Symptoms at a glance - How to find out about scale insects
Although scientists differentiate between scale insects and more than 4,000 species worldwide, the signs of infestation are similar. This applies to lid scale insects and cup scale insects as well as mealybugs and mealybugs. If the following symptoms occur in an orchid, you are dealing with scale insects:
- In the early stages, tiny brown or green bumps appear on the undersides of the leaves and in the leaf axils
- White webs form when it comes to the subspecies of the mealybugs and mealybugs
- Cripple leaves, buds and flowers
- The foliage is covered with brown-yellow to reddish spots
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As a result of an explosion of scale insects, the orchid slowly dies, first shedding the buds and flowers, followed by all the leaves.
Every scale insect is terrified of these ecological means
If the leaf shedding due to scale insects has already started, even high-quality chemical insecticides rarely achieve any control success. On the other hand, if you find the lice at an early stage, you can save the affected orchid with these natural remedies:
- Rub the leaves with an alcohol-soaked cloth
- Dip cotton swabs in alcohol and dab individual scale insects
- Make a solution from 15 grams of soft soap, (59.99 € at Amazon *) 15 milliliters of spirit and 1 liter of water
- So that the infected orchid spray every 2 days
Only high percentage alcohol can penetrate the waxy shield of bowl and lid scale insects. The scale insects are also known as mealybugs and mealybugs with a broth made from tansy leaves or wormwood on the collar. You can also achieve good results with diatomaceous earth, as the powder from sedimentary rock dries out the insects.
Tips
The scale insects often end up in a lovingly tended collection of orchids via a new purchase. You should therefore subject every orchid to a thorough inspection for pest infestation in the shop. Experienced hobby gardeners therefore always have a magnifying glass to hand when they go on an orchid shopping tour.
