Pest identification
What's eating my blue vanda?
Scale insects
Signs: Crusty bumps on leaves and aerial roots; yellowing foliage, honeydew and sooty mold
Control: Remove with an alcohol-dampened cloth; apply horticultural oil to roots and leaves; repeat fortnightly
Mealybugs
Signs: White waxy clusters in leaf axils and between stem and roots; sap-sucking causes leaf yellowing
Control: Dab with 70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; follow with systemic imidacloprid drench if infestation is severe
Spider mites
Signs: Fine pale stippling on leaf undersides; webbing in leaf axils during warm, dry conditions
Control: Rinse foliage and roots with water; apply insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil; raise ambient humidity
Keep blue vanda pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Blue Vanda pests — FAQ
What is eating my blue vanda?
Blue Vanda is most threatened by scale insects and mealybugs, which colonise the leaf axils and exposed roots of this monopodial orchid. Spider mites attack during hot dry periods. As a prized species often grown in slatted baskets, its aerial roots are exposed and require inspection at every watering.
How do I get rid of scale insects on blue vanda?
Crusty bumps on leaves and aerial roots; yellowing foliage, honeydew and sooty mold Remove with an alcohol-dampened cloth; apply horticultural oil to roots and leaves; repeat fortnightly
How do I get rid of mealybugs on blue vanda?
White waxy clusters in leaf axils and between stem and roots; sap-sucking causes leaf yellowing Dab with 70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; follow with systemic imidacloprid drench if infestation is severe
How do I get rid of spider mites on blue vanda?
Fine pale stippling on leaf undersides; webbing in leaf axils during warm, dry conditions Rinse foliage and roots with water; apply insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil; raise ambient humidity