Could these be scale bugs?

[atanasg]

The orchid has been repotted 3 times in the past 3 months already (I said I was a newbie!). Would it be wise to do it yet again in this weakened state only a week after the last time?

Also, I suspect that I got these bugs from the sphagnum moss that started this series of repotting. If that's the case then I can't be sure that whatever new mix I get will be clean and I will have to treat it anyway. In all my previous repottings I've been using 1tsp/gal solution of Physan 20 to disinfect the mix.

estación seca: I like your suggestion since it bypasses the alcohol and I would like to try it. If it doesn't work I can always proceed with the heavy-duty stuff.

What kind of dish soap do you typically use? Reading up on this I see warnings against some types of soap, such as ones containing degreasers (don't all of them have degreasing action?).

Just to double check: when you say "submerge the entire plant", do you mean the leaves as well or just the pot? Do orchids like being submerged for that long?

[Orchid Whisperer]

If you have repotted that recently, no, I would not repot again.

But, if you re still getting fungus gnats, you are probably keeping it too wet. Let the bark get nearly dry before you water again.

As I said in the previous post, if the bugs come back after the soap solution, move on to using the imidacloprid.

[estación seca]

I use soap sold here for washing dishes in the sink, by hand. I haven't seen that with degreaser. Probably the cheaper, simpler soap will work. You will only use a few drops. I submerge the entire plant; leaves, roots. If it is in a pot and does not otherwise need repotting, I will leave it in the pot and submerge the whole thing. Sometimes I need to hold the plant under the water with a weight.

[atanasg]

@Orchid Whisperer: I just remembered that I saw all of these bugs before last week's repotting when I soaked both the new potting mix and the orchid in Physan 20. So while I don't think this did much for the mealybugs it must have taken care of the fungus gnats. The repotting was to remove root rot and scale way down on the sphagnum moss because of overwatering so you are spot on!

@estación seca: Alright, I've got a bottle of Seventh Generation liquid dish soap which seems to be advertised as USDA certified Biobased Product (95%), whatever that means. I am starting to finally see some microscopic white cottony stuff on the leaves so I guess that settles both the questions of the type of bug I am dealing with and the timeline I have to work with. I am going to give it a go tomorrow and will post an update.

One more thing: Do you wash the plant with plain water before you leave it to dry or do you let it dry with the soap in it?

[estación seca]

I wash it sometimes. I don't think it matters. It depends on where I treated the plant. If I left it soaking overnight in the bathroom, I rinse it the next morning. If I bring the container of water into the growing room and soak there, I don't rinse.

I should add: If there are any visible dead bugs remaining after the soak, I use an old soft toothbrush to remove them gently.