Which drug to choose in order to get rid of scale insects on an orchid

We determine the presence of a pest

Unlike many other insects, adult males and females of scale insects have quite serious differences. Males are free to move, besides they are winged, and therefore are able to cover distances of several meters. Females are motionless - they attach their proboscis to the body of the plant and no longer move.

You can recognize the scabbard by the translucent shell that covers their body. Moreover, its color may be different - from white to almost black. The hue of the shell will depend on the species of the parasite.

The female scale insects are called shield aphids. They have small body sizes - from 0.5 to 5 mm and are capable of producing a waxy substance. This pad accumulates around the body of the female, forming a kind of shield that protects both herself and the laying of eggs.

On a note! At one time, the female insects can lay about 3 thousand eggs!

Young individuals - larvae - do not yet have a shell, and therefore can freely move around the plant. Over time, females of the scabbard are attached by proboscis to the selected place on the orchid, and the males continue their active lifestyle.

Malware

The main source of food for scale insects is plant sap, which they mercilessly suck from both adults and young specimens. Moreover, orchids are their favorite dish. Especially often scabies appear on those types of orchids whose leaves are solid - on the phalaenopsis and cymbidium. And if representatives of these varieties are present in your home greenhouse, it is important to check them often for parasites.

As a result of the nutrition of the scale, voids form in the affected areas of the flower - it was here that the pest was located and injected its poison. Small spots begin to appear on the leaves, painted in a yellowish, red and red-brown shade, after a while they increase in size and fill the entire surface. Such leaves die off.

In addition, the sticky pad secreted by scale insects during the course of life is an ideal environment for the development of fungal diseases of orchids. The disease manifests itself in the form of moldy plaque, which gradually spreads through the body of the plant and interferes with the photosynthesis process. As a result, the infected specimen weakens, the foliage turns yellow and falls, the flowers change their color. In addition, the sticky secret is sweet, and therefore attracts the attention of other flower pests - ants. And they, in turn, are able to tolerate the causative agents of viral diseases.

Orchid treatment: what needs to be done first

It is quite difficult to get rid of scale insects, but don’t give up immediately - if you build the fight competently and be patient, then you can surely eliminate all parasites from your orchids.

First, infected plants must be isolated from healthy specimens. Better move them to another room.Then you should increase the humidity. To do this, they usually equip the so-called greenhouse - cover the flowers with a plastic bag or a glass jar.

Important! The covered plant must be ventilated daily, opening the greenhouse for at least half an hour!

At the same time, it is advisable to check other flowers every day. And even if, within a few days, no scale guards were found on them, this does not mean that these specimens are clean. Parasites could well lay eggs on them or cross themselves, hiding in secluded places. Scabies most often settle on the upper side of orchid leaves, but they may well hide pseudobulbs in their sinuses or wrappers.

After a while, the infected plants should be washed with warm water - this way you will be able to remove the larvae and a sticky secret. And to catch adult males, you can use sticky yellow ribbons. Only daily must they be replaced with new ones.

Important! If you started the treatment of orchids for scale insects, now stimulators and growth regulators, as well as nitrogen-containing fertilizers, are strictly forbidden. Otherwise, you will only aggravate the situation!

Folk recipes

After preliminary measures, you can directly deal with the treatment of infected orchids from scale insects. Among the most popular and effective folk remedies are the following:

• Soap-alcohol solution. Add 15-20 g of liquid or laundry soap per liter of warm water, mix and pour 10 ml of alcohol. Beat the mixture a little to make a foam, and with a soft brush, apply to the affected parts of the plants.
  

  Important! It is extremely undesirable to spray soft and thin-leaved orchids with a soap-alcohol solution, since such varieties are hypersensitive to any means containing alcohol!

• Oil fluid. To prepare it, you need to mix a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with a liter of water. The resulting product is used to spray infected flowers. In those areas where the spray from the spray gun does not penetrate, the treatment is carried out using a brush.
• Cloves of garlic. We divide the garlic cloves into parts and wipe the damaged areas with slices. You can also pass the garlic through a press and apply the resulting slurry with a toothbrush.
• Decoction of fern. Fill with water 10 g of dry raw materials or 100 g of fresh grass and leave at room temperature for a day. Then we boil for half an hour, filter, let cool and spray the infected plants with the ready-made product. Processing must be carried out daily for a week.

Important! It is forbidden to use hot pepper infusion in the treatment of orchids from scale insects, as these gentle plants will not tolerate such a stressful procedure!

Preparations made from natural ingredients work slowly, so the treatment will need to be repeated repeatedly. In addition, do not forget that before starting the procedure, any of the above funds should pass the test - apply the solution to a small area of ​​one of the leaves and leave for several days. If during this time it does not lose its brightness and does not fade, it means that the orchid transfers the selected drug calmly and it can be used.

Use of chemicals

In order to get rid of scale insects on an orchid, insecticides can also be used.

• Contact: Permethrin, Spruzit-AF. Getting on the body of an insect, they penetrate the integument and cause paralysis. After some time, the pests die. Such remedies are highly effective and in a record short time save flowers from scale insects.
• Intestinal: Aktara, Aktellik, Arrivo. Their active substances begin their work only after they get into the body of an insect. Intestinal insecticides are used at least twice with a weekly interval.
• Systemic: "Bi 58", "Phosphamide", "Methyl mercaptophos". Used to spray infected plants.Their active substances penetrate the body of the plant and make its juices poisonous to scale insects. And after the parasite gets drunk poisoned juices, he dies.

Application features

Use insecticides must be strictly according to the instructions, given all the prescribed precautions. And after processing, flowers should not be placed on highly illuminated window sills, as direct sunlight can cause burns on stems and leaves.

If you use drugs that contain oils, then the treatment should be carried out very carefully. Such solutions are not sprayed in an even layer, but applied only to the scab. Otherwise, the pores on the leaves will become clogged and the flower will die from oxygen deficiency.

Important! If the product you have chosen did not give positive results, in no case do not remove the guards with your hands. Such a procedure can only do harm - if you accidentally remove or damage the carapace under which the clutch is located, young individuals will quickly spread through the plant after birth, and infection will resume with renewed vigor!

Preventive actions

Often infection with scabies occurs through new specimens that were purchased in flower shops. For this reason, before buying a plant, it must be carefully examined. And if warts, bulges, dark spots or a sticky pad were found on the flower, it is better to refuse it.

However, even if signs of the presence of scale insects were not detected, do not immediately put a new plant on a shelf with other flowers. It must be quarantined for a couple of weeks. This time will be enough for the parasites, if any, to show themselves.

And remember that the main enemies of scale insects are good lighting and humidity. Create proper conditions for your orchids, and they will immediately become unattractive to the pest.