All of us like to have a beautiful garden in front of our home, don’t we? Gardening, when done with due care and attention, makes a house look more beautiful, while providing the householder with an interesting pastime too. Orchids are some of the most commonly seen plants that can be seen in any garden. Indeed, healthy orchids considerably add to the beauty of a garden. However, pest control is an extremely important issue that needs to be addressed to keep one’s garden healthy.
Plant diseases and afflictions are common in orchids, making orchid pest control crucial to their proper growth. Various bacteria, fungi and other viruses can attack orchids. If such pest attacks are left unattended, they can develop into major outbreaks, as a result of which, beautiful orchids may eventually be destroyed completely.
Faced with orchid pest attacks, it is common for gardeners to call for exterminators for effective pest control. However, orchid pest control does not always call for the services of exterminators, whose services, in any case, might be rather expensive. In fact, a householder himself can take care of his favorite orchids, and protect them from pest attacks.
In order to take the required measures for suitable pest control, one should have adequate knowledge of the types of pests that commonly affect orchids. Some of the most notorious orchid pests are:
Spider Mites: These are often the first pests that can attack an orchid. The mites infest orchids in large numbers, and feed on plant sap, thereby ruining the orchid. In order to prevent and/or get rid of spider mites, the humidity levels has to be kept high in the garden, especially in the winter season. This can be done by spraying water on the orchids regularly. Predatory mites may also be used.
Aphids: These pests generally feed on the juices of orchid plants. They are doubly dangerous because they can carry the pest virus from one plant to another. Generally, lady beetles and predatory wasps (which are small in size) can be used to destroy aphids. Sprinkling water on the plants also helps to prevent aphid attacks. Aphids, however, soon grow resistant to common insecticides.
Mealybugs: These pests also suck plant juices. However, unlike aphids, they do not transport diseases to other plants. In this case, water-based remedies do not help, due to the waxy covering of these pests. The infected plant needs to be kept away from the other plants (to prevent further infestation). Each mealybug infestation needs to removed by a pointed object (like a toothpick).
Scales: These orchid pests are similar to aphids in nature, and are generally found on the stems or leaves of plants. Scales, if detected, need to be scraped off from the stem and/or leaves, using a tissue or a sponge.
The above-mentioned pests are the most common ones that can affect your orchids. If the plants are kept under close observation, and regularly checked for the presence of pests, optimal growing conditions for orchids can be obtained. However, in case of more serious infestations, orchid societies or plant nurseries need to be contacted.
