Midges in orchids: how to get rid of at home and how to treat

If midges are in the orchids, you must immediately start getting rid of them. Reproducing rapidly, they harm the plant, eating its ground parts or roots, and migrate to all indoor flowers in the house.

Reasons for the appearance of pests on an orchid

Insects can appear on plants for several reasons:

• Contaminated soil. If the soil mixture was prepared incorrectly, and was not disinfected before use, eggs or larvae could remain in it. If you transplant an orchid into it, and then water it, conditions favorable for the development of pests will be created. The midges will begin to actively reproduce.
• Excessive watering. Midges can enter the house through the window, however, if they do not find suitable conditions, they will not remain indoors. If there are plants with permanently moist soil inside, insects will settle there.

Insects leave noticeable damage on orchid leaves

• Using moss. As a rule, growers use it to slow down the evaporation of moisture from the soil. If the parts that have begun to decompose are not removed in a timely manner, pests appear.
• The use of natural dressings: shells, tea leaves, coffee grounds. Rotting organic matter lures insects.

Types of midges

You can understand how to get rid of midges in orchids only by first determining their type. It is important to choose an effective product that will not harm the plant. Most often, 4 species of insects live in flowers.

Thrips

Small - up to 2.5 mm - dark flies with an elongated body and wings folded on the back. It is not easy to find them, as they are active in the dark, and in the sun they hide in the soil. Dried soil is attractive for pests of this species, so you need to water the flower regularly.

Dark spots on the leaves can be a sign of their presence. They multiply quickly, eggs are laid on leaves. Adults damage all parts of the plant by sucking out the sap, and the larvae damage only the leaves.

Whiteflies

You can find out about the appearance of white small flies by carefully examining the plant (you can see yellow traces on it) and the soil where eggs or light-colored larvae will be. If you touch a flower, butterflies will scatter around the room.

Whiteflies live on the underside of leaves, making them difficult to spot

The larvae feed on deciduous sap, so the leaves of orchids affected by whitefly begin to dry and turn yellow.

Sciarids

They are black mosquitoes not exceeding 5 mm in size. They are most active in autumn or spring.

Imagoes (this is their second name) do not harm Phalaenopsis, but they lay their eggs in the ground. The hatched larvae feed on the roots of the plant. The affected areas of the root system begin to rot, fungus and infections penetrate inside, due to which the orchid may die.

Fruit flies

Fruit flies do not eat the plant, they feed on rotting organic matter. As a rule, they appear in groups, hovering over the areas of interest to them. They are dangerous because they multiply at high speed. If insects are not removed, they will quickly fill the apartment.

Midges in orchids: how to get rid of at home

If midges are in the orchid, what to do first:

1. Place the pot with the infected plant in quarantine for a month, that is, place it separately from other flowers.
2. Place the flower under a gentle stream of warm water to wash off larvae, eggs and adults.
3. Inspect soil, stems and leaves, remove remaining eggs and larvae with a damp cloth.
4. Cut off dead and damaged parts of the plant, dust the cuts with ash or crushed coal.

To remove pests from the roots, the plant is thoroughly washed with warm water.

Folk ways

What to do if midges appear in the orchids in the ground:

1. Treat with soapy water. 1 tbsp. l. soaps (preferably without dyes and other additives) are diluted in a glass of water. Moisten a cotton pad with the composition, gently wipe all parts of the plant for a week. After a break of several days, 2-3 more processing cycles are repeated. When the insects disappear, they wait a month, after which they wipe the flower once to prevent the reappearance of midges.
2. Use the infusion of garlic. The cleaned head is crushed, poured with st. boiling water. The liquid is used in the same way as the soap solution.
3. Prepare an apple cider vinegar trap. The liquid is poured into a small jar, mixed with a couple of drops of dishwashing gel, and closed with a plastic lid with small holes made in it. The prepared container is placed next to the flower pot. Midges (fruit and sciarids), having felt the smell, will fly in and die, since it will not be possible to get out of the trap.
4. Spread citrus peels or garlic cloves around the plant. This folk method is based on the fact that pungent odors scare away insects.
5. Prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate, pour it over the soil. The disinfectant liquid will kill eggs and larvae.
6. Sprinkle mustard powder over the soil. Repeat the procedure once a week until all midges disappear.

Spraying with garlic infusion is a plant-safe way to remove pests

Chemicals

Getting rid of insects using potent drugs is recommended in extreme cases when other methods have not helped.

Sciarids are the hardest to deal with. It will be necessary to apply several means in a complex: the ground parts of the plant are treated with "Raid", "Raptor" or "Neo Dichlorvos", for the soil they use "Bazudin" or "Thunder-2". Pests are able to remain not only in the pot, but also on the surfaces around it, so you need to wipe the windowsill with a disinfectant.

For the destruction of thrips "Aktilikom" is suitable. The infected plant is treated with this drug for 10 days three times.

"Aktellikom" effectively copes with whiteflies. They are also bred with Sherpa or Fury insecticides. To get rid of eggs and larvae, spill the soil with water.

How to get rid of at home using biological methods

If midges appear in orchids, you can get rid of them with home remedies:

• Vacuum cleaner. He will help you collect the whiteflies. When touching the phalaenopsis, the butterflies immediately take off, disturbed. This feature of their behavior can be used. It is necessary to turn on the device in advance and direct the end of the suction tube (it is better to remove the nozzle) just above the plant. Touch the orchid so the whiteflies fly up and get sucked in. It will not be possible to collect all the midges from one time, you need to repeat the operation several times, taking breaks.
• Fly tape. A ribbon hung next to an infected plant will collect most of the adults.
• River sand. It is pre-calcined in the oven, and then poured into a thin layer on the ground.They monitor the condition of the plant: after a few days all midges should disappear, and if this does not happen, the procedure is repeated.
• Soil washing. Since the most difficult thing is to remove not the adults, but the larvae, you need to thoroughly flush the soil every 4 days.

To get rid of fruit flies, all moss must be removed from the ground.

Prevention of infection

In order to prevent insects from starting again, some rules should be followed:

• Sprinkle the soil purchased for indoor plants with plenty of water, and then place it in the freezer for several days. During this time, the larvae, if they are in the soil mixture, will die.
• A purchased new flower should not be placed immediately in a room where others are located, but placed in a separate room. If after a month there are no pests on it, you can rearrange it with the rest. However, it is not recommended to keep the entire collection on one windowsill.
• Install mosquito nets on the windows to prevent insects from entering the house from the street.
• Monitor the cleanliness of the room where the orchid stands, discard spoiled fruits and vegetables in a timely manner.
• Before transplanting a plant into them, new pots should be disinfected: rinse with boiling water or rinse with a manganese solution.

Further care

Once the pests have been eliminated, it is important to care for the orchid properly. The most important thing is to observe the watering regime: twice a week in the warm season, once in the cold.

It is undesirable to use food waste as a fertilizer (for example, tea leaves). These substances will not provide the plant with everything it needs, but they will attract pests. If there is a need for feeding, it is worth using special ready-made compositions for orchids.

Dying leaves are harvested before they begin to rot, becoming food for midges.

Yellowed leaves that have begun to die off should be removed

Periodically, as a preventive measure, it is recommended to wipe the phalaenopsis leaves with soapy water. It forms a plaque that protects the terrestrial parts of plants from being eaten by pests. You can also sprinkle ash or sand on the soil to prevent insects from entering the soil.

Midges are capable of destroying an orchid, so you need to get rid of them immediately. The listed methods will help to cope with the problem, and preventive measures will prevent the reappearance of insects.