Not sure if I have Mealy Bugs or not

[jocierk]

So I got a few orchids off ebay (I know I know), one of them clearly had something strange going on (misformed leaves and such) but all the others looked good. A few weeks later I keep seeing very small white puffs on the leaves of one of them. I wipe them off and they seem to come back but they are definitely not bug shaped, and are very small. I put it outside (with the other ebay sicko) and have been keeping an eye on it. I don't see anything in the bark, or in the creases of the plant (its a young catt so not much in the way of sheath or folds to hide in) and I don't see anything…just the randomly appearing puffs on the leaves. I dont really know if I can get a pic of it if I try…maybe with my macro. I just wanted to see if you guys had any experience with non bug shaped white fluff.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Probably mealies. They tend to be small, white, oval, and appear segmented.

Look for pictures on the internet, then use a magnifying glass to look for them. If you find them, try Bayer Advanced Rose & Flower spray to treat them.

[james mickelso]

Could be soft scale but probably mealies. The young are just small white puffs and don't move much. I'd spray with something like Bayer 3-1.

[RosieC]

I've had success getting rid of mealies by dabbing any sign of the white fluff with rubbing alcohol. But you have to keep watching every day for them coming back and get them again at the slightest sign of the white in the crooks of leaves.

After the first treatment, you will get the eggs hatching up to about 2 weeks later. Get those before they get old enough to lay more eggs and you should stop them.

This is what I have done, checking the plant, carefully every day for about 2 weeks after the first treatment, and dabbing off any white I saw. At two weeks there was a definate new lot hatched and I got them, then kept checking for a further two weeks, but that seemed to be the end of it and I've never seen them again.

[allla]

I do not dare advise anything as I am a newbie orchid grower.

I just wanted to share my experience with you. I had a neighbour who was a good gardener and very keen to grow all sorts of things. He used treatments that weren't considered too dangerous in general. He sprayed with copper compounds his garden twice a year, had a mask and all the protective equipment.

He had unfortunately developped liver cancer 10 years after he took on the garden

Just a word of caution for unnecessary treatments...

[NYCorchidman]

How big are the white stuffs??
It could be scales. They are very small, like 1mm.
Mealy bugs are quite small when young, but all of them would move when poked with something like, say, toothpick. So give it a try.

Scales are quite common on cattleyas.

By the way, nothing wrong with buying orchids on eBay. It is just the same as ordering orchids from a vendor, except many times, with eBay, you get to see exactly what you are getting.