Mites sprayed with Sucra Shield are alive & well

[greenpassion]

I have a mite problem with one of my mini phals, which I have planted in a mix of moss & bark. I noticed a week or so ago that there are tiny little black or dark brown mites (lice) crawling thru the mix. I was advised to use Sucra Shield on them, as this product is supposed to get rid of them. I mixed as directed and sprayed the medium to the point of saturation. Well, so far, no good. Just now I pulled it out the pot in order to repot it into fresh mix, and there were dozens of them crawling around the bottom of the pot. I actually directly sprayed them with this product and they aren't fazed in the least. What to do???

[katrina]

[Orchid Whisperer]

I've not used Sucrashield, but it sounds like you need to switch to a different chemical. Look for another control that is labeled for mites & try that instead.

BTW, if you have an infestation of any insect or mite, I'd recommend thoroughly cleaning the plant, roots & all, before treating with chemicals, since the medium will confirm a reservoir of critters to re-infest your plant.

[orchidsarefun]

I think sucrashield didn't work because the insects you have are not "soft- bodied" - this is from the company:

"SucraShield is a fast-acting, sugar-based insecticide that delivers deadly serious pest control to hundreds of soft-bodied problem insects, including aphids, whiteflies, mites and thrips"

It sounds like the insects you have are not harmful to plants - generally speaking if they are visible to the eye and move quickly, then they are most likely predatory. That said - and before I get 5 people saying that statement is just not true - if you want to eliminate these, spray with Garden Safe as first option or Neem Oil as second option. I find Neem Oil sprayed on leaves and watered through pot to be extremely effective. I have just bought sucrashield, haven't used it, but it will form part of my preventive spraying programme.

[ALToronto]

Agree with orchidsarefun - these are probably not mites. Is there any actual damage to your phal, such as yellow or sunken spots? There are harmless and even beneficial insects - if you're going to have living things in your home, expect other living things also.

[greenpassion]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I might try the Bayer 3 in 1 spray. I also noticed on another plant there are tiny flat smushy bugs that seem stuck on the underside of the leaves. This orchid was a gift, and it's clearly suffering from something. The leaves are wrinkled and wilted. I can rub them off, and they are soft. Very tiny, and they don't seem to move. Is this scale?? I have isolated it from the others. Sounds like Sucra Shield will take care of this problem. ??

[Ray]

Greenpassion - you're not alone in the least on this, but it serves as a classic example of problem misidentification leading to improper treatment.

As Orchidsarefun said, SucraShield is intended for soft-bodied insects and mites. It causes their protective coatings to degrade and they desiccate to death.

Your little black critters are more on the order of beetles with hard shells, so will not be affected by the stuff. It might work on the eggs, pupae, and larvae that don't have shells, but that remains to be seen.

If those flat, under-the-leaf bugs are hard scale, SucraShield won't work for those, either, because of the protective shell.

I urge you - and every orchid grower - to go to-, and bookmark the St. Augustine Orchid Society guide to pests and diseases!

[greenpassion]

Thank you Ray. You should have your own TV show. Seriously. I'd love to be able to watch orchid stuff like I can nature shows...

[lepetitmartien]

STAUG rocks really, and Sue is great

[HighSeas]

That is an excellent link Ray. I've probably read it a dozen times over. I noticed that Sue mentioned you Ray in her article about feeding her orchids Vodka. With my luck, mine will prefer "top-shelf"!