Mystery pest and treatment help!

[Rotarycoach]

Help guys! I have a mystery pest problem that I need some help with. My orchids have been outside since may (live in atlanta, ga) and I am seeing lots of root damage in 20-30 of my orchids (mostly cats, dens, and phals). So first I thought it was snails and slugs so bought some sluggo, but no help. When I started looking through the medium closely I didn't find any snails or slugs but I did find what I think is the perp. There were a few "centipede" like bugs in each one. They are about an inch long but never bigger. Any idea what these are? Any ideas on treatment? Thanks!

[panam]

Hmmm. I live in a much more arid location than Atlanta, so I'm not even going to hazard a guess. Any chance you could get a picture of the little suspects?

[Kassie]

In my friend's greenhouse, there are tons of little centipedes near his succulent/cactus section and sections of orchids that are overdue for a repot. They seem to be eating the decaying medium. He claims they don't bother roots, but I wonder sometimes. . .

Itty bitty snails that are hard to find can do a lot of root damage. They like to hitchhike in pots from Hawaii. They don't seem to be attracted to slug bait. We've had good luck eliminating them by spraying caffeine. There are studies online about appropriate dosage of caffeine in orchids, don't ask me to describe my method. It involved grinding up bottle after bottle of NoDoz, using very bad math and being awake for 24 hours after all I absorbed through my skin. I'm probably flagged on some DEA database after cleaning two pharmacies out of NoDoz. If we develop a problem again, next time we'll order pure caffeine powder and do it proper-like.

[King Kjeldz]

now u have to take a picture cuz centipedes are great...dey eat pests...but millipedes...now that is a different story altogether...the love green growing root tips

[kiwiorchids]

Sounds like MILLIPEDES, they DO feed on decomposing matter, but never touch living tissue unless they are desperate. So they must be eating the barka s it breaks down or if you have any rotting roots, that will bring them too. Not a bad thing though. But perhaps it is something else? I have had little Katydids getting through the chunkier barks and munching on the roots, the tips especially. Crickets like to as well.

[King Kjeldz]

Sounds like MILLIPEDES, they DO feed on decomposing matter, but never touch living tissue unless they are desperate. So they must be eating the barka s it breaks down or if you have any rotting roots, that will bring them too. Not a bad thing though. But perhaps it is something else? I have had little Katydids getting through the chunkier barks and munching on the roots, the tips especially. Crickets like to as well.

Jordan idk if the get desperate but on my side of the world...they along with cockroaches specifically target green growing tips......i think it tastes much better than rotting organic matter...i wud picture it tastes sweet lololol like micro greens to the invertebrate world

[kiwiorchids]

Jordan idk if the get desperate but on my side of the world...they along with cockroaches specifically target green growing tips......i think it tastes much better than rotting organic matter...i wud picture it tastes sweet lololol like micro greens to the invertebrate world

possibly, but i have never experienced an issue. They always seem to sit in the base of the pots, eating holes in the bark. cockroaches on the other hand...