Phrag Eric Young w/ Mealies! Ugh.

[jrodpad]

Yup. I was watering my phrag eric young - and admiring the new bud at the end of the spike that you see in the picture below.... when it happened.

I saw that gross white powdery stuff inside the node covering (what are those things called anyway?) just below the new bud. I gently turned the node covering inside out and there was a small mealie party going on in there. I cleaned them out manually and began looking for other spots of infestation. As luck would have it, none of the other nodes where hiding mealies. The leaves looked clean too as did the surface roots. Then I saw the smallest white spec in the node covering of the new bud. Yup again. I did my best to bend back the node covering and remove the mealies that I could see. I didn't have any alcohol or insecticidal soap handy, so I put some dilute physan on the tip of a q-tip and swabbed the 2 infected nodes, trying my best to avoid the new bud.

Will the physan kill the mealies or should I go back with alcohol tonight? Am I sure to loose this bud or is there a chance that it still might flower? In clearing out the mealies in the node underneath the bud, I accidentally peeled the covering off so that the node is now exposed. It made it easier to kill the bugs, but have I doomed this spike?

Finally, is it possible that the infestation could be so localized? Or is this orchid likely crawling with mealies that are too small to see?

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks!

- J

[Eyebabe]

Physan does not kill insects or arachnids(mites).
Isopropyl alcolhol, Safer soap, neem oil, malathion, orthenex...all those will kill the mealy bugs.
You can remove the individual bugs with a q-tip but infestations are recommended to treat the plant and then repeat in 2 weeks.
From what I understand, an infestation is difficult to get rid of

[Angurek]

Best of luck erradicating that infestation. Sucking insects are a real pest.

But on a lighter note, I guess it's time to give your 'chid some booze. I'd say the isopropyl treatment is in order.

Just be sure to check the roots, too. I've heard that mealies also hide out in the medium and suck on roots.

[dounoharm]

ackkk!! i would get some systemic insecticide....and blast em off with it....in the proper dilution it wont hurt the buds, and it will sure eradicate the mealies....and that is what you want right? you dont want to wine and dine em for weeks to come right?? dont mess with the small stuff like alcohol, just KILL them outright with systemic....its the only thing i have ever used that really wipes em out. follow the directions and spray every two weeks for 6 weeks then every month thereafter and you will never have an unpleasant surprise again....

[jrodpad]

I'm with you doundoharm - I'm a big believer in better living through chemicals for both myself and my chids.

Only problem is... what the heck is systemic insecticide? What type of insecticide to you recommend? Is there a particular brand name that you trust and have used with success?

I'm ready to buy the stuff right now - yeah - just point me in the right direction and I'll, I'll, I'll give those creepy white suckers a bit of the ol' liquid doom. Boohyeah!

Seriously though - what should I buy?

- J

[silken]

I think I just found my very first infestation of mealy bugs. Does it look like white powder? And would the systemic Merit work?