Mealybugs problem- sprayed my orchids with soap

[Kon]

members.

I'm having my first mealy bug problem.
This afternoon I noticed white lint stuck at the base of my orchids flower bud. First I tried to blow it off but found out that it was a bug. Web search told me it was mealybug and it is very bad if left alive.

In my panic I took my four mini orchids off the mount, threw away mosses, cut some brown roots, rinsed them, and sprayed with insect soap. I sprayed the mount with hydrogen peroxide and insect soap too. At the moment i left them to dry on a paper. I'm hoping I killed all bugs and eggs.

I need some wisdom from members on what I should do next. Should I keep them bare root for few days and spray some more? How long can i keep them bare root?

Kon.

[MattWoelfsen]

That is what I would have done. Since these are now bare root, you might consider repotting in fresh potting media appropriate for your plants and your environment.

Two weeks from now, I would spray them again. But do not un-pot. This should kill any remaining eggs, or nymphs. Then two weeks after that, do the same thing just to ensure they are gone.

[Mocres]

Keep an eye on the plants. If you see any more of the little beasts, a cotton swab with alcohol kills it immediately.

[Kon]

Thank you MattWoelfsen and Mocres for advise.

[Orchid Whisperer]

If you are catching the mealybugs early, the soap and alcohol treatments may work (just a few bugs, no eggs). If they keep reappearing, you will need to resort to a systemic pesticide, or toss the plants, to avoid an infestation in your other plants. BTW keep infested plants on the other side of the house from any other plant you own (including non-orchids). Any plants that were near your infested one should be treated as infested until you have confirmed they are not infested.

One of the most readily available systemics is imidacloprid, Bayer Advanced makes several different products that contain it. Imidacloprid is the same insecticide used in Advantage flea treatment for dogs, but the flea treatment is hundreds of times more concentrated.

[camille1585]

For mealies, I go straight to the systemic insecticides, repeated several times. I never had any luck using 'soft' methods even at the early onset of an infestation. And still, every so often the mealies reappear.....

[bil]

Originally Posted by camille1585

For mealies, I go straight to the systemic insecticides, repeated several times. I never had any luck using 'soft' methods even at the early onset of an infestation. And still, every so often the mealies reappear.....

Spot on. We have 4 'white plagues' here, and at the first sign of one of them, I hit them hard and fast. No 'natural' remedy works here.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Forgot to mention that the mount needs to go directly to the trash unless you can heat sterilize it somehow.

[Kon]

Thank you everyone for great advises.
I'm little reluctant to toss my mount because I carved it myself. Will microwaving mount kill any hidden eggs inside wood?

I'm also curious to know if people use reptile house wood for mounting. Petsmart had few different size U shaped woods.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Boiling might sterilize it.

You could try an oven at low temperature. 200 F should kill bugs without danger of ignition. Stay with the mount at all times as you raise the temperature, then shut off oven. Leave the mount in the oven as the oven starts to cool, 20 minutes or so, then remove.