Aphids on orchids: why does it appear and how to fight?

How beautiful flowers at home and in the garden delight the human eye. But to spoil their appearance, drink all the juices from them, turning them into a "dried up skeleton", under the power of such an invisible insect as aphids. It is very difficult to escape from a pest - it is less than a millimeter and is not always completely destroyed by chemicals, folk remedies. To rid a plant of an insect, you need to know about effective methods of dealing with it.

If the rose is called the queen of the garden, then orchid - a real aristocrat among indoor flowers. The plant has existed on earth for millions of years; it was first cultivated in the states of the East. These wonderful flowers grew in the gardens of the Chinese and Japanese emperors. Now orchids have fans in all countries of the world, they, despite the capriciousness, grow in such corners of the world where the climate is harsh, the weather is unstable, with low temperatures.

Content:

• Orchid - flower description
• Signs of aphid infestation on an orchid
• How to deal with a pest?
• Prevention measures

Orchid - flower description

A feature of a flower is the way it grows, the structure of the plant. Orchis translated from Greek means testicle, because the roots of the plant are like a paired onion. Epiphytic orchids need support during growth. Therefore, in nature, they find it, relying on tree trunks. The aerial roots of a plant receive food not from the earth, but from sunlight, air, from the bark of the plants on which they live. The roots, together with the leaves, are involved in the process of photosynthesis.

There are types of orchids that have settled on rocks and stones. All types of flowers also have rhizomes or tubers underground. The stem of the plant can be of different lengths, grow straight up or crawl. There are few leaves on it.

The main value of the orchid is in the shape and unusual color of the flower.

More often, the inflorescences resemble a shoe, a slipper. They are located one by one on a spikelet or in a group on a brush. Attracting with a wonderful smell and bright variegated colors of bees, wasps, the plant provides pollination of its flowers.

The genus is especially common among florists. Phalaenopsis orchids, which is actively cultivated at home. Shades of color in this type of orchid are many from black, blue, purple to white, pink, yellow. A bright beautiful flower looks attractive if it is healthy and nothing interferes with its full development.

Signs of aphid infestation on an orchid

Aphid especially common on indoor flowers. With a pinhead, the insect is more often green or whitish in color. It belongs to the sucking pests. You can determine the appearance of aphids on an orchid by different signs:

1. Sucking juices from leaves, buds and flowers, aphid colonies turn a young plant into a shriveled lifeless old man.
2. On the surface of the orchid petals, leaves, small punctures are visible, around which dead areas are visible.
3. When hairy aphids are affected, the affected areas, painted in a red-violet tone, protrude on the surface of the leaves.

Colonies of the pest release a sticky, sweetish liquid onto the surface of the infected parts of the plant. These secretions are attracted by ants, spores of a sooty fungus multiply on them.If ants are in the pot, this is a signal to check the flower for the presence of aphids.

Aphids get on indoor orchids along with the air coming from an open window or balcony.

The carrier of aphids is a person, pets. The infested plant can also be purchased at the store. Aphids appear after transplantation into another soil where insect larvae live. Improper care of the flower, inattention to it contributes to the active development of aphids. But a tiny insect contributes not only to the weakening of the plant, but to its death

How to deal with a pest?

Methods for the destruction of aphids have been developed and tested by flower growers for a long time. Among them are both chemical and biological. Will help eliminate an insect on an orchid:

• Collecting insects by hand, followed by processing the plant with a solution of laundry soap.
• Spraying with a decoction of celandine, prepared from one hundred grams of dry grass and a liter of water.
• Infusion treatment onions along with the husk.
• Rinsing the plant under the shower.
• Treatment with tobacco infusion for three days.

Severe infection with aphids by biological methods cannot be eliminated, therefore they turn to insecticidal preparations. Aktar, Intavir, Fiotoverm have a strong effect. The products are dissolved in water and sprayed at least three times at intervals of a week. At the same time, safety rules are observed. The drug 30 Plus is harmless for orchids. It is based on mineral oil, which effectively destroys both larvae and adults.

The choice of treatment method depends on its effectiveness and the degree of aphid infestation.

Before starting treatment, all parts of the plant affected by aphids are removed. It is better to carry out disinfection processing of a flower in the fresh air in calm sunny weather, and in winter in a well-ventilated area.

Prevention measures

Prevent the appearance of the pest on orchids it is possible with constant inspection of the flower, creating good conditions for its growth. Most often, the insect appears in rooms with high air temperatures. Aphids reproduce faster if the rooms are very hot.

Since aphids do not tolerate strong odors, you can put next to orchids geranium, spread out the slices on the windowsills garlic, bunches of wormwood.

When buying any potted plant, you need to make sure it is healthy. After all, aphids often crawl from one flower to another. Mosquito nets on them will help to avoid the appearance of aphids through the windows.

When transplant orchids do not forget about soil disinfection. You can kill aphid larvae by placing a pot of soil in the freezer or in a hot oven for a while. And it's easier to just spill the earth with boiling water. Preventive measures are carried out regularly, then the plant can be saved from the invasion of aphids.

More information can be found in the video: