Scale on the orchid: a photo of the insect, as well as how to deal with it and cure it to get rid of the pest forever?

Lovers of indoor flowers love the orchid for its unusual shades and the complex structure of the bud. This plant is bewitching and striking with a unique flowering.

In this case, one can often notice wilting, yellowing of leaves or lack of inflorescences. One of the common problems of damage to the appearance of an orchid is infection with scabies.

From this article you will find out what the defeat of the scutellum on the orchid looks like, how you can get rid of this pest.

General reference

According to the general encyclopedia, scale insects are small semi-winged insectsthat are part of the superfamily of worms. This name is due to the presence of a hard coating of the body, resembling a shield.

This peculiar carapace consists of 1 or 2 connected skins, under them there is a wax secretory part (scale insects release adhesive liquid). False shields do not have a hard shell. Instead, insects have a thin shield formed of dying skin. Insects do not emit liquid, but inject poison into the plant.

REFERENCE! The carapace of the guards is part of the body; it is firmly attached to the body. In false shields, the shell is thin, it can be easily lifted. The sticky substance secreted by scabs provokes the onset of soot rot.

What types exist?

In nature, there are more than 2,000 species of scale insects and false shields. They are united by the fact that they are all pests for indoor and garden plants. The main differences for classification are color, size, object for parasitism. Our climate is characterized by such species:

brown - affects ornamental plants;
yellow and red pear;
Rosanna - lives on blackberries and rose bushes;
willow and poplar;
Californian - can parasitize on 200 species of plants.

What does it look like?

The average size of the insect is 2.5 mm. Female scale insects (or shield aphids) are characterized by absolute immobility. On orchids, they look like small tubercles or warts. Males can fly, but their life span does not exceed 7-8 days. Both moths and mockworms males have 2 front wings. The female scabbard can be recognized by the presence of a translucent carapace that covers the body. Its color varies by species.

Photo

Next, you can familiarize yourself with the photo of the scabbard on the orchid and how to deal with it:

What parts of the plant can affect?

The main source of food is plant juice. The insect affects both young and adult specimens. Especially loves the parasite of orchids with hard leaves (for example, phalaenopsis). First of all, the scabbard affects the back of the leaf. Later, the pest appears on the stem, root zone, near the inflorescences.

What danger is an insect?

Scale shield provokes the onset of soot rot:

The insect secretes a sticky liquid, which is an ideal medium for the appearance of fungi.
Sticky bowel movements disrupt photosynthesis, stop flowering.
False shield injects poison into the orchid, under the influence of which the leaves become covered with colorful spots.
As the area of such spots increases, the sheet dies.

An affected plant is an excellent food for ants. The pest larvae quickly spread and infect neighboring bushes.

How to determine the infection?

IMPORTANT! Signs of infection with scabies and pseudoscutis are identical. Small, flat parasites attach to the leaf, lead a passive lifestyle. Florists often confuse them with specks or scabs.

About the signs of infection will tell the change in the appearance of the orchid. The leaves curl, lose their elasticity and color saturation, a yellow outline appears at the edges. When viewed from the back, small tubercles, bugs and a sticky pad are noticeable.

Step-by-step instruction: how to get rid of pests?

The initial algorithm of actions is the same for the fight against scale insects and false shields. The first mandatory step is isolation of the infected plant. All remaining bushes should also be inspected for damage. If the slightest sign is detected, also quarantine it.

What actions to take next:

To get rid of young and active individuals, you need to use special sticky plates that are sold for catching mosquitoes or flies. The plate should be installed next to the bush, change it daily.
Water treatments. It is recommended to wash the leaves of the infected orchid under warm running water. To remove the sticky secret and larvae, you need a soft toothbrush.
Add soap. To do this, prepare soapy water (take laundry or tar soap). Carefully process each sheet with the resulting liquid.
Humidity or a kind of greenhouse equipment. An alternative is to cover the orchid with a plastic bag or a jar. The pest does not tolerate high humidity, larvae and eggs die. You need to cover immediately after watering, keep 2-4 days. Ventilate daily for 10-20 minutes.
To enhance the effect, it is allowed to cook folk recipes.

TIP! An effective biological preparation for the elimination of scale insects is Fitoverm. It is safe for humans and pets. Treatment of the affected plant is allowed to be carried out indoors. Dosage of 5 ml per 1 liter of water. Repeat the procedure 2 times with an interval of 5 days.

List of home remedies for the control of scale insects

Components	Terms of use
Garlic Processing.	At the clove of garlic, cut off the tail, with the protruding juice, process the tubercles on the leaves. Also, garlic can be chopped until gruel is formed, applied to the affected areas. The method is effective only with a small population of scale insects.
Olive oil (2 tablespoons) and water (1 liter).	Mix the ingredients in a steam bath. Smear the resulting liquid with the leaves 3 times for 7-10 days.
Soap and alcohol. 1 liter of water, 10 ml of alcohol, 15 g of liquid soap.	Mix the mixture in a steam bath. Only process parasite accumulation sites. It is forbidden to apply to healthy areas due to the risk of burns.

Extreme case - use of chemicals. It is advisable to start with a large degree of damage or in the absence of the effect of folk and biological agents.

To combat scabs, it is forbidden to buy contact penetration preparations, since pesticides cannot penetrate due to the durable shield.

To eliminate the pest, it is necessary to use drugs of systemic or intestinal action (the poison will penetrate through the juice).

Actellik. Available in the form of a concentrate in ampoules of 2 or 5 ml. To prepare a working solution for spraying orchids, dilute 2 ml in 100 ml of water, then bring the volume to 1 liter. Use the finished product within 24 hours.

Next, you can watch a video about how the Actellic orchid is processed:

Phosphamide. Release form - spray. The allowed number of treatments is 2 times. Spray 1 time per month. Dissolve in 1 liter of water, carry out the treatment.

How to cure folk remedies?

Folk remedies are identical to those used to eliminate scutes. You can also make a decoction of fern:

take 10 g of dry and 100 g of fresh raw materials;
put it in water for 24 hours;
then boil for 20 minutes in the same water;
spray the orchid with the resulting solution for 5-7 days, 2 times a day.

From biological means to fight, Promanal is suitable. The tool is made on the basis of essential oil, it must be applied only to the affected areas (oil clogs the pores). False shields will die during the first day. Repeat treatment 3 times, interval - 14 days.

From chemicals you can take Aktara. For the best effect, it is recommended to combine spraying and watering with a solution. For spraying, you need to take 1 sachet and dissolve in 1 liter of water. For watering, 1 g of powder must be diluted in 1 liter of warm water.

What is not worth doing?

It is forbidden to use products that contain nitrogen, stimulants or growth regulators to eliminate parasites. Among the possible names are Zircon, Epin. These drugs will only increase the reproduction and spread of the pest. It is also not recommended to collect shields manually. Thus, you violate the integrity of the shell and open the passage for young individuals who live under it.

Prevention of Re-defeat

Natural prevention steps:

Adequate lighting level, air humidity above average.
A pot with an orchid should be placed on the southern windows.
When buying a new plant in a home collection, it is imperative to examine it for infection and quarantine it for several weeks, since young insects cannot be seen in the early stages.
Regularly necessary to examine the leaves, peduncles, the flowers themselves.
For prevention, you can also process orchid leaves with oil. The tool will help to eliminate even a small number of individuals (up to 5 pieces).

Scale and false shields are dangerous pests that disrupt flowering and spoil the appearance of orchids. Parasites are distinguished by the strength of the shell and the excreted fluid. When dealing with a scale shield, it is important to consider its hard shell, which will prevent contact chemicals from getting inside.