge!!! I've not seen one that fat before!

It was lodged between two leaves so I took a knife in and killed it. There was still some white stuff left so I took a q-tip with alcohol and cleaned off the area.

I'm actually just devastated by this. I know how quickly they can grow into a problem. I fought an outbreak of mites last winter and nearly lost a few, so this was disheartening....

I intend to remove the plant from the media and inspect it thoroughly for any more buggies. Anything else I should do in your opinions? I don't want to see this wipe out my collection. The last mealybug infected thing I had croaked and it was a worse battle than the mites. Obviously, I lost that battle last time...

[RosieC]

Over the summer I found some on a new plant and removed them with q-tip and alcohol and cleaned them up. I then just checked the plant every day for more, I found some tiny new ones about a week and a half later and removed them with alchohol as well and kept checking for another two weeks but there was nothing more.

I think if you can catch them when there is only one or two it might be all you need is just to remove them and keep checking for new ones hatching and catch those before they can breed

[cbuchman]

Like Rosie, I am just diligent with "bug patrols." I think the source is often my non-orchidacious plants. So I am even more diligent with those and much more aggressive with them as well usually using a systemic pesticide as well even though I find it isn't perfect.

[Leafmite]

I hate these and scale. I think I have gotten rid of them and a few months later, I start seeing them again! This upcoming summer, I plan to blast all the houseplants well when I spray my fruit trees...there will be no survivors.

[Paul Mc]

LOL!!! That's my motto, "Take no survivors!" Unfortunately, that didn't turn out so well for me last time, lol...

[orchidsarefun]

LOL....the image of you killing a mealybug with a knife ! was it THAT big ? what was the music playing in the background ?

[Leafmite]

What did you use? We use Malathion on our trees. Good-bye little buggies.

[Vanda lover]

I try to check for critters every few days and spray with a home made non toxic mix.
Once I found ants had started colonies in my orchid pots. When I had brought them in for the winter, the ants colonized the curtain rods and fish tank hinge!

[rangiku]

Paul, go to Home Depot or Lowes and get Bayer 3-in-1 Advanced. Use it as directed as a systemic drench on the plant and the plants around it. Repeat every two weeks for a total of three treatments.

[Ferns Daddy]

Is there some thing safe to use around pets, my Chihuahua likes to sit on the window shelf with my orchids to watch the world go by she won't bother the plants but like to sit up there in the sun, so I want to use something safe