Gene,

I completely agree about some plants being magnets for certain infestations.
I can't remember seeing mealies on a Catt, but I certainly have seen them on
Phals. I've never found them to be awfully hard to control, thankfully.

Scale, on the other hand, is tougher for me. I have an Angraecum, Longiscott
'Lea', which must have a "bite me" sign out. Yet nothing near it was
affected, though I treated everything nearby anyway. The Angraecum is now
healthy and in spike. What I find hardest to control is thrips, which adore
our Vandas. I think I've scared them away, happily.

For the first time ever, I had an infestation of spider mites on the Phals
earlier this year. The little sob's don't announce their presence until
they've done some damage, but we got rid of them with soap and veggie oil.
All gone.

All that makes it sound as if we've had big bug problems this year, but that
is not correct. There have been a few isolated incidents.

A while back, I posted a query about orchids blooming way out of season.
Now, that is still a mystery to me.

Diana