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tiny white critters

Upon close insepection of my plants today I noticed some very small white or yellowish white things which wander all surfaces of the plant. They don't seem to sit stationary for too long. I have used clear tape to nab most of them and now I've just misted the two plants down with Shultz brand houseplant & garden Insect Spray which is formulated with 0.02% Pyrethins from Chrysanthemum flowers. The label states that it can be used on edible vegetable plants and orchids so I figured it would be safe enough to mist wait a few minutes and then washoff with pure R/O. I realize it's not systemic and I'll have to retreat in a few days if any eggs might hatch but any idea what these bugs might be? I can barely see them with a naked eye. They may be the size of this period: . Even with a magnifying glass I can not tell their body shape nor count their legs. They are not scale like I've seen on my uncles palm trees, nor are there any tiny webs which is said to indicate spidermites and they don't fly. I believe they likely arrived on some new orchids I got by mail about a month ago one of which was sitting between these two plants.

Also, I bought some new fungicide spray to work on any sooty black fungus that pops up (it happens in winter) made with 0.09% neem oil. Since there is no copper in it is it then safe for use on neps?

Thanks for any thoughts!
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Thanks Joe but no, I did a google search on all the the easy things, it's not thrips, spidermites (from what I can tell), it doesn't look like aphids, nor whitefly nymphs/larve whatever. Thankfully there has been no damage and there are not too many to speak of but I definately wanna stop anything that could happen before it does!
 
Do they jump at all?
 
If they wander, you might try dunking the plant, pot and all for a brief period. If they are not leeched onto the plant, they should come free and drown. Obviously you have to let the water drain well afterwards.

Regards,

Joe
 
They don't jump at all, just walk constantly. They don't seem to sit in one spot. Anytime I see these little things they're on the move. Are they perhaps some sort of dead leaf consumers?

(It's off topic, but that's one awesome avatar you've got Nick!)
 
On that note, will someone remind the computer illiterate(me) how you do the avatar stuff(or where to read it?)

Thanks,

Joe
 
it's an area in your personal profile page, then you just set up an URL image link just like posting a photo.
 
Could they be springtails?
 
  • #10
Josh,

I also have a mystery pest on a couple of my neps. They look like tiny white rectangles. However, I have NOT seen mine move, although they have to move to get where they are. Accompanying them usually are what look like a form of greyish scale things. I don't know if these are eggs, if they are the mother bugs, or what the heck is going on. These are clearly not mentioned in any of my CP books, and don't look like any photos I've seen. I find that I have to manually remove them, and that Orthonex isn't terribly effective against it. Next time I get a little outbreak (and at this point I'm resigned to it as the keep coming back) I'll take a photo.

Capslock
 
  • #11
Sounds like aphids to me
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  • #12
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Capslock @ Jan. 11 2004,13:11)]Josh,

I also have a mystery pest on a couple of my neps. They look like tiny white rectangles. However, I have NOT seen mine move, although they have to move to get where they are. Accompanying them usually are what look like a form of greyish scale things. I don't know if these are eggs, if they are the mother bugs, or what the heck is going on. These are clearly not mentioned in any of my CP books, and don't look like any photos I've seen. I find that I have to manually remove them, and that Orthonex isn't terribly effective against it. Next time I get a little outbreak (and at this point I'm resigned to it as the keep coming back) I'll take a photo.

Capslock
o_O cottan scail. When alive they are white when dead they are grey.
 
  • #13
The infection seems to be down now after repeated mistings with the Pyrethins stuff. I did melt down my large U. alpina though-apparently they don't care for insecticides of any kind. I dug up the tubers of U. alpina and replanted them in all new media. I found the plant the bugs originally came on, my Paph. villosum. The bugs are concntrated on the dead flower stalk nub (the part I couldn't easily cut down between the leaf sheaths) perhaps they are sacrophytes feeding only on dead organic matter, and in that case, nothing to worry about?
 
  • #14
Swords,
I had a few of these guys a few months ago, for me, only on the old black leaves. Since my last clean/trim, I haven't seen any, but they seemed to do no harm, a little on the contrary, actually, because I saw them eating the mold that started to form on some nectar that was dripping onto the floor. No worries.
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Lithopsman
 
  • #15
Hi all:

I have a similar problem with my stem cuttings. Where it is supposed to root, they love to dwell in there. same with some ceph plants, they love to be buried beneath the sphagnum moss. I have not seen them actually chew or destroy my plants, but they look obnoxious to me, so i am getting rid of them with pyrethrin and other nep compatible insecticides.

Gus
 
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