Shipment with Scale Insects

[Alplily NH]

Argh.
Just received my first mail-order orchids. Three out of seven plants have obvious scale insect problems (scale clearly visible on leaves, and honeydew mist, too).

They vendor offered to refund my money, but I'm not entirely sure what to do. I do not have ANY pest problems in my little collection at home (under 20 plants).

What should I do?
1. Return the entire bunch?
2. Return the plants with obvious scale and keep a vigilant eye on the others?
3. Keep the infested plants (quarantined) and treat the scale? They are all smallish plants (2-3 inch pots).
4. Other ideas?

Thanks!
*alplily

[Cjcorner]

Scale, when bad, is nearly impossible for me to completely get rid of. What happens is I think I'm making progress and they have simply hid better. Usually, best rule of thumb, return them or segregate them until completely clean. The problem though, usually only plants with something already wrong with them get bugs bad. The weaker the plant, the harder it is to save it from the bugs or trash. It is tough to send them back, but if the vendor is willing you will be saving yourself months of agony, as well as alot of money trying to kill the little buggies.
Connie

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Return them and get your money back. It is a lot of fight to kill scale and in the end you could end up with your other plants infected. Best to keep them away and send them back - even the ones that appear clean since they were in the same box. JMHO

Cheers,
BD

[JoeW]

I recommend that you take the refund and get rid of the plants as soon as possible. Scale is really tough and why fight it when there are easy alternatives?

[Gin]

I agree ,send them back they are the pits to get rid of .. Gin

[Molly Taco]

I concur. Get rid of the bugs and start fresh.
Cin

[GrumpyBear]

its very sad, especially if you were searching for these particular plants, but the dreaded scale must be kept at bay. and still keep a vigilant eye on your collection, the enemy was too close...
at least you have a decent vendor who'll take them back.

[cherublace]

those that have responded definitely know more than i do about orchids but i have had many battles with scale and have always won. i have cacti and grow african violets. all of which have been slammed with scale at various times. right now i have five staghorns with scale. i blast them with a 10% alcohol, 90% water solution daily for several days and WATCH them. spray everywhere. within minutes you should just be able to wipe them off. the little carcasses just slide right off. i had never lost a plant, not in twenty years. again i say, i am not an orchid expert so don't know if its harder to eradicate it with 'kids, but my guess is its not.

[Cjcorner]

Mine seem to get the scale around the base of the p-bulb. I have them potted for the heat down here and the scale seems to be able to get down there and colonize before you know it. There will be tons of them. Maybe I just don't spray them enough... I try to keep an eye on the ones that seem to get it the worst, but I always seem to miss one and it'll just get awful with them. For the most part, if I know a plant has bugs now, I just leave them at the store.
Connie

[Gin]

This is the one that is the pits and will wreck dormant eyes on the P bulb .
Boisduval Scale