Tiny white bugs on mount
 

Hi all,
I got a cedar wood mounted tricentrum tigrinum from Hausermann 2 weeks ago
I went to soak the mount today and found tiny bugs crawling all over. They are very small, I cant count the legs. I have not noticed any damage to any leaves or roots. I sprayed with hydrogen peroxide & all also sprayed the mount itself with 1:1 70% isopropyl alcohol & water with a dash of dish soap. These guys are still moving. Any ideas?
I took it out of my terrarium and washed the whole thing down. Also sprayed my other two mounted orchids.The rest are begonias.
This is the only new thing so I am fairly certain it came with the trichocentrum.
If anyone has an idea what this could be and any treatmebnts, pls let me know. I tried to take some images but it was rather dificult.... thanks!

I don't know what they are. Spraying when there is no damage almost always is more harmful than leaving things alone. There are normally a lot of tiny insects, fungi and bacteria around all plants. They keep harmful things under control. Don't worry about tiny things unless your plants are being harmed.

Hydrogen peroxide is good at damaging or killing roots, by the way. Hydrogen peroxide followed by alcohol followed by soap probably damaged the plant's roots.

Yes, i know you are right.... my first instinct was mealybug nymphs and inside the terrarium made me nervous...hopefully everything will be ok. I found more of these bugs now. They seem to come out more now that it is damp.

It's a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

You have given me some relief. I kept reading the hydrogen peroxide does not do any harm. Thank you for bringing the opposite to my attention. What do you do if you have a pest?

It depends on the pest. I am mainly concerned with spider mites, mealy bugs and scale. For many, a solution of 1 Tablespoon / 15ml of liquid dish soap in 1 quart / liter of water works.

For spider mites it must be sprayed on all surfaces of the plant, plus the potting medium. This does not kill eggs. They have short generations, shorter with warmer weather. So repeat spraying with soap water is needed at 4-5 day intervals for 3-4 repetitions.

You need to pay attention to signs of spider mite attack, and be prepared to treat all your plants quickly when it comes back - because it will come back.

Mealy bugs or scale, and their eggs, may be killed if you submerge the entire plant in the soap solution overnight. If not, rotating applications of systemic insecticides will be needed.

I only rarely have bug issues. Spider mites during warm and dry weather are my worst arthropod pest.

Thanks, I appreciate the information!
In case these are nymphs of some sort I will keep the soap solution in mind.

I am thankful to only have had a bout of spidermites on my non orchid houseplants last year. Neem oil worked well, in case you need another treatment to try!