Pest Identification
 

Hi guys!

I was inspecting my orchid and saw some pests in the soil and on one of the leaves. At first, I thought it was a spider mite, but spider mites have a more rounder shape, whereas this one has a more rectangular shape. Could this be a springtail? Sorry if the picture is tilted to the side/blurry.

Thanks!

Bump

Hi Dollythehun!

I do have a few bumps on my orchid leaves(but not this leaf). I saw this bug moving around on the leaf and soil. My phone camera is not very good(sorry about that), but if you look closely, you can see the that the bug is oval shaped and has some stripes on it.

Thanks.

No. I bumped your message so someone would see it and it wouldn't disappear. Hence I "bumped" it along.

Thrips
No, I havent thriped your message. :)

Take a look at this. They look similar?

ah ok, thank you! I'm fairly new to the forums so I didn't know.

I cannot really tell from your picture but hopefully this site will help:

https://www.staugorchidsociety.org/P...ySueBottom.pdf

Hey rbarata! Besides the one in the picture, I have mostly seen them in the soil. I don't see much damage to the flowers or leaves(the flowers were handled roughly, and some have been snapped off, so I can't tell if the damage is from the handling or possibly thrips). However, I think the bug I saw looks kinda like the thrips nymph in the wikepedia page. The bug did also seem to have tiny wings.I saw them when it jumped(or fell) from a leaf
Thank you for your help.

---------- Post added at 11:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------


Thank you for the website! At this point, I think the infestation is just beginning because compared to my old phal(which had a HUGE spider mite infestation), I can't see the bugs unless I dig around for them, and even then its hard to find them. Because its a beginning infestation, there hasn't been any damage to any part of the plant that would allow me to tell the symptoms apart. *sigh*

I really don't want things to escalate and the plant to die or get damaged. Even though I don't know what the pest is, would it be ok to just unpot the plant, spray it with castile soap and neem oil mix, and then also spray it with a my 3 in 1 funcicide/insecticide/miticide spray? Or would it be better to identify it first?

If anyone could give me some recommendations/tips on how to go about this, it would be truly appreciated.

Thanks!

The most common pests for houseplants (including orchids) are mealy bugs, scale, aphids, white fly, and mites. If I see any of these, I make a dose of neem oil spray (the pure stuff needs to be added to water and dish soap), then spray the plants heavily. I usually repeat this twice a week for a couple of weeks. A 3-in-one systemic should work, too.

If they are only in the soil, you might try soaking the pot in a soapy water solution. They might just be springtails.