Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have mites!
:-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the one
that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying with
pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I do not
know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay leaf tree in
our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever will have the time
to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old). The orchids generally
appear healthy for now, but I know that if they indeed have mites this won't
last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites after
all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to avoid
having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it either.

Joanna

When I'm actively looking for them on a plant that's having problems, I can
see spider mites without a magnifying glass. I think I've had another kind
of mite too that must have been smaller, but they also left easily visible
damage (silver stippling on the underside of leaves, yellowing leaves,
general decline in the plants.) It's not all that unusual to have a web
from a real spider on one of your orchids. And it is extremely common to
have honeydew on orchids. Get a magnifying glass and look for either pests
or damage on the plants before you panic. If you do find a problem, treat
it immediately because mites can spread throughout a collection and cause a
lot of damage.
-danny

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:koZag.7292$Go6.5195@trnddc04...
Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have mites!
:-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the
one that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying with
pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I do not
know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay leaf tree
in our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever will have the
time to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old). The orchids
generally appear healthy for now, but I know that if they indeed have
mites this won't last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites after
all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to avoid
having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it either.

Joanna

Jo,

My eyes are pretty bad, but I can see mites. In very bright light, check the
midrib and leaf edges. Move the plant around so you are checking at
different angles. At the right angle you will see them and their movement.
A 10X loop is very helpful but not necessary except for ID.

If you have mites, you might want to try nontoxic sprays such as oils,
pepper wax, soaps, and alcohol. People in this group know more about these
options then I. I would recommend getting trays and carrying everything
outside for a real spray. If it comes to this I can make some
recommendations.

Pat


"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:koZag.7292$Go6.5195@trnddc04...
Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have mites!
:-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the
one that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying with
pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I do not
know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay leaf tree
in our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever will have the
time to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old). The orchids
generally appear healthy for now, but I know that if they indeed have
mites this won't last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites after
all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to avoid
having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it either.

Joanna

Joanna -- I am not one of the fortunate ones who can see mites with a
magnifier, but the damage is easily visible, even to me. If you have them,
and don't want to take them outside for a real spray, as Pat suggested, then
you are going to have to treat more than once (I generally figure at least
3x). The oil sprays are pretty effective, with a little soap added, as long
as you get good thorough coverage. Alcohol also works, and may be easier to
spray into all the little nooks and crannies. The thing with all of these
home remedies, however, is that they only kill the mites they touch. Miss
one pregnant female, or a breeding pair, and they're back off to the races
in no time. Kenni

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:koZag.7292$Go6.5195@trnddc04...
Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have mites!
:-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the
one that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying with
pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I do not
know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay leaf tree
in our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever will have the
time to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old). The orchids
generally appear healthy for now, but I know that if they indeed have
mites this won't last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites after
all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to avoid
having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it either.

Joanna

In still air like in a house take a white sheet of paper and place
under the suspect leaf. Tap the leaf sharply. Carefully place the sheet
on a table, with a pen circle all the black dots you can see. Wait five
minutes, or ten. The mites will crawl out of the little circles. A
hammer is a very satisfying way to kill them but a soap/oil solution
also works.
Joe T
Houston

Thanks, Pat, Danny, Kenni, and Joe T!

Based on what you all said, I suspect that I don't have mites after all
(hopefully). I just looked carefully under all the leaves of this Phal
without a magnifying glass, and I do not see neither any mites nor any
damage. I may still get a magnifying glass this weekend and look once more
to be on the safe side, but so far at least the Phal in question looks very
healthy. I also tried the paper and circled dot method, and when I checked
again, all dots remained in their circles. And I know that we do have real
spiders in the house, so the web probably was from one of those, as Danny
suggested.

One idea that occurred to me today -- I was reminded of this by the ladybug
that I found the other day:

if I did have spider mites in the orchids after all, could I buy ladybugs
and let them roam our condo, or is that a really bad idea? I know that one
can buy ladybugs for this purpose for greenhouse use, but why not for in the
home?

Aside from having ladybugs flying around, occasional ladybug carcasses on
carpet or elsewhere, the fact that the ladybugs would eventually either
escape through cracks in windows or die, what other problems would there be
with using this solution inside one's home? Is the issue that this would not
be an effective method? I was thinking that this could be a fairly low
maintenance approach to orchid pests, since I would think that it would be
easier and take less time than taking each orchid and spraying it thoroughly
outdoors, or the homeremedies which one would have to find time to apply
several times. I was assuming that if I found mites on this one plant, I
would have to treat them all to be on the safe side, and treating 51 orchids
and 1 bay leaf plant would take more time than I have got on an average
weekend. Time is one of my lowest commodities nowadays and so if/when I do
have any pests in the orchids I would want to use a method of fighting the
pests that would take the least time, and was safe for the baby and us of
course.

Thanks for your insights!
Joanna

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Joanna -- I am not one of the fortunate ones who can see mites with a
magnifier, but the damage is easily visible, even to me. If you have
them, and don't want to take them outside for a real spray, as Pat
suggested, then you are going to have to treat more than once (I generally
figure at least 3x). The oil sprays are pretty effective, with a little
soap added, as long as you get good thorough coverage. Alcohol also
works, and may be easier to spray into all the little nooks and crannies.
The thing with all of these home remedies, however, is that they only kill
the mites they touch. Miss one pregnant female, or a breeding pair, and
they're back off to the races in no time. Kenni

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:koZag.7292$Go6.5195@trnddc04...
Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have
mites! :-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the
one that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying
with pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I do
not know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay leaf
tree in our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever will
have the time to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old). The
orchids generally appear healthy for now, but I know that if they indeed
have mites this won't last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites after
all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to avoid
having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it
either.

Joanna

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2012.html Ohio State U. info on
mites.

Predatory mites on FROOGLE cost 22.50 per 1000.

Lady Bugs on FROOGLE cost ~$2 per 1500.

The LBs look like the better deal.

Joe T

On 18 May 2006 17:57:25 -0700, "jtill" wrote:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2012.html Ohio State U. info on
mites.

Predatory mites on FROOGLE cost 22.50 per 1000.

Lady Bugs on FROOGLE cost ~$2 per 1500.

The LBs look like the better deal.

Joe T


If you try LB.. water before you release any. Keep them cool while
your holding them. The first thing the 'revived' LB's want is water
and they will go a way to search it out. If you release them outside
try to do it on a day when it is misty or has rained overnight. You
keep them closer and they are fun to watch.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

Joanna,

What is your reaction going to be the first time your 'tiny mite' Robert
finds and eats one of the lady bugs that doesn't follow protocol and dies on
the carpet instead of the window sill?

Bob

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:Xh7bg.10676$mU6.1961@trnddc07...
Thanks, Pat, Danny, Kenni, and Joe T!

Based on what you all said, I suspect that I don't have mites after all
(hopefully). I just looked carefully under all the leaves of this Phal
without a magnifying glass, and I do not see neither any mites nor any
damage. I may still get a magnifying glass this weekend and look once more
to be on the safe side, but so far at least the Phal in question looks
very healthy. I also tried the paper and circled dot method, and when I
checked again, all dots remained in their circles. And I know that we do
have real spiders in the house, so the web probably was from one of those,
as Danny suggested.

One idea that occurred to me today -- I was reminded of this by the
ladybug that I found the other day:

if I did have spider mites in the orchids after all, could I buy ladybugs
and let them roam our condo, or is that a really bad idea? I know that one
can buy ladybugs for this purpose for greenhouse use, but why not for in
the home?

Aside from having ladybugs flying around, occasional ladybug carcasses on
carpet or elsewhere, the fact that the ladybugs would eventually either
escape through cracks in windows or die, what other problems would there
be with using this solution inside one's home? Is the issue that this
would not be an effective method? I was thinking that this could be a
fairly low maintenance approach to orchid pests, since I would think that
it would be easier and take less time than taking each orchid and spraying
it thoroughly outdoors, or the homeremedies which one would have to find
time to apply several times. I was assuming that if I found mites on this
one plant, I would have to treat them all to be on the safe side, and
treating 51 orchids and 1 bay leaf plant would take more time than I have
got on an average weekend. Time is one of my lowest commodities nowadays
and so if/when I do have any pests in the orchids I would want to use a
method of fighting the pests that would take the least time, and was safe
for the baby and us of course.

Thanks for your insights!
Joanna

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Joanna -- I am not one of the fortunate ones who can see mites with a
magnifier, but the damage is easily visible, even to me. If you have
them, and don't want to take them outside for a real spray, as Pat
suggested, then you are going to have to treat more than once (I
generally figure at least 3x). The oil sprays are pretty effective, with
a little soap added, as long as you get good thorough coverage. Alcohol
also works, and may be easier to spray into all the little nooks and
crannies. The thing with all of these home remedies, however, is that
they only kill the mites they touch. Miss one pregnant female, or a
breeding pair, and they're back off to the races in no time. Kenni

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:koZag.7292$Go6.5195@trnddc04...
Ok, unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that my orchids do have
mites! :-(

1) the honeydew -- I have seen some on the corners of the leaves of the
one that has had lots of honeydew in general
2) there was a spider web on this orchid as well

What do I do now? Please remember that I live in a condo, so spraying
with pesticides is not an option. Also how quickly do I have to act? I
do not know whether I will have time to treat all 51 orchids + the bay
leaf tree in our condo this upcoming weekend (not sure whether I ever
will have the time to do it come to think of it, given my 5 months old).
The orchids generally appear healthy for now, but I know that if they
indeed have mites this won't last. Yikes!

Given the two points above, is there any chance that it's not mites
after all? Even a remote one? How do I tell for sure? I would so like to
avoid having to treat my entire collection, but I don't want to loose it
either.

Joanna

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:W1abg.6083$343.4252@trnddc06...
not big enough to choke him, if he eats it, oh well.

I am second-guessing myself here. I know that usually small things are a
choking hazard, but I was kind of assuming that a dead ladybug, while small,
would probably not be in danger of blocking off the airpassage, and thus
while an infant/toddler might gag on one, it would not endanger the life of
the kid. At least that's what I thought. But now I am beginning to
second-guess myself. Any parents out there with an answer to this?

Joanna

I hope you report here your result!
Joe T
Houston

Keeping the carcasses out of Robert's mouth? Kenni

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:Xh7bg.10676$mU6.1961@trnddc07...
Thanks, Pat, Danny, Kenni, and Joe T!
SNIP

if I did have spider mites in the orchids after all, could I buy ladybugs
and let them roam our condo, or is that a really bad idea? I know that one
can buy ladybugs for this purpose for greenhouse use, but why not for in
the home?

Aside from having ladybugs flying around, occasional ladybug carcasses on
carpet or elsewhere, the fact that the ladybugs would eventually either
escape through cracks in windows or die, what other problems would there
be with using this solution inside one's home? Is the issue that this
would not be an effective method? I was thinking that this could be a
fairly low maintenance approach to orchid pests, since I would think that
it would be easier and take less time than taking each orchid and spraying
it thoroughly outdoors, or the homeremedies which one would have to find
time to apply several times. I was assuming that if I found mites on this
one plant, I would have to treat them all to be on the safe side, and
treating 51 orchids and 1 bay leaf plant would take more time than I have
got on an average weekend. Time is one of my lowest commodities nowadays
and so if/when I do have any pests in the orchids I would want to use a
method of fighting the pests that would take the least time, and was safe
for the baby and us of course.

Thanks for your insights!
Joanna

I raised two in a house with a big yard and a big sandbox (covered to
keep out cats!) and bugs were never a big problem. Houston is the
Pillbug capitol of the world but, as it turned out, pillbugs and other
bugs don't taste good, nor does sand, so the problem was self
correcting. My wife grew up in a country setting as did I, so we looked
on such things as just part of the scenery.
Joe T
Houston.

He is more likly to choke on green peas, or whole kernel corn. Just be
sure you are trained on dealing with choking, my wife is an RN so that
base was covered here.

No, on how LBs work on mites.
Joe T

This group! A debate that veers off into the realm of whether dead lady bugs
are a decent source of protein for a 5 month old! ROFLMAO

Diana