small white bugs and "sap" on leaves

[Cranly]

Hi all,
The other day I was messing with the orchids and happened to notice a sticky substance on the underside of the leaves on one of the phals. (I currently do not see this on any of the others.)

Today, I saw on some of the bark a bunch of small white bugs. Is there any correlation? What should I do??

Thanks!
Let me know if there is any other questions i can try to answer.

[wuness]

The sap you see on the leaves is probably normal and can be removed with a damp cloth. It also appears on the flower stalk at the base of the flowers and elsewhere. Some people call it "happy sap" (suggesting the plant is healthy and happy), but it is used in nature by some orchids to attract ants which in turn protect the orchid against other insects that would otherwise damage the the plant, especially the flower.

The white critters look like springtails. They are harmless to the plant and live in damp situations where they feed on soil fungi. Their presence suggests that your bark is breaking down and your plant is in need of a re-potting. You have a healthy new root (maybe more) so now would be a good time to do that.

wuness