What kind of pest is this and how do i deal with it?

[K.O.]

Hello,

I recently discovered some weird looking bugs on the bottom of my dendrobium plum purples water tray. When i lifted it there were these white looking dots on the bottom of the pot itself. I also found 3 on the top of my phal. violaceas roots. i blew on them to see if they were actually bugs and they quickly retreated to the sphagnum moss to hide. They look silvery to me with a rainbowish shine when exposed to the light and they are ovular in shape. There was also a white circular bug but i could not see very well i thought maybe it was the larve? I attached some pictures hopefully you guys can see

[Dollythehun]

The next to the last photo looks like a common fungus to me. The long slender insects are probably springtails. They eat decaying organic matter. I could be totally wrong but that's my first impression. I can't really see anything in your other pictures. Someone else will chime in.

Is your potting medium broken down? When I have any kind of soil pests, I soak the plant in warm, soapy water. You'd have to do that a few times because they will hatch new batches.

[K.O.]

Okay, would the fungus be ok or could it be a threat to the orchid? Also do springtails have 6 legs because i counted 6 legs on the insect. About the soap i have an eco friendly vegan soap from Dr.Bonners the mint one. Would that be okay? Sorry for the many questions.

[aliceinwl]

I agree that the “bugs” are springtails and they do have 6 legs. I have them in a few of my pots too, especially those with moss and those with bark that I don’t let totally dry out. They’re harmless and don’t have much of a proclivity to wander off so I just leave them be.

Some are quite pretty

Springtail (Lepidocyrtus sp.)

---------- Post added at 11:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------

Looking closely you have some kind of globular springtails too. I don’t have any of these in my pots but they’re super cute :-)


Globular Springtail (Sminthurinus sp.)

[Dollythehun]

I fill a bowl/sink/pail whatever with warm to very warm water and add enough dish soap to foam. I immerse the pot and go fo something else, for however long. The solution smothers/drowns them and it's not an exact science. The fungus is common and harmless IMO.

Agreed, time to check your medium for a repot.

[K.O.]

@aliceinwl OMG thats exactly it!!! LOL they are cute. You know I also i also have these tiny microscopic circular beetles that are black with two white circles on the sides. I see them on my plum purple as well but first time i saw them were on my odbrs kenneth bivens. Would you happen to know anything about them as well? I heard that they eat up decaying matter and that they are harmless I just want a second opinion.

---------- Post added at 11:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:03 PM ----------

@Dollythehun, yeah my orchid guy told me that too but which soap do you use? He told me to avoid dawn at all costs cause it'll kill the plant lol. It seems that way about the fungus because everyone is saying that lol >.<

[Roberta]

I suspect that both the fungus and the springtails are harmless to the orchid, but they're symptomatic of rotting medium. And THAT is harmful. Repot time...

Aliceinwl, those photos are great! Both bugs are so cute!

[K.O.]

@Roberta, I was going to do just that lol. So i just got some decent sized bark today should i just use the bark for it or add some sphagnum moss to that as well?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by K.O.

@Roberta, I was going to do just that lol. So i just got some decent sized bark today should i just use the bark for it or add some sphagnum moss to that as well?

It depends on which types of orchids, and your watering practices. If you tend to overwater, leave out the sphagnum. For Cattleyas definitely no sphag. I think Phalaenopsis would be better off without it too. Might be useful for Oncidinae, since they like to stay a bit damp.

[K.O.]

This would be for my dendrobium plum purple. I water based on what i see for this one if its near being dry i water it with a tinny bit of fertilizer. Actually I have a oncidium twinkle 'red fantasy' that just dropped all flowers but has on naked flower spike left. I might use the remaining bark for that one.