crawlies help

[salaite]

I need some information about white crawlies in one of my orchid. There're lots of them in the compost I don't see the plant to be stressed and also they don't seem to be spreading to the other plants. I'm not sure where to start to get rid of them.

[Hummer344]

In the compost they might be good, on your orchids, not so good. When I get any critters in my orchids, I use a Q' tip dipped in veggie oil or alcohol to pick um off. The oil makes it easier to pick them off the plant then you just squash the little buggers with your fingers. With alcohol, its tougher to pick them up but alcohol is a better killer. some other will chime in with their home methods

[kmarch]

Whether they're detrimental to your orchids or not depends entirely on what they are. I'm afraid we need a bit more info before we can say for certain what they are. Is it possible to take a pic? Are they fuzzy looking? Do they look like little flies?

[-k-]

Sounds like mealy's, narly little buggers...
What do you mean by compost? What is potting mixture do you use?
How bad of an infestation do you have... 1 or 2, 6 or 12 or more? Depending on how many will help determine the correct strategy...

Do a search in the forum for mealy bugs, you will find extensive info!

[dounoharm]

crawlie white fuzzy bugs = mealie bugs = bad, very bad
crawlie white flying bugs = whiteflies = bad, very bad
i dont think there is a scenario where white crawlies in your media could be beneficial...so kill em and be done with it....i am a great fan of properly applied systemic insecticides....

[salaite]

It's an orchid compost I bought in BQ, very dark soil, so the white little bugs are very visible, I didn't take notice for a while as they're so small after once I saw them moving. And they are in thousands. I know a mealie bugs one of my phaleonopsis once had them it's not the case, these little buggers live in the pot, there is nothing on the plant. I'm afraid I can't take the picture as they're so small. Any thoughts what is this?

[rcb]

I agree with duonoharm. It pretty much doesn't matter what they are unless you really are interested in knowing. Since they are in the compost, they could be thingies that are not necessarily common orchid pests.

Treat the pot with your insecticide or home remedy of choice, repeat in about 5 day for at least 3 applications. If your pots aren't drying out enough in 5 days or so, try to increase the air movement to help them dry.

Also, if you suspect they came from your bag of compost, sterilize the compost before using on any other plants.

[-k-]

Originally Posted by salaite

It's an orchid compost I bought in BQ, very dark soil, so the white little bugs are very visible, I didn't take notice for a while as they're so small after once I saw them moving. And they are in thousands. I know a mealie bugs one of my phaleonopsis once had them it's not the case, these little buggers live in the pot, there is nothing on the plant. I'm afraid I can't take the picture as they're so small. Any thoughts what is this?

Hmm... if they are not meally bugs, i'd rather not even speculate. If it were my plant I'd take the plant out of the pot clean it off with a good rinse, maybe a short soak and repot.