The Orchid Garden

Cattleya Problem

Question:

Well I’m not a major nursery (I have about 300 plants) and I can afford it. A little goes along way. I think what a couple of people in my society did was go in together for a bottle but hey, it doesn’t go bad and I plan to grow orchids for a long time and I plan to treat twice a year so I’ll eventually use it up. You do not need a pesticide license to buy it. Neem isn’t all that cheap either and this works much better and doesn’t smell as bad. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Jeanne, Just looked up the price for Enstar II.  At 84.00, one would have to own a major nursery not to mention that only a major nursery would require a large quantity.  (Also wondering whether a pesticide permit is required like Gnatrol.  No, I think I would use Volck Oil if the occasion arose again.  I used it about three years ago on a couple of indoor plants, and the problem never returned.  I then used Volck on an awarded, large, outdoor cymbidium more than a year ago (about 2 applications of it), and it bloomed every year there after.  But, if you can afford 84.00 for Enstar II then I would say use it. . . . Pam Where do do you get Enstar II? Jeanne Enstar II is very effective and much less toxic (its specific component is an insect growth regulator that has no effect on mammals, and other non-insects) than most general purpose insecticides. It is easy to use and I have even used it in my house with no ill effects (after careful review of the fact sheets). I generally treat my collection twice a year, once in the spring before they go outside and once in the fall when they come back inside. It doesn’t kill molluscs or mites so those critters need to be treated seperately and I now plan to use a molluscicide in the fall about a week before bringing them inside for the winter. Just did a treatment a couple of days ago because they are currently outside and I’ve had an ongoing problem with bush snails that I haven’t wanted to treat indoors. I don’t have mites so I haven’t had to use anything for them. I beg to differ, but the MOST effective treatment for scale is a potent insecticide, not oils. Many will work, I’ve found Methidathion (Supracide) to be very effective. If you can’t get that, acephate (Orthene) will do it in multiple treatments. You have a choice – fool around with it for weeks/months as it progessively infests all your other plants, or get out the big guns right away and eradicate it. Now, many others will post about using alcohol and Q-tips, various oils, even home-grown mixtures of cleaners and cooking oil. You can go that route, but you will probably spend a whole lot of time and energy chasing scale though your collection, until you finally resign yourself to using a proper insecticide. If you have only a plant or two and no particular interest in buying and using appropriate pesticides, take the plant back to the seller and demand your money back. Then, go get another from a different source. All you Sunspray Ultrafine, Volck, Neem, and 30-wt motor oil users out there don’t panic. Your favorite oil isn’t totally worthless, just not in the competition for effectiveness on a heavily infested plant as the original poster described. Once an infestation is hammered as described above, oils can fit into the prevention niche nicely. There is always a stray scale bug larva spontaneously generating somewhere in your greenhouse. The oil will make sure it doesn’t spawn the next great scale immigration to the Promised Land – your plants. As always, "follow the directions carefully", as was advised below, with anything you use. Heck, you can poison yourself with your plant fertilizer if you try hard enough. Anita, The most effective treatment for scale is Volck Oil. Follow the directions carefully. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html Hi, I have recently purchased a Catt that has shown up with a terrible scale problem. Luckily I had kept it away from the others for a couple weeks but have never had to deal with this. It has mealy bugs, the almost yellow scale and the brown scale.Thwe critter looked clean when it arrived but things just keep showing up! Would appreciate help on handeling this problem(Came from a well established breeder too!).Thanks bunches!Anita Hi there Pam, A friend had his whole Cattleya collection infested with this whitish scale. It hides everywhere & when really bad gets to the leaves. It is very hard to get rid of. He has given me some backends of choice plants & once they have new growth, then I see the scale? I keep them quarentined & treated for a couple repots! Cheers Wendy | Wendy, | | I thought the yellow spots to be doings of aphids just as with rose | petals. | | . . . Pam | | | Hello Ian, Wondering if you have checked under the leaves? Scale will do this! They seem to suck out the chlorophyl, but have been told that they release a poison/acid which makes the yellow spots? | Cheers Wendy | | I have only a few orchids but one of my cattleyas has developed yellow spots | | all over all the old leaves averaging 10 mm. The only new leaf looks | | healthy and green. | | | | What action can I take or is too late? | | | | Ian Harvey | | | |

Response:

Oh and it says it kills thrips and mites but I don’t have those so can’t speak to that.

A friend gave me some Mesurol – I think you need a pesticide license to buy it though but check. Its chemical name is

3,5-Dimethyl-4-(methylthio)phenol methylcarbamate and seems to excite the slugs and snails to death. http://www.gowanco.com/products/Mesurol75w.htm

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/fenitrothion-methylp… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hiocarb/insect-prof-methiocarb.html It sure works. I put it on one evening and the next morning found two big slugs that I didn’t know I had plus a number of dead bush snails (that I could see) and probably many more I didn’t see. I have one complaint with it. It is a wetable powder and leaves a white residue on the plants that seems to last through several waterings and rain storms. Good I guess as it keeps working and gets rid of any hatching eggs but it is somewhat unsightly and makes me less inclined to pick up plants. I would not use it in my house or even plan on bringing plants into the house for up to a week whereas I feel comfortable using Enstar II in my house. It has been approved for food crops with a week’s clearance so it can’t be all that bad. It is used in fruit crops as a bird repellent so maybe the squirrels will also find the taste distasteful. It kills honey bees so do be careful with its use, we need to preserve our honey bee populations. What do you use on Snails? I keep finding a few of the minuscule size. SueE Enstar II is very effective and much less toxic (its specific component is an insect growth regulator that has no effect on mammals, and other non-insects) than most general purpose insecticides. It is easy to use and I have even used it in my house with no ill effects (after careful review of the fact sheets). I generally treat my collection twice a year, once in the spring before they go outside and once in the fall when they come back inside. It doesn’t kill molluscs or mites so those critters need to be treated seperately and I now plan to use a molluscicide in the fall about a week before bringing them inside for the winter. Just did a treatment a couple of days ago because they are currently outside and I’ve had an ongoing problem with bush snails that I haven’t wanted to treat indoors. I don’t have mites so I haven’t had to use anything for them.   I beg to differ, but the MOST effective treatment for scale is a potent insecticide, not oils. Many will work, I’ve found Methidathion (Supracide) to be very effective. If you can’t get that, acephate (Orthene) will do it in multiple treatments. You have a choice – fool around with it for weeks/months as it progessively infests all your other plants, or get out the big guns right away and eradicate it.   Now, many others will post about using alcohol and Q-tips, various oils, even home-grown mixtures of cleaners and cooking oil. You can go that route, but you will probably spend a whole lot of time and energy chasing scale though your collection, until you finally resign yourself to using a proper insecticide.   If you have only a plant or two and no particular interest in buying and using appropriate pesticides, take the plant back to the seller and demand your money back. Then, go get another from a different source.   All you Sunspray Ultrafine, Volck, Neem, and 30-wt motor oil users out there don’t panic. Your favorite oil isn’t totally worthless, just not in the competition for effectiveness on a heavily infested plant as the original poster described. Once an infestation is hammered as described above, oils can fit into the prevention niche nicely. There is always a stray scale bug larva spontaneously generating somewhere in your greenhouse. The oil will make sure it doesn’t spawn the next great scale immigration to the Promised Land – your plants.   As always, "follow the directions carefully", as was advised below, with anything you use. Heck, you can poison yourself with your plant fertilizer if you try hard enough. Anita, The most effective treatment for scale is Volck Oil.  Follow the directions carefully. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html Hi, I have recently purchased a Catt that has shown up with a terrible scale problem. Luckily I had kept it away from the others for a couple weeks but have never had to deal with this. It has mealy bugs, the almost yellow scale and the brown scale.Thwe critter looked clean when it arrived but things just keep showing up! Would appreciate help on handeling this problem(Came from a well established breeder too!).Thanks bunches!Anita Hi there Pam, A friend had his whole Cattleya collection infested with this whitish scale. It hides everywhere & when really bad gets to the leaves. It is very hard to get rid of. He has given me some backends of choice plants & once they have new growth, then I see the scale? I keep them quarentined & treated for a couple repots! Cheers Wendy | Wendy, | | I thought the yellow spots to be doings of aphids just as with rose | petals. | | . . . Pam | | | Hello Ian,  Wondering if you have checked under the leaves? Scale will do this! They seem to suck out the chlorophyl, but have been told that they release a poison/acid which makes the yellow spots? | Cheers Wendy | | I have only a few orchids but one of my cattleyas has developed yellow spots | | all over all the old leaves averaging 10 mm.  The only new leaf looks | | healthy and green. | | | | What action can I take or is too late? | | | | Ian Harvey | | | |

Response:

I get mine from a place in Portland OR and I always manage to forget the name – Dale, help! Teufel Nursery, Inc. http://www.teufel.com/

Response:

Jeanne, Just looked up the price for Enstar II.  At 84.00, one would have to own a major nursery not to mention that only a major nursery would require a large quantity.  (Also wondering whether a pesticide permit is required like Gnatrol.  No, I think I would use Volck Oil if the occasion arose again.  I used it about three years ago on a couple of indoor plants, and the problem never returned.  I then used Volck on an awarded, large, outdoor cymbidium more than a year ago (about 2 applications of it), and it bloomed every year there after.  But, if you can afford 84.00 for Enstar II then I would say use it.   . . . Pam – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where do do you get Enstar II? Jeanne Enstar II is very effective and much less toxic (its specific component is an insect growth regulator that has no effect on mammals, and other non-insects) than most general purpose insecticides. It is easy to use and I have even used it in my house with no ill effects (after careful review of the fact sheets). I generally treat my collection twice a year, once in the spring before they go outside and once in the fall when they come back inside. It doesn’t kill molluscs or mites so those critters need to be treated seperately and I now plan to use a molluscicide in the fall about a week before bringing them inside for the winter. Just did a treatment a couple of days ago because they are currently outside and I’ve had an ongoing problem with bush snails that I haven’t wanted to treat indoors. I don’t have mites so I haven’t had to use anything for them.

Filed under: Cymbidium Orchids

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