I just bought a phal and noticed a mealy bug. What should i do? Repot?

[Christina]

I just bought a phal today and when i got home i noticed a mealy bug crawling up the side of the spike.

Please help. What should I do? I have Physan 20, does that get rid of mealy bugs?

Do you think i should repot immediately?

[Ron]

Hi Christina.
I use a small craft paint brush dipped in metho to wipe off the mealybug.
The mealy bugs also get into the potting mix and live on and around the root system.
I always repot all new orchids going into my orchid house.
As the flower spike is soft new growth the mealy bugs tend to all head up there for a feed.
You may get most of them but there next generation eggs will be in the root system.
cheerio
Ron

[11Orchid126]

I would try to eliminate the mealys first, before repotting. I've found that insects love a new medium and thrive in it. It would be wiser to drench the medium with an insecticide once a week for three straight weeks to kill any eggs. You might try a mixture of one cup of alcohol, one cup of Formula 409, two cups of water, and a tablespoon of dish liquid. This mixture can be used as a spray and a drench. There are many insectides out there for mealys.

[mayres]

I have found the easiest thing is to purchase a ready to use spray bottle of Bayer Rose and Flower Spray for about $5. Give your plant a spray every week for a month or so and you should be clear. In theory it is a systemic and is supposed to last for a month. There are many more natural methods you can use (some as noted) but you may or may not find them as effective. No need to repot for this. Good luck!

[katrina]

Hey Christina!

After searching thoroughly, if you haven't seen any others...it's possible the little bugger hitched a ride just before you picked up the phal.

Personally, I would do the q-tip in alcohol to remove the one I found and then just watch very closely and inspect every millimeter of the plant every day. If I saw anymore of then then I would do a treatment of some sort. I avoid using chemical pesticides/insecticides (just me) so I use a 'green' soap based product and while it sometimes takes a little more diligence in f/u treatments...it's worked fabulously for me.

Personally, I also always repot as soon as I get home (or within a couple of days) -- w/phals even if their in bloom. Some I might wait until bloom is finished but phals get repotted right away. Around here most places have their phals in sphag or some type of potting mix so I prefer to get them into a mix I'm familiar with. Having everyone in the same potting medium makes it easier for me at watering time.
Kat ~