White objects on Onc Isthmi

[JeffreyR]

I have a newish (2-3 weeks) onc isthmi growing in moss in a clay pot. It is a well established large plant with perhaps a dozen bulbs, 2 of which are old and have no leaves.

It has outgrown the pot (overflowing) and I will repot after blooming. In the meantime, I’ve put the small pot in a bigger pot and recently (1 week) added bag of Better Gro orchid moss. I did not do anything to treat or sterilize the moss. Just rehydrated it.

On an evening check of the plants, I noticed a few white objects (eggs?) on the underside of one leaf. I’m 90+% sure they were not there before.

I’m attaching photos.

They are very tiny, 3D, and in a row. One row of 2 and one row of 3.

Can anyone identify the items? Recommend a treatment? Suggest where they came from - the plant already had them or they came in with the moss?

And now it is 2 and 2. One has crawled off or fallen off.

I have the 409/alcohol mix handy and have used it for mites on a new plant with success in the past. It is my go-to when I suspect a problem and so far have avoided any real infestations.

Thanks in advance,

[JeffreyR]

Update:

On further reading, I’m thinking these are some type of insect larvae. Perhaps fungus gnats? We do occasionally see one or two small flying insects such as fungus gnats or fruit flies, and occasionally a house fly in our house. Nothing huge or constant, and no obviously infested plant. No cloud of bugs if the plant is moved or shaken.

Eggs/larvae are about 1 to 1.55mm long.

I’ve wiped the affected leaves (found 2 last night and 1 this morning) with the 409/alcohol/water (1:1:6) blend and left to dry.

Does this sound right and do I need to do anything else? I generally wipe the leaves, top and bottom, plus any spikes and bulbs. I leave roots, soil, LECA alone. This was easy with Phals and I thought wiping instead of spraying helped avoid any standing water or rot. I have not had to treat oncs before.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ray]

They look like eggs, not larvae (which are more like worms or caterpillars, if you will). Fungus gnats lay their eggs, and their larvae emerge in the medium, not on leaves.

Probably a one-off.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I agree, probably insect eggs.

Not sure what kind (and not all insects are bad news)

If you have a local agricultural extension agent, send them your photos and see what they are. If you are lucky, they could be a beneficial insect that helps control the bad ones.

[JeffreyR]

Thanks Ray and whisperer. As these are inside plants (at least during winter) and I try to keep the wife happy, these are “bad” insects by default. So I’ve used the insect wash.

I do keep mantis in the yard and I don't kill spiders, and that’s already pushing it. Intentionally keeping insects, even good ones, on our indoor plants would result in me not having a wife problem any more.