Orchid Health: Bugs

• myfirstorchid
• 4 years ago
• Categories: Uncategorized

Help! My orchid has bugs (scales, mealybugs, mites and aphids)! What should I do?

Copyright American Orchid Society

To prevent pests

• Apply GET OFF ME! ever time you water your orchid and you can put up sticky traps near your orchids. If you don't have this you can sprinkle a bit of cinnamon near the base of your plant.
• Putting your orchids on humidity trays helps prevent pest also because pest really like dry environments (normally found in our homes).
• Also don't allow your orchids to be near fresh fruit, in say your kitchen, this causes both flies and the citrus can deteriorate your orchid.

To TREAT pest

Okay, so you have found really gross little bugs on your orchid! Pests can also be difficult to control indoors. If you have pets or children it can also be disconcerting to use pesticides to control these issues.

Don't panic! The best defense I have found is GET OFF ME! Pest Control Spray made from cinnamon, applied to the affected areas, which I purchased from www.rePotme.com. This is a safe substance to use indoors.

Here's what to do;

• REMOVE YOUR PLANT FROM OTHER PLANTS – you don't want bugs to move from one plant to another.
• Wash pests off with water/mild soap solution and pick off bugs.

1. I use Washme from http://www.repotme.com to wash leaves if you don't have this use FEW drops of mild soap detergent on the plant (don't use too much soap) mixed with a bunch of water and spray it all over the plant (underside of leaves etc.) and then rewash with clean fresh wet paper towel.
2. Don't reuse the paper towels – as they have bugs on them.
3. You can also use the spray nozel (if you have it) on your kitchen sink to spray off any extra bugs and mild soap solution.

• Make a solution of 50% rubbing alcohol/water and dab/rub it on the pests.

1. You can use a Q tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol or toothbrush dipped in a pesticide like Malathion, Orthene or Safer Soap.
2. You can also spray this solution mixed with a pesticide all over your plant (underside of leaves etc.).
3. Repeat this every few days / once a week until pest are gone.

• I use GET OFF ME!, to rid the eggs and prevent further spread of pests. I spray this on my orchid base each time I water my orchids.
• Soaking the entire plant, in water, helps too because the bugs can't breathe. If you do this then you should repot your orchid to remove all the infected bug area.

Hope that helps,

Hannah