Being invaded by pests....lots of pests

[sandra]

I've got 13 orchids, some blooming now, some already have flowered. Was checking things out yesterday when I noticed them.......lots of them.....thousands of them.....little, itsy bitsy, teeny light brown, ant-like though, much smaller, about 1/8 the size....crawling in and out of the orchid pots, crawling on the bakers rack....actually, scurrying fast. I took one orchid out of the pot and thousands of them.......totally infested. I removed all of the bark, rinsed them thoroughly and then I did the unmentionable..........instead of soaking them for 10 minutes with hydrogen peroxide as Anton told me to, I mistook the rubbing alcohol for the hydrogen-peroxide and soaked them (Anton, I know, I could just shoot myself ) So far, it still looks alive but I'm expecting that's temporary? I don't know if this one is salavagable but I still have to do something for this one and the others BUT WHAT? I do believe this occurred because of a dendrobium I took home from a commercial grower last week unless, that's just coincidence.

Is there a doctor in the house?????????? HELP!

[tom499]

i guess you rinsed the to try and remove the alcohol, im not sure it will nessassary kill them? i've over used the rubbing alcohol before and found it only messes an orchid up if you leave it in sunshine where it can burn easily. not sure how it will effect the roots though, hmmm maybe it will just evaporate off at least the alcohol will have killed off any bugs.

[janet_a]

sounds like you need a bug bomb. do you have a room you can seal the orchids in and then set off something that's safe for blooming plants?

[Ak_Orchid]

Neem oil is always a good option to kill bugs if they're still around. Superthrive might help heal any damage done from the alcohol.

[Anton]

Sandra, panick will do it every time. I'll forgive you THIS time.

As tom said, you may have had the same result, albiet a bit drastic way of achieving the same end. We'll get you there.

To ALL NEWBIES there is a VERY VALUABLE lesson to be learned here.

QUARANTINE any new plants from your established stocks until you have treated them and given them a clean bill of health, the exception is if they have been bought from a grower!!!

Orchid growers on the whole have clean plants as they can't afford to have problems with their stocks.

[sandra]

In one word, ORGANOCIDE. I purchased it today from a tropical nursery nearby, came home and sprayed it on and in all my plants. Harmless to most plants (not for bromeliads, which I have just as many of as I do orchids). Not one little critter to be found now! So far, the rubbing-alcohol-bathed orchid looks okay, still standing strong, new growth is continuing so just maybe, it'll survive.

Yes Tom, I rinsed it thoroughly and kept it out of the sun so I'm sure that stopped what could have been, it's final demise.

Yes Anton, definitely quarantine and now that I'm a bit more optimistic about future orchids, I'll be spraying every one I bring home with this Organocide before I introduce them to my collection. As a matter of fact, I'm going back tomorrow to this other nursery to purchase the most magnificent cattleya I've ever seen.

Janet, All these plants are on an outdoor, screened patio but I really was wishing last night that I had a bomb of some sort, I was so upset.

And AK Orchid, I've been reading a lot about neem oil since trying to find a solution here. I'll have to look into this.

The most valuable lesson here is to never integrate a new plant with your others before treating them first!!!

Life is good again. Thank you all for your suggestions and opinions.

Good nite all! Need to get some sleep.

[sandra]

This time I'm getting the Bayer Advance Rose and Flower Spray. All the orchids appear to have been infested with those tiny-teeny, fast little creatures again. I've noticed the humidity and rain bring them on full force.

Aside from NOT spraying the bloomed orchids, what kind of harm, if any is created by spraying? Can too much spraying do irreversable damage?

I'm also wondering if the bark is what they're feeding off of?

Anyone out here living in humid weather who keep their orchids potted and outdoors get visited by these little beasts?

My friend is picking me up in a few minutes. He told me that I need a "pick-me-up" and wants to buy me another orchid plant. Who am I to deny him?

And yes, I'll quarantine.

[fred]

the orchid doctor strikes again

that spray will help

spray with half strength mix is what i would do

with rain and humidity I would say they are looking for a new home

[sandra]

Thanks Fred. What are you doing up at this time? Isn't it past your bedtime in Tassi Town?

[fred]

umm umm the wife kicked me out so i have been trying to sleep under that rock but its way to cold

ants under there as well

they dont taste very nice

you would be suprised as to how long I stay up.

I spend hours on the forum

[E-Jag]

I had an experience just like yours this week, Sandra. Tiny white things moving rapidly in and around the bark my dens are planted in. No idea what they are, but I poured some worm tea in my spray bottle and sprayed the bejesus out of the bark and critters. Haven't seen one since and I've been doing a lot of looking and poking. The tea is a great insecticide. Wish I knew what they were, though.

_____________
E-Jag

[brookn]

Sandra, I understand the pain. I quarantined my new one, and then it got bugs a few weeks after I put it in with the others. I think they arrived from one of my other plants that were outside and I brought them in because of a cold snap. Oh well, live and learn.

[sandra]

It must be a Florida thing E-Jag. I just got done spraying so those little beasts are history.....for now. Hope your problem is in the past as well. Worm tea.......I keep meaning to order some.....I keep forgetting

Brook, so right you are...live and learn!