What's eating my large-flowered maxillaria?

Large-Flowered Maxillaria's chunky pseudobulbs and dense clumping habit create sheltered spots for mealybugs and scale. Spider mites are the most frequent attacker in warm dry rooms. Inspect leaf sheaths and pseudobulb bases carefully each month. Treat infestations quickly with isopropyl alcohol spot-treatment followed by neem oil or insecticidal soap sprays.

Pale stippled patches on leaves; fine webbing in sheaths and between crowded pseudobulbs Improve air circulation, raise humidity, rinse foliage, spray with neem oil weekly until clear

Cottony white clusters hidden inside leaf sheaths and along rhizomes; sticky honeydew Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; drench with diluted neem oil if widespread

Hard waxy bumps on pseudobulbs and stems; reduced vigor and yellowing of older leaves Scrape off manually with a soft toothbrush dipped in alcohol; apply horticultural oil spray fortnightly