Moth balls?

[Orchid Whisperer]

This is probably going to end up as nothing more than a hare-brained idea, but I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of moth balls being used to "fumigate" orchids before bringing them indoors?

Mothballs, or crystals, typically have one of two pesticide chemicals, napthalene (old-fashioned moth balls), or 1,4-dichlorobenzene (newer types, less flammable vapors). The latter chemical has certainly been used as an insecticide on agricultural plants outdoors.

What I was thinking was placing plants on a large plastic tarp in a well shaded area (e.g., garage), interspersing some moth balls between plants, and covering everything with the tarp. Possibly leaving the whole thing overnight, maybe longer. Then, airing everything out before bringing indoors (longer than the treatment period). If I tried it on a small scale, might be just a few duplicate plants to see how they tolerate it.

What do you think? Sound reasonable? Or am I a nut case that ought to the first up against the wall when the revolution comes?

[jkofferdahl]

When the revolution comes we'll ALL be up against the wall.

I think yours is an interesting idea. Somehow the strength of mothball vapors bothers me, but that may just be me. I would be interested to know if this has been tried before!

[Dollythehun]

I don't know about that but, I used to know an antique dealer who did that with upholstered furniture. He put it in a large garbage bag and set a insecticide bomb off inside. Same principle.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I researched the idea (just web searches) before suggesting the idea but found nothing, either for or against. I may research a bit more before trying.

[estación seca]

I would first try it on a limited number of plants. I have heard of people putting moth balls in house plant soil to prevent cats from digging, so I know there are at least some plants they don't harm.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would first try it on a limited number of plants. I have heard of people putting moth balls in house plant soil to prevent cats from digging, so I know there are at least some plants they don't harm.

Yes, I am leaning more toward trying it on just a few plants that I can easily replace if something goes wrong, or that I have duplicates of.

I was thinking this could be a good control for the sort of bugs that are just part of the outdoor environment that I don't want coming indoors. Cockroaches, pillbugs, and others live outdoors here, but I don't want them in the house. I am thinking this might not work on scale or mealy bugs (so if I see those, they will be treated differently).

[Dollythehun]

Do you have brown marmated stink bugs? Those are a scourge...

[rbarata]

dichlorobenzene...which pests die with it?

[Leafmite]

I have been soaping up the leaves, letting the plant sit for a few minutes, then rinsing off the soap. Then I soak the pot and check for any bugs that might have climbed out of the medium. When the plant is dry, I douse the leaves and top of the medium well with Neem oil. It has made bringing the plants inside a slow process but I am hoping that it will work. I have just two more (olive and pom trees) but they need a chill period so I have a break.

I miss the days when I sprinkled Sevin on the soil, flushed it through, then dusted all the leaves. Quick, effective, easy. I would probably still do it if my spouse didn't have such strong feelings about pesticides indoors (along with the degree he uses for his job, he has degrees in Biochemistry/Biophysics).

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by rbarata

dichlorobenzene...which pests die with it?

This is from a draft statement from the International Joint Commission, which manages waters and natural resources in the Boundary Waters area between the USA and Canada:

"1,4'-Dichlorobenzene is a registered insecticide, used for the control of ticks and lice in and around bird cages, as well as in museums for the protection of insect, plant and stuffed animal collections. 1,4-Dichlorobenzidene is also used in the manufacture of certain resins, in the pharmaceutical industry, and as a general insecticide in farming."

From Product Stewardship: Life Cycle Analysis and the Environment By Kathleen Sellers "The compound was also used to control mildew, tobacco blue mold, bark beetles, moths and peach tree borers, lice, mites, and cockroaches."

Apparently other gardeners have used them against mealybugs (though I would never put them directly into plant pots): Mealy bug - Page 2 - BCSS - Forum

I've not read this whole document, but apparently they have been used against scale also: Full text of "California greenhouse pests and their control"

That is not a comprehensive list, but it probably is a good start at assessing what can be controlled.

I am still thinking of using the mothballs only outdoors, only with limited exposure, airing them out afterward before moving indoors, and initially just on a few replaceable plants to gauge tolerance.