Sure are lots of bugs in there...

[frostychic]

... that's what I was thinking when I was cleaning up the area that I staged to treat my orchids last weekend.

About 3 weeks ago I treated the whole brood with Bayer 3-in-1 ... I saw a couple of bugs then... not mealies but a longer, skinnier bug with a forked tail and a roundish body... a light creamy to transparent color.

Then this past weekend I treated the whole brood again but this time with Physan 20 ... wow! When I was cleaning up the area after the Physan treatment there sure were lots of bugs... 2 or 3 more of the type I just wrote about... plus one that had a more grey colored body and a more flattened appearance with lots & lots of legs... it reminded me of a silverfish but it wasn't a silverfish. It didnd't have a forked tail.

Plus I saw some other bugs that kinda looked like a very small worm... and those were the ones that I COULD SEE & cut down in their prime

I can definately tell that my plants needed this. I can see that they are all perkier & "recovering" from all the strange things that they were displaying (some dropping leaves, some with blackening spots, probably a fungus, some with thrips, some with ???) Seems like all the bugs in the neighborhood must have known when I was in Jamaica and away from my Indiana orchids... it was like a home invasion took place in my absence! Took me longer than it should have to recognize the issues.

The Physan 20 says it can be used for maintenance once a month... so I'll begin doing that... however, I'm not clear on how often I should/could use the Bayer 3-in-1 ???

I do know that I should not use both chemicals during the same application...

How often do you use Bayer 3-in-1 ???
How often do you use Physan 20 ???

If you use both products... do you have a regular type maintenance schedule?

Inquiring minds need to know

[rcb]

Frosty - I always tell myself that I am going to start a maintenance with insecticide - but end up not doing so. I will give all the plants a dose of systemic insecticide when I move them out for the summer, and will treat those plants if they need it afterwards. I also treat them when they come in, so I'm not bringing any nasty things into the house. I don't use the Bayer 3 in 1, I use a different Bayer product, but I think they are good for 30 days?? It should be on the label of the bottle.

But one thing to remember, if you do go with a maintenance schedule of insecticides, consider changing the chemicals you use. Pretty much all living things will eventually develop resistance to things that kill it. By switching the chemicals periodically you reduce the chances of this happening.

Physan I don't use - don't like it. When I develop fungus problems (and this winter has been awful) I either cut the part off, or use cinnamon/alcohol spray.

[frostychic]

Thanks rcb... I appreciate that info.

Actually, I was shocked to see the big bugs that got knocked down by the Physan 20... I used the Physan 20 for the fungicide qualities (although the label says it is a disinfectant, sanitizer, deodorizer, fungicide, algaecide & virucide) ... I figured it would have been the Bayer 3-in-1 that would have done that... wonder what will happen if I just use an old fashioned soapy water combo?

Oh, so I see then that chemicals are the same to orchid bugs as paste wormers are to horses... those too have to be rotated or the intestinal parasites will become immune to them & that particular type of wormer becomes much less effective... I think the same thing happens in our own bodies when we over-use antibiotics.

Just curious... what is it about the Physan 20 that you don't like?

Thanks again for your ideas...

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by frostychic

How often do you use Bayer 3-in-1 ???
How often do you use Physan 20 ???

Use them according to the directions on the bottle or at a slightly more dilute rate.

[11Orchid126]

Some insects are so difficult to irradicate that I use the Bayer Advanced Flower Spray three times, seven days apart, even though the spray is a systemic. You should also treat the medium to kill any larvae lurking there. If you treat just the top, the eggs will hatch and start a new colony. Another thing you can do is immerse the pot in water and leave it there for a half hour and many bugs will abandon ship. You may have to put something on top of the medium to keep it from floating away.

[frostychic]

Originally Posted by 11Orchid126

Some insects are so difficult to irradicate that I use the Bayer Advanced Flower Spray three times, seven days apart, even though the spray is a systemic. You should also treat the medium to kill any larvae lurking there. If you treat just the top, the eggs will hatch and start a new colony. Another thing you can do is immerse the pot in water and leave it there for a half hour and many bugs will abandon ship. You may have to put something on top of the medium to keep it from floating away.

I did give the entire collection quite a good spray... every bit of medium or piece of basket or pot or whatever... I sprayed them several times over a period of about 2 hours.

I did however consider that whole imersion idea... I had thought that a 5 gallon bucket would have come in handy for a couple of my vandas with their wide girth & length of roots & such.

That would be a cheap investment of about $3.00US to get a clean un-used 5gallon bucket from Lowes & use it as a dunking tank I can see it now... creepie-crawlies abonding their cushy likkle dwellings like rats off of a sinking ship... thanks for that idea

[frostychic]

As a secondary thought... I don't think I was quite as thorough with the Bayer product when I applied it as I was with the Physan 20. That in itself could be the reason I saw so many downed bugs after the Physan treatment... I just did a better job of flushing them out!

Another reason to get a dunk tank.