Biological pest control.

[Tindomul]

Has anyone ever used biological pest control for control of scale insects like Mealybug? I was researching online about the use of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri-Mealybug Destroyer.
My problem:
Some of the plants in my orchidarium :Slc. Mini Beau, Haraella odorata, one Masdevallia and to my horror now Angraecum scottianum have become open food bars for Mealy bug. I have been fighting it off manually (taking a napkin with alcohol and wiping the plants clean) for a few months now, but its not working. The mealy bugs are now spreading and every now and then I see the male mealy bugs taking flight (at which point I kill them all because they are not good at flying away from my hand).
The plants have become established in the tank. They have grown roots on to the background and removal is basically impossible for most plants.
This is a closed system. Chemicals that go in, do not come out! So I will not use chemical warfare for this problem. Further more, the orchidarium houses a green tree frog and a fowler's toad. Again, chemicals are a no-no. Even if I remove the animals during treatment, the chemicals will remain to do them harm in the long run.
Only possible solution:
The only solution to getting rid of the mealy bugs would be to completely destroy the tank, throw away all the plants, 20+ orchids in total (including two chat project plants) and start again. Or introduce some kind of natural biological control agent.

So I would like to know what you all recommend or thin about using these mealy bug destroyers. Thanks.

[Ross]

If you can remove your frogs, what about Marty's CO2 (dry ice) method he wrote up in an article? That should get all the baby bugs.

[Tindomul]

Really. I had considered it but got to thinking about whether or not CO2 Would get to such small pests? Especially scale insects that could possibly hunker down?
Now that I have your second opinion, perhaps I will do just that. Thanks Ross.

Anyway, I figured I would post a picture of the tank.

[Dorothy]

Here you go Tindo ! Mealybugs, Scales, and Our Most Effective "Good Bugs" That Eat Them:
I don't have any experience but they seem to work .. It might be worth a try.
You can get them for less here and in smaller quantity - Mealybug Destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri)
Question is if you have frogs in the tank .. will they eventually prey on the Crypts? If so, it sounds like a safe way to go

[kiki-do]

Hi Tindomul,
What I am doing and seems to be working, is gathering people's used cigarettes (only people I know) and taking the filter, removing the outer paper on the filter, and sticking the used filter into the medium. The nicotine is a natural insecticide. I had read about making a cigarette tea but that didn't work for me. Only drawback is it stinks for a while, so I would suggest wearing gloves and tucking the filter way down out of site. BTW, I got this information in an orchid book so it was for orchids in particular. It's been a month or so and I have not seen any signs of them. (Knock on wood).
You have a beautiful orchidarium! Very impressive!
Anyway, that's my two cents. kiki-do

[Tindomul]

Thanks Dorothy and Kiki-do! I had found another website that sells the bug at 50 for 20 bucks.
I would imagine that one or two of these lady beetles would fall victim to the frog and toad, but since they do secrete a noxious chemical when threatened, the frog and toad would learn quickly not to mess with them. Actually, the toad might get over the taste and eat them anyways.
The nicotine method seems cool, but odors have a way of concentrating inside the orchidarium. That method might force me to throw out the orchidarium anyway, lol!! Thanks for you comment.

[Gin]

I would try the bug eaters .
Nicotine would not be good for the frogs , way back when (dark ages) they used it to worm horses .
I just read the article Marty wrote, interesting , would be handy for getting rid of the little bush snails . Gin

[snow]

i believe nicotine and orchids don.t mixfor fear of infecting your orchids with the nicotine mosaic virus
someone elaborate please1

[Dorothy]

TMV has been addressed in this thread - http://www.orchidboard.com/Orchid_pests_and_diseases
Scroll down a bit to the posts and you will find it there.

[Ray]

Tindo - you're obviously not doing a sufficiently-thorough job when you wipe.

The approach I would take would be to remove the critters, and try the carbon dioxide treatment. Failing that, thoroughly spray the plants and substrate with a soap/water/alcohol mixture, being sure to get it into every crag and cranny. Repeat that at three-day intervals for 3 applications. Then thoroughly spray and flush the thing with plain water to get rid of soap residues.

However, I believe you are wrong about the permanent toxicity of pesticides. As organic compounds, they will degrade. The trick is finding one with a sufficiently-short half-life.

I have utilized pest predatory insects in the past, and it is very slow, and somewhat effective if you've selected your predators correctly. The biggest issue is keeping them fed after they have cleaned-out their food supply.