Mix one teaspoon each of cooking oil and liquid soap in a quart of water,
and spray the entire plant. The soap both emulsifies the oil and breaks
down the waxy coating on some insects, while the oil smothers them.

I recommend against immersing roots in oils, as the velamen can trap the oil
too well, potentially suffocating them.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!


"W. Clinton Terry" wrote in message
...
There is an orchid nursery near where I live and I have been developing a
relationship with them. You know, buy something and talk and talk and
talk. What they suggested, and I showed them the plant, was to take the
whole plant and immerse it in the oil spray I am using. I have not done
that because of the quantity I would have to mix up, but I may still. In
your case, wehre the insects are hard to get at, perhaps this is a
solution, particularly if you do not want to loose the plant.

"K Barrett" wrote in message
...
What I worry about is that some sort of small sucking insect is sucking
into the leaf and allowing the sap to drain out. I usually notice small
sappy droplets or dried sugar sap along the midrib or the edge of the
leaf. Sure enough if I turn the leaf over there'll be a scale on the
underside, or in a few days there'll be a scale at the leaf margin.
Sometimes my first indication of trouble is (like you did) by seeing
sappy 'spray' on the windowsill when I clean up the kitchen. (No
comments about my house cleaning, now! *G*) Then I'll have to treat the
plant with something or other until its gone.

Usually I'm one of those 'better living thru chemistry' kind of people.
I usually like to use some sort of a perticide in order to be sure. I
usually don't like just dabbing away with alcohol, because I believe
these are sly, conniving little critters that, just when you thik they're
gone, they come back, usually with a vengeance and in places that are a
real pain in the neck to get rid of them - like amongst the roots or
under the p/bulb sheathes. Talk about a pain!

But you are right. The sap comes practically from out of nowhere. Then
blammo! A few days later you see the adult and have to treat. Slow
going indeed. My paphs have mealy bug down in the bark, down amongst the
dried old leaves and along the roots and everytime I think I have a
handle on them they come back. Frustrating. I'm about to toss the lot of
them.

K Barrett
"W. Clinton Terry" wrote in message
.. .
This sticky stuff, if left along will eventually cover most of the leaf.
I first noted it because it had dripped onto tile floor. I was walking
around one day in bare feet. I hae not used malathion, but have used the
Ortho oil spray to smother them. The seem to come back. I will try the
alcohol. What has puzzled me is that the sap seems to come from
nowhere...from just a tiny pore in the leave. In any event, it is very
slow going.

Clinton


"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
I think there are 2 kinds of scale. The harder outer shell ones,
usually dark brown, and the softer whiter colored ones. (I think these
are called boisduvial scale). I believe the pattern of noticing the sap
with progression to later seeing the adults at the leaf edges or in the
leaf axils is pretty typical for these insects. Treat with any
pesticide that kills scale. I used to use Malathion, but I believe that
is slowly being pulled from the market (at least here in California)
I've used plain old 70% isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush, to kill the
adults then wiped any suspect areas for the next few weeks to be sure
the eggs, larvae are gone, as long as it was only one plant and isolated
away from my main collection (like a phal on the kitchen window insrtead
of in the GH.) There are a few good newer pesticides on the market (made
by Bayer here in teh US) that should kill them off, too. I confess when
I look for those I have to stand in the aisle at the nursery, seemingly
for hours, reading the small print until I find the one I want. Am I
the only one or does Bayer's product names all sound the same to
everyone else, too?

K Barrett

"W. Clinton Terry" wrote in message
.. .
I have a couple of palenopsis that are secreting a sticky substance
from the middle of their leaves. It something like tree sap. If left
alone, eventually some scale like insects appear on the edge of the
leaves. There may be no relationship between these insects and the
secretion. Unlike other scale with which I am familiar, these appear
wet. When you crush them there is a lot of moisture involved. Other
scales I have seen and treated are dry and harder. Can anyone give me
an idea what is happening. I have sprayed with an Ortho Oil spray to no
avail.

Thanks for any assistance you might be able to provide.

Clinton Terry