mealy bugs on my orchids - help!

[Rick Friesen]

I've been plaged with these all year. I've tried soap/alc/water formula to the extent of 50% alc. with total sumertion. They just keep comming back I don't think the orchids can take much more of this tender loving. I've been using a hose and garden insect killer and these buggers still return. Can anyone thell me what these are and how to get rid of them. Thank you. Hope the pics work.

[smwboxer]

They are mealy bugs. Never had them so not quite sure how to get rid of them.

[Lizgeo]

I use the following mix to spray down scales and mealy bugs, both the plant and the mix.

1 part of rubbing alcohol
1 part of 409
4 parts of water

Good luck!

[Gin]

Oh shiver ~~~~~Mealies ~~~~ have too spray and spray every 3 days miss one egg and they are back . I don't know what you can get in Canada in the way of a systemic . If you can't then I would un-pot it and wash roots well go over every crook and cranny leaf joints ect .It depends on what you can buy there . I Hate Mealy Bugs !!!!!!!!!!!

[Lambert]

Just had some for the first time on some plants I had outside.
I dunked the infested plants in their pots in a bucket of water with a couple of drops of a growth regulator.(1 tbsp per 5 gallons)
I repeated the process 10 days after and the mealies are gone.
Growth regulators prevent the young mealies from molting therefore not completing their lifecycle, eggs won't hatch and it makes the females sterile. Good stuff
And it doesn't harm the plants
It will not kill the existing adults but destroy the future generations and mess up the adults reproductive system.
Getting rid of the adults is the "easy" part and can be done by spraying like Liz recommended.

[orchidlady]

You definitely need to repot the plant as well as treat it. Mealies like to hide in the medium and that is probably the source of the return invaders.

Susan

[Rick Friesen]

So these are the dreaded mealies that everyone talks about. Sounds like I have a lot of work ahead of me. Thanks everyone for their help.

[Rick Friesen]

I've been using the mixture of water alc. and insecticide. With weekly total submertion and daily spraying all summer, I've lost 3 orchids and have lost countless leaves off the others. One orchid actualy has sprouted a growth off its side and is comming back. For this reason I'm leaving the others in their pots and am hoping for the best. Now with my orchids that have lost most of their leaves, can I repot and buiry them deeper up to their leaves or keep them at the same soil depth? They are in a bark mixture. With the cooler weather I'm hopping that the bugs will stop for next year. YOU DON"T WANT MEALIES!!!!!

[cstraub]

Just had some for the first time on some plants I had outside.
I dunked the infested plants in their pots in a bucket of water with a couple of drops of a growth regulator.(1 tbsp per 5 gallons)
I repeated the process 10 days after and the mealies are gone.
Growth regulators prevent the young mealies from molting therefore not completing their lifecycle, eggs won't hatch and it makes the females sterile. Good stuff
And it doesn't harm the plants
It will not kill the existing adults but destroy the future generations and mess up the adults reproductive system.
Getting rid of the adults is the "easy" part and can be done by spraying like Liz recommended.

Hi,
This works !
Had a greenhouse FULL of them. Insecticide etc. kills what it hits but it is not a permanent solution.
I now use Enstar, and a systemic, and keep spray bottles of insecticide and Enstar solution nearby.
I did kill 2 Vandas with the systemic probably by too many applications. So read the directions.

Carl

[Rick Friesen]

I've now lost 3 phals and the others have no new growth. all my orchids have lost leaves and are looking pretty ill. I've been gone working for 3 weeks and just got back and so have the mealies. I'm at the stage of just giving up. Is it realy worth the effort or just start over?