Update Phalaenopsis with Mealybug Infestation

[monivik]

I thought I would do an update on the following post, which was a couple of months ago: Treatments against Mealybugs

So my two badly affected orchids were the Phalaenopsis Schilleriana (which was practially a baby plant that I had just bought, I say baby because of it's size, it is small so I assume it is a young plant) and the Hieroglyphica.

The Schilleriana lost practically all of it's roots, it was partly my mistake because I didn't have bark to repot in at first and had it in spaghnum moss, and it was just too wet so they all rotted away. Fortunately I used some of that root hormone stuff and it's really been making some roots, there's like 5 of them coming. Also a new leaf.

The Hieroglyphica is a little better, I think because it had more roots to start with. It does indeed seem to have crown rot unfortunately (I think caused by the mealybugs), but nothing to do about that. This little plant is still hanging in there. There's a new root coming as well I can see.

To my horror I saw something just two weeks ago. They still have some sort of bugs on them. What it is I have no idea. I treated them with the "poison" (I mean I really brought in the big guns that time) last summer. Anyway I'm not sure what sort of bugs these are, they don't look like the mealybugs, which were white and "hairy or fluffy". These are microscopic insects. I mean they're hard to spot, if it wasn't for the fact that I was looking really closely I saw something moving around.

I do think they're also affecting the plant, in this case in particular the Scilleriana, because one of the leaves is now turning yellow. I am so disappointed! I thought I got rid of all the bugs.

What I do find strange is that the spray bottle that I used last summer, says use a maximum of 3 times in a year. I've used it 3 times already on these orchids, because I sprayed them I think once a week, three weeks in a row because that is what the instruction read. So does that mean I can't use it anymore on these orchids?

Anyway I don't know if there's any point to keep the Schilleriana? I've tried hard so far but it feels like we're losing the fight. There aren't many leaves left now.