Mealy bugs here are one of the 4 white plagues. It took me a while to realise why they kept coming back. I would spray the plants, but sure enough, after a moth or so, there they were again.
Their secre is that there are always some lurking in the medium. So now, when I get one of the 4 plagues, the treatmet is the same. A strong dose of imacloporid which is both contact and systemic. For non orchids, I wait till they need water, then I spray all the plants affected plus all their neighbours, and then I go mix up a watering can with an imacloporid solution, and I water all the plants with that.
Since taking that trouble. Mealies are never the problem they used to be on the terrace, and whenever a smmall colony does appear on an orchid, I just spray the plant and then keep spraying the medium till the pesticide solution runs out the bottom.
TBH, there is a case to be made for giving all new plants, orchids or not, the same treatment.
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