Beetles in plant mounts - Orchid Board

nancy · #1 (**permalink**) 03-26-2008, 09:10 PM

Greetings -
I'm fairly sure they are powder post beetles, the kind that leave tiny holes in old furniture - I see the dust they make when chewing on things under (particularly) my grapevine mounts.
I've tried all the 'usual' stuff, but they aren't scale or mites, so Malathion, Acephate, horticultural oils, etc. are ineffective.
Has anybody else had this problem? And found a solution? I don't think they will harm my plants, but having them around is just *creepy*, and they leave a mess when I have the blooming plants indoors (or, horrors, at a show).
Thanks for any advice!
Regards - Nancy

Tindomul · #2 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 09:57 AM

Snuff the life out of them. If they are confined to a specific mount or tank, put them in a sealed chamber and either drown them or use dry ice to displace the oxygen they need to breath. And make sure you do it long enough to get rid of any air pockets and repeat to kill eggs.

Ross · #3 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 10:03 AM

:iagree: Only way I know of is some form of fumigation. Tindo is right - the dry ice trick should work.

Dorothy · #4 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 10:18 AM

Here is Marty's article - it outlines it for a terrarium - http://www.orchidboard.com/eliminate...pests-with-co2

nancy · #5 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 07:42 PM

Greetings - The dry ice link was fascinating! I have tried submerging the mounts in water for 24 hours plus, with no effect, so this is worth trying.
There are poisons (Borasol, Boracare) that will eliminate the beetles, but I am leery of using it on/near my orchids. Plus, it is pretty pricey (in the $80 range for a pint, which is probably a two-lifetime supply).
I'll try to figure out a way to do this to as many as will fit in my 20-gal terrarium...any good ways to keep the mounts from getting re-infested? My growing area is the great outdoors.
Regards - Nancy

cirillonb · #6 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 04:36 PM

I just now saw this thread. My wife use to collect twig minature furniture that often had this problem. I tried a lot of things you couldn't use with a living plant attached to no avail. I did not bake them which would likely have worked since craftsmen who use twig and branches etc often will kiln dry the pieces before making the piece.
I hope whatever you tried worked. In any case, keep such infested pieces out of the house.
Nick

Daemos · #7 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 05:26 PM

For that... you need chlorocamphor which is banned since the 1970's. That stuff will eliminate them for good. They propably won't eat you plants so you can forget about systemics.

That dry ice trick is supercool. Think I'm gonna try it on the next infestation and see what happens

isurus79 · #8 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:37 PM

Ive had the same problem with a few of my mounts. As I mostly use wood from the side of the road for my mounts, I tend to get different types of wood. Ive noticed that most types of wood do not suffer the attacks from these pests. Basically, if you're suffering attacks with one type of wood, switch it to another one and see what happens. I know this does not help your immediate problem, but it could help with future problems. That article about the dry ice was really cool too! Unfortunately, I grow all my 'chids outside, so it would only be a temporary solution. FYI, I have not noticed these bugs in my cork mounts or my hardwood mounts. I hope this helps!

nancy · #9 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 10:04 AM

Greetings - since I asked this question originally, I've tried a product called Tim-Bor, intended for termites and other wood-boring critters (active chemical is disodium-octaborate-tetrahydrate) without much noticeable difference. After pondering the dry-ice method, I decided it would not fit my growing conditions (outdoors) since it would be only a temporary fix.
I came across something somewhere saying that Sevin was effective, so tried that - jury still out.
Steve, I have also found these in cork mounts, but they are usually pretty 'vintage' slabs of cork - plants that I've had mounted for 10 years or more - perhaps something in the cork dissipates as the bark ages.
As a contrast to kiln-drying - a few years ago I bought a WWI vintage hand-crank sewing machine in a beautiful wood case - veneer, marquetry, etc. Just filled with boring insects. I took the machine out, and put the case top and bottom in the freezer for a few months. Problem solved! The many pinholes, IMO, are not unattractive. And I suspect several coats of Danish oil and paste wax made the wood unpalatable. Knock wood!
I'll report on the Sevin in a few weeks. Knock wood again.
Regards - Nancy