How to get rid of scale insects on an orchid

Orchids are delicate ornamental plants that can cause some problems when grown. One of them is the insect shield on the orchid.

Scale on orchid leaves

Description of the insect

The insect is the aphid that infects the deciduous part of the flower. Male and female parasites are found. Males have wings and move freely around Females do not move, they stick their trunk to the plant and sit motionless on it.

Externally, the scabies look like small rounded fleas. The shell is translucent with a white tint.

The thyroid aphid is small in size, from 1 to 4.5 mm They are able to produce a waxy liquid. The wax is folded around the female, protecting her from external stimuli during egg laying.

Danger of scale insects

It feeds on plant aphids. The parasite sticks to the leaf and pulls the juice to exhaustion. Often, the thyroid gland is found on such types of orchids: phalaenopsis and cymbidium.

Empty spots are formed at the lesion sites. Yellow or red-brown spots appear on the sheet. Over time, they increase and occupy the entire leaf area.The plant begins to die and die.

The wax coating that remains after the female scale insects is a carrier of fungal diseases. The most common is mold plaque. The disease actively affects the leaf and interferes with the synthesis. The plant weakens, turns yellow, the leaves fall, and the stem completely dies.

Chemical fertilizing

It will help to cure a modern range of chemical preparations that include intexids, they fight well with aphids. How to get rid of scabies on an orchid with the help of toxins:

1. Systemic series of drugs: Phosphomide, Mitelmercaptophos, etc. The use of the drug is spraying. The active composition penetrates into the inside of the sheet, which leads to poisoning of its juices. For the thyroid gland, the sheets become poisoned. The parasite dies over time.
2. Contact preparations: Spruzit A “and Permethrin. Fighting the parasite through uniform spraying. The active substance causes paralysis and the pest is not able to suck the juices further. Drugs work in a short time.
3. Intestinal preparations. Used as a spray of the affected parts of the plant, twice a week. It starts to work after it gets inside the parasite, after which it dies.

Intexids are potent substances. If there is no improvement after the course of treatment, you should try the next Intexid. The fight against the parasite cannot be stopped, otherwise the plant will die.

Getting rid of the scab using intoxides

How to use it

It is necessary to treat chemical preparations according to the instructions. After treatment, the plant should not be exposed to the sun, otherwise it will get sunburn or turn yellow.

If there is oil in the composition of the toxins, then the drug is used pointwise. Even spraying throughout the flower can clog the pores and the plant will die.

Folk remedies

When treatment with chemicals is not available, resort to folk methods. You can fight with the scab on orchids without the use of agrochemicals using the following means:

1. Tincture of fern. Pour the finished dried product with hot water, let it brew for 20-30 minutes. The remaining broth is sprayed every day for a week.
2. Oil. 1.5 tbsp mix olive oil with 100 ml of distilled water. It is forbidden to spray, dot anointing is applied until complete recovery.
3. Garlic will help get rid of scabies on orchids. Clean the head, cut the slices in half, pour 100 ml of warm water. Spray evenly throughout the week.
4. Alcohol and soap. Grate 20 g of household soap on a fine grater and pour 100 ml of warm water. Add 10 ml of alcohol to the mixture, mix everything. Spray evenly until complete recovery.

The flower is sensitive to alcohol solutions. You must be extremely careful when using this popular method in the fight against parasites.

Prevention

The best prevention is proper care. Fulfilling the standard conditions of keeping and caring for the flower, the plant is less likely to be attacked by pests, including scale insects.

Most often, the parasite infects the plant in the store. Before buying, you must carefully check the goods.

If the flower is purchased with affected leaves, then it must be protected for several months from other indoor plants. This will help to remove the parasite without a mass epidemic.

Conclusion

Scale on orchids is an insect that can lead to the complete death of a flower. Do not ignore the first signs of defeat.