Aphids on orchids: what to do with them, how to get rid of and cure the plant, how to treat the flower against this white pest, photos and videos on the topic

Today many people are interested in growing orchids. Fans of this plant know how capricious it is to care for . One problem is aphid attack .

It is important to remember that this insect reproduces quickly and can destroy an orchid in a short time, so you should constantly check the plant for the presence of aphids.

Having noticed the first signs, in no case should you postpone measures to destroy the infection.
In this case, it is important to strictly follow the instructions , since if you make a mistake in processing, the plant can be seriously harmed or even die.

Types of aphids

Several types of aphids love orchids :

Buraya;
Green;

Aphids come in a variety of colors.
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Black;
Yellow;
White;
Red.

Identifying the species is very difficult due to the fact that there are about 800 species of this insect, but do not worry about the diversity. All our recommendations are suitable for exterminating any species. The most popular is the white aphid. In the photo above you can see what aphids look like.

Chemical control

Sticky insect paper helps capture winged species, which appear when a colony becomes so large that some insects have to fly to other plants and create new colonies there.

Aphids have colonized the flower

Using horticultural oil or insecticidal soap is a very practical way to control aphids without using harsh chemicals.

Pyrethrins (alone or in combination with oils and soaps) are effective against aphids and do not cause serious damage to your flowers compared to other insecticides.

But if all else fails and pyrethrins don't kill the colony: try malathion or permethrin. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon are also effective against aphids. But we do not recommend using these two substances, as they pollute the soil and do not dissolve in water.

Spread, entering the plant

Aphids can attack a beautiful orchid in many ways, for example :

Through the open window;
Can move from other indoor flowers;
From the clothes and shoes you wore down the street.

It can move into your home along with a flower from the store and the soil.

Aphids on orchids begin to take root :

From the inside of the sheet;
And on young shoots.

Then, having multiplied, they go to the stem and get to the juiciest place - the flower bud . Also, these small insects appear if the plant is placed in a too dry and unventilated room.

Important! When purchasing an orchid at a retail outlet, you must inspect it very carefully for the presence of pests. It is necessary to inspect not only the above-ground part of the plant, but also the soil in the pot.

Consequences of the appearance

First, the insect parasitizes on the leaves, after which it moves to the stems and buds , since these parts of the plant are the juiciest. Aphids from it receive useful microelements that are necessary for the plant itself so that it can develop normally.

These insects reproduce very quickly. They densely cover the places where new shoots should grow.

While feeding, aphids secrete toxic substances into the plant . Because of this, the orchid’s processes of photosynthesis and delivery of nutrients to all parts are disrupted. The affected areas gradually become soft, after which they may die. If measures are not taken in time, the parasite will destroy the flower.

External manifestations of the lesion

You can understand that aphids are on your orchid visually by looking at the appearance of the flower:

The bud curls and does not look very beautiful, and subsequently falls off;
Leaves and stems are limp and soft.

At an earlier stage of infection, you may notice a plaque that is slightly sticky when touched.

It is best if the flower is regularly inspected , then the presence of aphids can be noticed at an early stage; small insects will be visible on the back of the plant leaf.

When aphids appear on an orchid, the leaves become soft and limp.

Aphids use orchid sap for their nutrition, which causes serious damage to the plant. From the effects of aphids :

Leaves curl;
The stems become dark;
And the flower stalks dry up.

Folk remedies

Folk recipes for insects When you see small insects on an orchid, you should not immediately run for poison. You can get rid of aphids with homemade preparations. They must be done immediately before spraying the plant:

50 g of table vinegar are dissolved in 1 liter of water at room temperature;
mix 1 tbsp. spoon of baking soda, salt, add 1 liter of water, 10 g of laundry soap;
grate 10 g of tar soap on a coarse grater, dilute in warm water;
mix spices - red, black pepper, coriander, mustard, cinnamon, add soap base;
dilute wood ash in water, add laundry soap;
chop the garlic, pour 1 liter of cold water, leave for 24 hours, add soap base.

At the same time, you should look through all the flowers, remove them away from the orchid, and treat them with a product if necessary.

Basic methods of struggle

Many beginners are interested in how to get rid of aphids on an orchid? In order to exterminate aphids, many different methods , which we will discuss below.

Mechanical method

What to do if you don’t have various medications at home? You should :

Use your hands to collect adults and larvae;
Destroy them;
Next, adjust the water pressure until warm;
Wash our flower.

You can also dilute a soap solution in a container and, dipping a sponge into the liquid, very carefully wipe each leaf and stem of the infected orchid. It is important that water does not pour into the axils of the leaves - this can cause rotting. Finally, stir up the soil and add potassium permanganate diluted with water.

Biological products

How to fight aphids at home? The latest invention is biologics . Destruction by these substances occurs due to infection of insects by bacteria. The impact process is not carried out immediately, but within one week.

The advantage of this composition is :

Possibility of processing indoors;
Possessing protective properties that last for at least 10-12 days.

The process is carried out by spraying the plant leaf on both sides, as well as the stem. It is important to prevent the working solution from coming into contact with the flower.

Aphids can be destroyed with various biological products.

After 10-12 days, it is advisable to repeat the treatment.

So how to treat an orchid against aphids? Today, proven biologically based drugs are the following :

Arrow;
30-plus;
Fitoverm;
Entobacterin;
Akarin;
Confidor.

The action of Fitoverm begins within two days and can last 14-20 days.

Entobacterin begins to act after 5 days; at higher temperatures (up to 30 degrees), its effect improves significantly. At a lower temperature , it is recommended to prepare a stronger solution (there should be 15-25 percent less water in the solution).

Akarin does not destroy all types of aphids ; it is recommended to check the result after 6-8 days by examining the plant for the presence of insects and make sure how effective the drug is in this particular case.

of the drug Strela is bitoxibacillin, the waiting period is 2 days , the product destroys many different pests.

An effective remedy for aphids is the drug 30-plus . This is an oil emulsion. Many experienced flower growers successfully use it in the fight against these small sucking insects.

Confidor is a drug produced in Germany . Its effect should be checked five to seven days after treatment. The reviews about it are wonderful.

Attention! The effect of using biological products begins to be felt after about 5-7 days. A week after the first spraying, the treatment can be duplicated.

Chemical treatment

Chemicals should be used in exceptional cases - not before a massive aphid attack on the orchid. There are several types of chemicals:

Intestinal;
Contact;
System.

Contact ones, when they get on the skin of an insect, destroy it , the other two kill it through the internal organs.

Intestinal and systemic agents have a higher percentage of probability of destroying pests .

Chemicals effectively fight aphids.

It is better to use chemical solutions alternately with intervals of 15 days. If you use the same product, insects adapt to it and this drug can no longer have a detrimental effect on them.

It is also not recommended to use insecticides more than three times and orchids should be treated outside. Be sure to wear :

Respirator;
Latex gloves.

It is important to follow the instructions for using chemicals:

Aktara. An excellent remedy for exterminating aphids. It works great both for watering the ground and for spraying orchid greenery. It acts on nerve endings, provoking paralysis of pests, which leads to their death almost instantly. After spraying the plant, this drug enters the plant sap and then into the beetle’s body. The protective effect of Aktara lasts on the stem and leaves for about 20 days, and in the ground for about 2 months. It is advisable to do the treatment again after 10 days;
Actellik. This is a very potent remedy. It is recommended to use when the flower is in a neglected state. Perfectly kills pests in the soil, on the stem and leaves. Actellik copes effectively after the first treatment. The aphids begin to die during the spraying process.

Important! It is recommended to alternate all chemicals used in pest control. Due to the fact that insects can get used to any drug, it is not used more than 3 times.

Folk remedies

Traditional methods can be effective only at the initial stage of aphid infestation. For this purpose, decoctions, infusions and various solutions are prepared. They can be used both for treatment and for prevention.

Almost all folk recipes for pest control solutions contain soap . Due to the soap, a protective film is formed on the leaves, thanks to which the components of the drug remain active. The soap should be grated and stirred in warm water until dissolved:

Marigold. Plants should be collected during flowering and wait until dry. Pour warm water into a container, place crushed dried flowers there, and let it brew for about two days. Next, through gauze folded several times, the infusion should be filtered and one teaspoon of laundry soap should be added. Spray the plant thoroughly;
Hogweed. We also collect it during the flowering phase and along with the roots. Pour 100 grams of dry herb into 1 liter of heated water and leave for 22 hours. Spray thoroughly;

There are many folk remedies to combat aphids.
White mustard. Add 1 liter of heated water to 10 g of mustard seeds. Close tightly and leave for 48 hours. Filter. The concentrated preparation is ready. To start the spraying process, you should dilute it - for one glass of the finished concentrate, four and a half glasses of water;
Creeping bitterweed. As soon as the plant begins to bloom, you should collect it, except for the roots. Dry. Pour one kilogram of dry grass with water. Leave for 12 hours and boil for 30 minutes. Add 30 g of soap to the composition and treat the plant. You can also let it sit for 24 hours and then immediately spray;
Datura common. It must be collected while the plant is blooming, excluding the roots. Dry naturally. Prepare an infusion of 50 grams of dry plant per 1 liter of warm water, leave for 11 hours. Then add 1 teaspoon of soap. Spray the orchid thoroughly with this solution;
Tomato tops. Cut fresh tops. Pour 1 liter of water into a container, add 400 grams of tops. Boil for 30 minutes. Cool, add 4 g of soap and generously spray the infected plant;
Tobacco. Pour 40 grams of tobacco with slightly heated water and leave for about a day. After insisting, add soap - 4 grams;
Yarrow. It is important to harvest yarrow as soon as it begins to bloom, except for the roots. Dry and crumble. Pour boiling water over 100 grams of the plant, then leave for 50 minutes. Next, bring the volume of the solution to 1 liter and wait another 1 hour. Afterwards, again add 4 grams of grated soap;
Garlic. Grind 30 grams of cultured bulbs with husks and place them in 1 liter of slightly heated water. After the infusion has steeped for about a day, add 4 grams of soap.

The above is not a complete list of folk remedies that effectively fight aphids on orchids. This sucking pest can be exterminated using the following decoctions and infusions :

Nettle infusion. Chop freshly cut nettles. Place 0.5 kg of nettle in 5 liters of water and leave for almost a day;
Celandine. This plant is good to use when aphids are found on an orchid in large numbers. It should be collected while the flowering phase continues. Cut half a kilogram of green plants, add 1 liter of water and let it simmer for 30 minutes;
Coniferous infusion. Take 0.5 kg of pine needles for two liters of cool water. Leave for 8 days in a dark place. Before spraying the orchid, you should dilute this infusion with water, 1 part of the infusion to seven parts of water;

Various decoctions and infusions also help well in the fight against aphids.
Citruses. To do this, pour 100 g of dried orange or lemon peels with water. Let stand for about three days, preferably in a warm and dark place. Then thoroughly spray the infected plant;
Onion. We cut its fruits into small pieces and put 15 grams of onion in one liter of warm water. Close with an airtight lid and leave for about 8 hours. After filtering, the solution is ready for practical use. Also, instead of the onion itself, you can use its scales (10 grams);
Dandelion officinalis. Fill a bucket with 10 liters of water. Dip 400 grams of green leaves into it and leave for about 2 hours. After this, strain and thoroughly spray the leaves and stem of the infected orchid;
Wood ash. Fill a bucket with 10 liters of water. Pour 2 glasses of water into it. Leave for 6 hours. Then add soap shavings;
Alcohol. Two teaspoons of crushed soap plus 2 tbsp. l. warm water, stir until the soap dissolves. Then add 1 tbsp. l. technical alcohol and 1 liter of water. After 15 minutes, rinse the plant under running warm water. If this is not done, you can burn the leaves ;
Red pepper. Grind the pepper, pour about 50 grams of pepper into two glasses of water and boil for 50 minutes. Then leave for a day and filter. Dilute 10 grams of tincture in 1 liter of warm water and add 5 grams of soap.

Be sure to monitor the plants for 14 days after treatment. If the aphids remain, you should proceed to chemical treatment.

Insecticides

Systemic agents instantly destroy small pests, larvae, and prevent re-infection:

Spark Double effect. Available in the form of powder and tablets. The active component is cypermethrin. Broad-spectrum insecticide. Safe for humans and animals when used correctly.
Aktara. The most common drug among gardeners, vegetable gardeners, and flower lovers. Available in dosed sachets. For 1 liter of water, 1/3 of the dose is required.
Tanrek. An effective product kills aphids within an hour. It is quickly absorbed by orchid leaves and retains its toxic properties for 20 days.

Spraying is carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.

Aphids do not tolerate moisture; to prevent infection, you should spray the leaves with cool water every evening.

Tips and preventive measures

To prevent damage to indoor orchids by aphids and other pests, you need to adhere to a number of preventive measures :

In order for your orchid to please you for a long time, water it at certain hours and regularly, once a week. In winter and autumn you should water the flower less often than in summer;
Do not allow the soil to dry out;
Spray periodically, but pay attention that water does not collect on the leaves and in the flower bud;

Don't forget to spray your orchid periodically.
Remember to constantly check the flower, especially the underside of the leaf;
It is advisable to keep the flower that first entered your home separately from the rest for a week and regularly check for the presence of harmful insects;
Maintain the orchid's fertilization system strictly . An excess or deficiency of elements such as iron or nitrogen greatly weakens plant immunity. Weakened orchids are an excellent target for aphids;
When replanting, use only disinfected pots.

Attention! If during a routine examination you find white scales on the underside of the flower, this means that your flower is infested with aphids. Young individuals molt several times as they grow, leaving scales on the surface of the leaves.

Shchitovka

The scale insect that attacks phalaenopsis is a rapidly reproducing species of parasite and it usually appears on weak plants that are overfed with nitrogen. An insect can be of various types:

palm scale;
soft false scale;
hemispherical pseudoscutellum.

These insects reproduce sexually and asexually, depending on the species. Male individuals can move from plant to plant, female individuals stick to the leaves with the help of a proboscis, feed on its juices and lay up to 2000 eggs. After the death of the mother, the larvae quickly spread to other plants.

Treatment

Treatment of scale insects is quite complicated, but possible. The natural enemy of the scale insect is good lighting and high environmental humidity. Therefore, in order to avoid the spread of the parasite, you should not just isolate the phalaenopsis, but even better, place it in a greenhouse.

Experienced gardeners recommend keeping the orchid in a greenhouse for 2-3 days, until the adults die and the young ones crawl out from under the mother’s shield. Next, we take the orchid out of the greenhouse and rinse it well under warm, running water, thus washing away the young insects.

Among the folk methods, the method of treating leaves with garlic pulp, as well as a soap-alcohol solution, has proven itself well.

However, here you should act with the utmost caution and apply these products exclusively to areas affected by scale insects

Chemical preparations for the treatment of scale insects have also proven themselves to be excellent:

Contact insecticides: Permethrin.
Intestinal: Aktara, Actellik, Arrivo.
Systemic: Methylmercaptophos, Phosfamide.

Prevention measures

It's much better to prevent an infestation than to try to get rid of aphids, so it's worth knowing a few helpful tips to help keep your plant strong and healthy.

When buying a plant in a special store, you need to carefully check that it is healthy. It is necessary to examine the roots of the plant, and also look at the leaves (if there are any insects there).
Before transplanting a “store-bought” flower into a home pot, you need to disinfect the substrate. The insect larvae will be destroyed if you keep it in the freezer or oven. You can treat the soil with hot water - this is also an extremely effective method.
Dry air is a provocateur for the appearance of insects. To get rid of the possibility of infection, air humidity should be maintained at about sixty percent.
It is important to carry out proper watering, as it is also an important part of care. If there is a large amount of excess moisture on the buds and leaf blades of a flower, this can attract pests. You should occasionally spray the orchid with a spray bottle. You need to use water that is not too cold, but not too warm. Root watering is carried out a little less frequently.
It is necessary to feed the orchid correctly and on time, since thanks to fertilizers it will gain strength and be able to resist insects.
Aphids do not like too strong aromas, so you can place geranium next to the orchid, place several bunches of wormwood or chopped garlic.

Risk factors

The mealybug attacks weakened plants, while practically not attacking healthy ones. Infection of orchids occurs when there is a metabolic disorder in the plant. There may be two reasons for this:

excessive fertilization of the plant;
improper living conditions - lack of light and dry air (which is typical for urban housing in winter).

In both cases, the composition of the plant sap changes, making it vulnerable to the pest.

Healthy! The optimal temperature for the reproduction and development of these beetles ranges from 24-25°C, so heat-loving orchid species are more likely to become their victims.

Signs of infection

Aphids enter a pot with an orchid in several ways - through open windows during ventilation, with shoes, clothes, and from neighboring plants. Initially, small bugs hide on the back side of a wide leaf, and no one pays much attention to them. Insects take root, settle, and reproduce.

On a note!
Gray, black, green, white, red, yellow, and brown aphids grow on the orchid. Control methods are similar for all types of pests.

The parasite multiplies at a rapid pace. Within 2 weeks, the flower is completely infected. At one time, the female reproduces up to 40 larvae. You can notice the presence of insects with the naked eye:

The leaves lose their elasticity, wrinkle, and turn yellow.
The inflorescences do not bloom, the flowers quickly fall off.
On the underside of the leaf, on the stems, a colony of small insects no larger than 3 mm in size is noticeable.

A photo of an infected orchid is shown below.

How to get rid of it: step-by-step instructions

Various means are used to control aphids and their spread. I isolate the plants, wash them, and treat them with drugs.

Plant isolation

Isolation of the flower is necessary in cases where there are other plants nearby. This will prevent the colony from spreading to other flowers. The orchid needs to be taken out to a separate room.

Washing the flower and removing buds

Mechanical removal of aphids is a very difficult method. To do this, the plant is washed with a stream of cool water. It is best to use a shower. It is also necessary to rinse the substrate and then disinfect it with a solution of potassium permanganate. If there is a very dense and large colony on the bud, then it is easier to cut it off immediately. This bud is already too damaged in any case, so it will soon die.

Plant treatment

Chemicals always come with instructions for use.
Usually this is diluting a certain dose in 1.5-2 liters of water and spraying the plant. To use folk remedies, you need to choose one of the listed recipes, spray the orchid with the prepared product and spill it on the substrate. Biological products have appeared relatively recently. They effectively fight parasites and also heal the plant. But you will have to wait about a week for the effect to appear. The most popular means:

Jaguar;
Entobacterin;
Arrow;
Fitoverm.