Noticed some wierd bugs on one of my oncidiums

[elitebettas]

Thank god when i water they all soak in separate little containers and i don't share water between them. This moring i watered all my orchids (soaking the medium for about an hour). I have a nice lava burst oncidium that has 8 spikes! I was so proud, today come home from work and see a lot of "dots" all over each of the new pseudobulbs with my spikes. They weren't there this morning so I thought it may have been insect eggs or something, while removing them with cotton swabs doused in rubbing alcohol, they started to move....I've never seen mites before only read about these pests in the forum. They are tiny, but maroonish red and move. Are these the spider mites? I have never had them nor noticed any problems on any of my other plants. I'm guessing that soaking the medium brought them up and out to the growth. I've noticed no stippling of leaves or webs etc-in short no visible damage characteristic of them. where would they come from? Could eggs be so dormant for so long? I repotted this plant when i got it blooming last year?? Immediately removed the plant from it's hanging position in my growing area. Is dousing with alcohol when i see them and continuing to water with worm tea enough?

[chefatplay]

I haven't had this problem, Elite, but I will help you bump this up so maybe someone who has will see it. Good luck!

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by elitebettas

I have a nice lava burst oncidium...

The correct name is Howeara Lava Burst. if your tag says Oncidium Lava Burst, you can now fix it.

Originally Posted by elitebettas

...where would they come from?

Bugs can come in from anywhere, usually through another plant, but also through a small space in the screen, on the back of your jacket, your produce, etc., etc.

Originally Posted by elitebettas

Could eggs be so dormant for so long?

I dont' know about your specific insect, but some insect eggs can lie dorman for a long, long time which is why one needs to repeatedly apply most insecticides.

Congrats on the many spikes! And good luck getting rid of the pests.

[BillC]

Hi, from your post it would seem that you have an infestation of red spider mite which could be very difficult to eradicate.
You could try washing them off with a strong water sprayer. Some people use soapy water for this…but you should cover the surrounding area under the plant to catch any mites that fall from the plant as they could infect other plants. If you try the spray, do it outside and away from your other plants.

Introduce Biological controls – predatory mites. These can eradicate red spider mites PDQ provided they are introduced early i.e. before the infestation is out of control. Predatory mites feed directly on the Red Spider mites and will devour them at a rapid rate. Red spider mite can be controlled biologically indoors or outside by using their natural enemy, the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis. You should be able to find this at you local garden suppliers. Good luck with your efforts.

Bill

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If you see them, they are not mites. A good picture might help. If you are sure they came up while the plant was soaking, they may be larvae of some potting mix inhabitant. Seen any fruit flies lately? I thing using some 'mosquito dunk' material, from a home center or hardware store, in your watering can may help.

[elitebettas]

Thank you all for your help. Okay, so far, I've been using alcohol dapped cotton swabs and swabbing them off. They are easy for ME to see, they move freely and are actually hiding between the place where the leaves rest against the pseudobulbs(where all my spikes are coming out of). I hate using chemicals, but if i do, gardensafe has a product that is mainly neem oil. There is no way to spray the plant without getting the arial roots wet too. Is this detrimental to the roots? Also, if I get the spray in the crevice is this bad at this point-since the new growth is mature?
Cynthia-to answer your question i first thought they may have been larvae because i do see some nats occasionally, but the fact that these pests are round and sort of "shiny" maroon color leads me to belive otherwise? Are mosquito dunks also predatory for mites?
Thanks guys, i have to save this plant-right now it looks as good as it always has but i don't want these pests to get the upper hand whatever they are-especially when my spikes are showing buds now!

[elitebettas]

I tried taking a picture, but they are too small and my camera cannot focus them...

[tizzycat]

elitebettas, From your description my RHS Pest and Diseases Book indicates that they could be ORIBATID MITES. There is quite a lot of stuff on the internet about them and also seems to be a connection with orchids.

I put in a search for orbatid mites on orchids - One result had some really good photos for ID purposes, but I don't think I allowed to post the link here as it is to another forum. (although the format is strikingly similar to Orchidgeeks).

If Fred wants to me to mail the link he can take a look???

[elitebettas]

Tizzycat,
Thank you, i will check that out

[pikevi]

I have seen them in my backyard but I have not seen them on the orchids.

But I will check all the orchid pots for their presence after reading BillC's post.

I checked the 'net and found this URL ,if you want to ID it.

http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/mites_acari

I did not pay too much attention to them and hence cannot identify what I had in my garden.

Good luck.

[tizzycat]

elitebetta, as Cynthia says red spider mites are (as far as I know) very difficult to see with the naked eye whereas oribatid mites are bigger, so maybe they are the culprits.

[elitebettas]

Tizzycat and Cynthia, yes I think you guys are absolutely correct. i watered (soak method) on Sunday. I guess since the reason why i haven't noticed them before is because they retreat in the medium as long as it isn't too wet. When i soaked the medium they were up on the pseudobulbs and leaves, but mainly the bulbs leading me to believe they are no real harm to the plant, just the medium which they may cause the degrade alittle faster than normal, but without a conclusive ID I need to figure out a way to get rid of them? They look exactly like the oribatid mites!, I'm wondering how big those are because what i have are about the size of a pin head. Thanks guys for your help, i'll research what will get rid of these

[tizzycat]

elitebettas, Ithink I read the oribatid mites are about 1mm, don't quote me, have another look on the net.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Neem won't hurt the roots. Too bad they don't have a power indication on their pictures to get an idea of size.