Unknown Pest

[jensoca]

I was checking on my Paph yesterday and noticed these tiny little bugs all over the top of the potting media. I tried to grab one but it jumped away from my fingers. I checked the plant out and found a few spots where it looks as though something has been feeding on the leaves and a small leaf on the newest growth looks like something is sucking the life out of it. I did some research and turned up nothing. I need some help naming these critters and getting rid of them before they spread to my Paphs. I also have to be careful because this particular paph is coming into its bloom season and i expect it to send up a bloom spike in the next few weeks.

A little backround on this Paph: This is the first paph I ever acquired, I bought it from a local store last fall and it was in spike. It had no tag but the blooms looked similar to Paph. Honey and I believe that is what it is. It had some rot on 2 of the leaves I cut it out and repotted it and haven't had any trouble since. But after checking it out for the bugs I noticed some markings which make me believe that I didn't solve the problem. I also dropped it in the process of looking at it and the breaks in the leaves have healed but I am worried that I have created a new food source for these little bugs. Also these little critters are too small to photograph.

Any info on how to destroy and prevent this pest is welcome and appreciated.

[mauraec]

Ouch! If this paph makes it to blooming, you should give it a gold medal - sounds like it's been through a lot of disasters lately. Not to worry, though - there's no rule that requires every orchid to bloom when it's "supposed to". (And a good thing that is!) As you noted, it's hard to tell what the critters are without a photograph. They sound a little like fungus gnats, which just came up in a very recent post, but I couldn't say for sure. It looks to me as though you might be fighting some kind of fungus as well, which may well be more difficult to resolve. While there are many resources and many members to id and advise on these issues, in the meantime, I would pull the plant out of the pot, gently rinse off existing medium, check the roots for rot and cut off any that are soft, brown and/or mushy, and spray the whole thing with both fungicide and insecticide before potting it back up in fresh medium. In the meantime, I would also isolate it immediately, and check your other paphs and any plants near the sufferer carefully for signs of the same damage. Personally, I am pretty risk-averse and would treat all of them with fungicide and insecticide anyway - ounce of prevention, etc. There are so many choices on what 'cides to use, I don't know which would be the best, although there are quite a few broad-spectrum combo-types that seem fairly effective. Oh, and before you repot, I would examine your potting medium to make sure it doesn't have its own life forms all ready to go at it. I know that cinnamon on open orchid wounds helps ward off infection and is both safe and organic, but a systemic infection or infestation requires more severe measures, and I have also heard that cinnamon is not particularly effective for trimmed roots, so I generally spray them with a good multi-purpose formula before repotting.

I know this doesn't help with knowing exactly what you're fighting, but often similar solutions apply to different kinds of orchid problems. That's my best advice, and there is certain to be better and more specific information from other members soon - just don't wait for an answer before taking at least some kind of action.

Maura

[kiwiorchids]

They could be larger than normal thrips or those fluffy-bums-the nymphs of the passionvine hopper? Try using Confidor-i use the aerosol spray, and it works great!

[Jose R. Nieves]

I agree with Maura. Take it out of the pot to check what's there and treat the whole plant specially in those folds. Before going into real toxic things you may try isopropil alcohol (diluted 1/10) or neem oil, do not put the plant in direct sunlight! What intrigues me is that you say "jumped away from my fingers" .
Jose

[kiwiorchids]

I agree with Maura. Take it out of the pot to check what's there and treat the whole plant specially in those folds. Before going into real toxic things you may try isopropil alcohol (diluted 1/10) or neem oil, do not put the plant in direct sunlight! What intrigues me is that you say "jumped away from my fingers" .
Jose

Thats why i thought those fluffybum thingies...they can jump 500-1000 times their bodylength!

[Jose R. Nieves]

Passion vine hopper! That's a new one to me. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...nymphthumb.jpg How do you treat it? (with respect? jejeje)
Jose

[kiwiorchids]

Passion vine hopper! That's a new one to me. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...nymphthumb.jpg How do you treat it? (with respect? jejeje)
Jose

haha lol, yea, the fluffybums are the nymphs. I just spray them with flyspray.

[cakedaddy]

I wonder if you have springtails...they aren't a direct threAt to the plant...if that were the case, the plant damage would be unrelated. Springtails are a nuisance to me. The start up easily where I am and are a pain to deal with!
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