What brings on the Mealies?

[IdahoOrchid]

What conditions make it more likely that mealies will show up? Dry? Humid? Calm? Breazy?

What is the scoop on these guys?

[Piper]

A stressed plant always invites pests. Mealies also like enclosed areas, so you'll commonly find them tucked inside bracts, folded leaves, any out of the way place, which makes them doubly problematic to spray.

McJulie

[IdahoOrchid]

Two of the three plants I found them on were not stressed but are growing nicely. The third I would say is only marginally weak.

I was just wondering if cool and dry, hot and moist or some other such combination of conditions is more apt to encourage these guys to spread.

[Piper]

Very possibly, but I don't know what conditions they thrive in. They've also attacked some of my healthy plants. Luckily I don't get them often. Scale is my major pest.

McJulie

[bench72]

I also get mealies... heaps in fact!

And I don't know what brings them on either... they keep coming back... in hot and dry, hot and wet, cold and wet, cold and dry conditions...

So I am forever spraying with eco-oil which is an organic pesticide... a bitlike Neem Oil.

[Dantheman]

i have a Calanthe triplicata that is huge with three huge growths and 6 spikes and i found mealie bug in the little bract that covers the leaf and there right in the crevaces (sorry) but they only ever seem attracted to that plant.

[Gin]

Here is more than I wanted to know about the little creeps . No ads on the site . Gin
http://nathist.sdstate.edu/orchids/pests/mealybugs.htm

[Piper]

It's a useful site, Gin - but the little bastards remain creeps!

McYukk!

[Gin]

Not what I call them my name is worse , not had them on the orchids a cactus had them it was on the front porch all summer had to come from outside. I fianlly threw the plant out no way did I want it around the others . G

[Orchidzrule]

Steven,

I don't think mealy bugs are choosy. I have seen horrid infestations in both humid & in more arid conditions. I *think* (and may be quite wrong!) they are somewhat more of a problem when temperatures are warmer, but probably not by much. If you find any on one of your plants, you should probably assume they will be on others (or soon will be!) and take appropriate action. I'm embarrassed to admit this but years ago (before I got into orchids) I had them all over my plants by the time I was aware of them and I resorted to rubbing my plants down with nail-polish remover. The plants didn't like it (no! really???) and several plants soon had leaves with a rather burned look, but it did kill the little creeps/bastards (to quote Julie & Gin).