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You (and your orchid) may have more roommates than you care to admit. The fact is, there are insects and bugs all over your home, but there are some you can classify as “orchid bugs” because they actually protect your plant.
When see a bug in your home your first instinct may be to get rid of it—fast. What you may not realize is that some of these little critters are looking to help you and your orchid out. They like to snack on the bugs that can harm your plants.
If you’re not a fan of insecticides and are looking for a more organic way to control pests that can potentially harm your orchid, this may be an option. So, let’s look at a few of the orchid bugs that get into your home and how they help your plant.
Ladybugs are a natural predator of three of the most common orchid pests:
Aphids are related to scale and also problematic for money tree plants.
Ladybugs are designed by nature to clean your plant (or your garden) of these orchid-killing insects and mites.
A recent study indicates spiders are often the most abundant predators, as a group, on a wide range of plant material in your home. They feed on many common indoor pests, including:
They’re also known for eating the eggs of mealybug, a known orchid pest.
If left alone, spiders will consume most of the insects in your home, providing effective home pest control. They may spook you at first, but once you realize they're "paying rent" by getting rid of pests, you might look at spiders in a whole new light!
Nematodes are microscopic and beneficial to plants by burrowing into the soil and killing bad insects and orchid pests.
Chances are these orchid bugs came home with you when you bought your plant, but you can buy them online if you think you might need them.
If you suspect that any of your orchids have insects, the first thing to do is to isolate them from the other plants in your collection. And don’t panic!
Discovering orchid bugs is just one of the items on our list of orchid emergencies in our guide “Orchid 911” that you can download for free. Inside you’ll find tips on what to do if you discover a mishap.
