For beginner gardeners, a note: how to get rid of a mealybug on an orchid?

Unfortunately, the wildlife system is designed so that for each creature there are several types of attacking creatures. Orchid is no exception. Whoever does not attack her: aphids, and midges, and ticks, and mealy worms.

In this article we will talk about the last parasite. Why a mealybug appears and how to deal with it, how to process the plant in order to save its life and completely get rid of the pest, we will talk in today's article. Also watch a useful video on this topic.

What is it and what does it look like?

ATTENTION: People called furry lice. These are sucking insects. Despite its miniature size (from three to six millimeters), it is very easy to notice on plants due to its wax secretions. A characteristic feature is their shaggy surface of a light shade.

Females lay eggs up to four times a year, which in the insect world is considered an indicator of high fecundity. They can form numerous colonies that are able to completely destroy the infected plant. In the adult stage, mealy worms stop eating.

At the moment, there are more than one and a half thousand species of shaggy lice that have adapted to live in all corners of the Earth. These individuals have only one pair of limbs, the rest are either reduced or completely absent depending on the species.

Watch a video about mealy what a mealybug is:

Photo

Below you will see how the signs of the disease look in the photo.

Signs of defeat

Confusing this attack with any other pest is quite difficult. After all, the main external feature of the fact that the orchid is susceptible to the negative influence of furry lice is a white fluffy coating, very reminiscent of medical cotton wool. Another sign of defeat can be called the presence of a shiny wax coating in places where the juice of their plants is sucked out. Mealybug can infect any part of the orchid: from escape to delicate flower.

What danger is the parasite for plants?

IMPORTANT: Being sucking insects, hairy lice feed on orchid juice. After this process, the plant loses the moisture it needs, nutrients, while the conductive tissues are disrupted. All this leads to the fact that the orchid cannot carry out photosynthesis, which is the key to her life.

In addition, worms secrete saliva, which contains many toxic enzymes that adversely affect the culture. After all these “tricks” of lice, the orchid significantly reduces the protective barrier, which leads to infection with other parasites.

Reasons for defeat

We list the errors that lead to the appearance of furry lice on the orchid:

1. Wrong watering. The flower grower either moistens the soil too much, or, conversely, overdries the soil, sometimes forgetting to water the flower or doing it intentionally.
2. Everyone needs hygiene, but they did not observe it. Wipe the leaf plates and bathe the orchid in the shower constantly. If you forget about it, not only a mealybug, but also many other harmful insects can appear on the plant.
3. Not quarantined for beginners. As soon as you bring a new plant into the house, do not rush to put it to the others. Quarantine for one to three weeks to detect existing parasites.
4. Windows are not protected. There are cases when mealybugs were brought into the house by gusts of wind along with dust. Therefore, if flowerpots with flowers are standing on your windowsill, hang a small mosquito net on the window.

How not to fight him?

On the Internet you can find recommendations for treating orchids with oil-based products or pure oils. But experienced flower growers say it is fatal to a flower. The oil clogs the airways of the plant, and it gradually weakens. In addition, removing oil is not an easy task.

Control measures at home

There are two ways to remove a harmful insect: mechanical and drug treatment (can be processed both with purchased products and with home cooking).

More about mechanical removal

As soon as you find a worm on an orchid, immediately follow the following algorithm:

• remove the affected areas of the flower;
• prepare a soap solution (from household or green soap);
• moisten a cloth in the prepared solution and wipe the green part of the plant, removing visible shaggy lice from it;
• wipe with a cotton swab in hard to reach places (especially in the leaf sinuses);
• make an orchid a good shower, but before that, check if there are still any worms to avoid getting into the root system. (Lice can also suck juice from the roots.);
• remove the flower from the ground and thoroughly rinse the root system (it is advisable to carry out this procedure several times).

TIP: You need to overthrow the treatment not only the plant, but also the location of the flower pot.

Watch a video about removing a mealybug from an orchid:

Chemical means of destruction

This is a very tenacious insect, so often one machining may not be enough. Even if at least one larva remains, it can degenerate a new generation of lice. Therefore, we recommend not to take risks and adopt one of the proposed tools:

1. «Fitoverm"(Kills both adults and larvae, causing them to complete paralysis).
2. «Bankol"(Comfortable for use due to the complete absence of smell, the effect is observed on the second or third day after application).
3. «Aktara"(A fairly powerful tool that can kill a pest in 4 hours. Experienced growers recommend adding the drug to irrigation water. Then the protective effect will last up to sixty days)."
4. «Mospilan"(A characteristic feature is the ability to destroy not only larvae, but even egg-laying).

Like it or not, any chemistry is toxins, although sometimes weak. Therefore, use the funds listed above only with gloves. After use, ventilate the room, wash hands and face thoroughly with soap and water under running water, rinse your mouth with clean water, and in case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with running water.

To obtain the full effect after processing the orchid with chemicals, put a plastic bag on the flower.

Folk ways

Among folk remedies, the following can be distinguished:

1. Chamomile broth. To prepare it, take 200 grams of flowers and the green part of chamomile, pour it all with one liter of boiling water and put it in a dark place for half a day. After this time, strain the tincture and add another three liters of liquid.
2. Garlic tincture. 5-6 cloves of garlic pour boiling water and leave for about twelve hours. Strain the resulting mass to spray the orchid.
3. Onion broth. Boil the peeled onion for several minutes, cool the water and then strain.
4. Pepper tincture. 50 grams of hot pepper pour half a liter of boiling water (it is better to boil for five minutes), set aside and then strain.

Some experts advise to process the leaf plates of orchids with alcohol. But you need to do this with special care, since, evaporating alcohol burns the leaves.

All preparations form an invisible film on the plant surface, interfering with the photosynthesis process.. Therefore, wipe the flower after treatment with a cotton swab dipped in clean water. Any treatment should be carried out at least twice with an interval of one week.

How to cure: step by step instructions for getting rid of the pest

Do not hope that the struggle with such an adapted insect will end quickly. Be patient and don't quit what you started halfway. Once a pest is noticed on a plant, you should:

1. remove all visible parasites;
2. wash off the rest in the shower;
3. treat with an insecticide or home preparation;
4. if necessary, renew the soil in the pot;
5. disinfect surfaces on which there was a flower pot;
6. remove the orchid in a separate place, protecting other plants from infection.

On the second day you need:

1. re-examine the plant;
2. remove the remains of mealybug;
3. fertilize the soil.

On the fifth day, repeat the treatment with insecticides or folk. Do not forget to fully examine the orchid. On the tenth day, you can again be treated with chemicals. It will be necessary to feed the weakened plant again.

ATTENTION: Quarantine lasts at least thirty days. At the same time, do not forget about the constant hygiene of the flower and the weekly soul for any orchids. Remember, only comprehensive and systematic treatment measures will help you defeat the harmful insect.

Disease prevention

• Do not forget about the mandatory isolation of a newly arrived plant.
• Humidify the air around the flower pot constantly; these insects love dry air.
• You need to water the orchid regularly, while not filling it, but also not to dry the soil.
• Remove dust and dirt from the crop every week. This must be done even in hard-to-reach places using cotton buds.
• Spray the flower as often as possible.
• Get rid of the dried parts of the plant in time, as this is an excellent breeding ground for the mealybug.
• Remember to feed. It must be applied to the soil once every two weeks.

Conclusion

We told you all about harmful insects such as mealybug. As you can see, the main thing is to detect it in time and start treating the affected plant. Orchid is a very delicate and fragile plant.. And if you decide to get it for yourself, get ready to constantly care for this culture and to the fact that sometimes troubles can happen, which only you will have to cope with.

Watch the video: Ep 015: Get Rid of Mealybugs, Gnats and Spider Mites - Plant One On Me (December 2024).