Sticky, gooey stuff under my orchid leaves

[Sam]

Can anyone tell me what the sticky, gooey stuff under my orchid leaves mean? They look like water droplets until you touch them, then they are sticky, kinda like syrup.
Thanks
S

[fred]

Hi Sam

welcome to the forum

I hope that you enjoy your stay here with all of us orchidgeeks

What sort of orchid are you talking about ?

some droplets is normal.

may be you could also go back into your profile and update your location for us.

happy chatting

[brookn]

Welcome, I agree with Fred, more info. please.

[Sam]

The stickey droplets are on the underside of my phalaenopsis'. Is it something to worry about?

[brookn]

Well I hate to say this, but I believe you have bugs. Mine had some sticky drops around the blooms, but I believe that on the leaves it's mites. They leave a discharge. I would just give it a good spray with some Bayer Advanced or some neem. Safer's soap might work also. Just follow the directions on the bottle. Good luck.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Don't think the Bayer stuff will work on mites. I would go with the neem oil, and keep the plant in a cool, not very bright spot for a couple of days. However, that assumes you really have mites. You need to get a jewlers loupe or a really strong magnifying glass and actually look for the mites. Phals get flat mites that just find a spot on the back side of the leaves and park there, so don't expect a lot of movement. If you look under at the section on pests and deseases, you will find a sticky post on mites.

[Sam]

Thanks everyone. I'll pick something up and give it a whirl.