Looks like mealie bugs to me. Better get after them fast, before they spread like wildfire.

Looks like aphids. Safer's insecticidal soap should work. I've also heard of home-made concoctions containing dishwasher soap, garlic juice and ground up aphids (yes, you've read it right). I can't really comment on the latter as I've never tried it myself.

Neem oil! I cant praise this stuff more. Whatever your pest is this stuff deals with it and it's totally organic. I think these are spider mites by the way.

I go with mealy bugs---not spider mites---

Thanks all. I've had them for about a month now. Thought I totally got rid of them, but seems like they were just hiding. The alcohol concotion worked at first, but no longer, so off I go to get Neem Oil. Which ever bug this is, I hope Neem Oil will take care of it! Any ideas where I can get Neem Oil in NYC?

You're in luck - the NYIOS is this week - Rockefeller Center starting Wednesday. Someone there is bound to have Neem.

That's true aerides! I'm planning to go on Thursday (with a friend) and again Saturday (w/ my boyfriend). I didn't think of getting it there, but a fantastic idea. Thank you.

I think you have a combo of mealies and aphids. Isn't life just great??

Kevin

Oh, Kevin. Tell me you're kidding! What's weird is I don't see much weakening in the orchid. The rosemary leaves aren't sooo happy but the rest of the herbs seem fine. Plus, I thought aphids were black and the mealy bugs on my orange tree were flatter and fuzzier. Guess not, but then I should be able to get the aphids of with a spray of water. Right? Hopefully someone really will have Neem Oil tomorrow at the Orchid Show. Cross your fingers for me.

Those little round ones with no fuzz look like aphids to me and they come in lots and lots of colors. When I had them, they were white. Outside I've seen bright red ones too. The good thing is they're really easy to kill and I'm sure whatever you use for the mealies will knock them dead. Plain water should also take care of most of them.

K

The fat, shiny ones look like aphids. Those multiply like crazy, some species are even born pregnant! thats how rampant they can get.

The fuzzy ones look like mealybugs.

Ladybugs are excellent aphid exterminators. Neem oil will also make the plants less desirable to the bugs.

I say this hesitantly, but it doesn't quite look like theres any mealy on there to me. In my experience, mealybug tends to create much more of a clumped mess, and any exudate i've seen has been scale like (like a thin film of shininess) instead of the large round drops you see in this photo. It all looks like just aphids to me. And I could very well be wrong, but i'm not so sure mealy attacks the flowers. I've yet to hear about it, anyways. Do you see what look like two different kinds of bugs on there, sujewel? aphids would be mobile, the mealybug, if present, will be completely motionless and look a little cottony.

My own personal suggestion, to prevent the spreading them any farther, cut and dispose of the spike and then spray the whole plant. You can apply the neem oil while in flower, but theres a decent chance you could damage the flowers in the process. Mechanical removal is the surest way to get rid of a pest for good.

Terpguy.

I think you're right. I went back and looked at the picture of mealy bugs I had on a citrus tree and they don't look anything like mealy bugs.

Now that I know aphids can be white, I think they are aphids....and white flys...from what the garden guy told me. The larger ones were flying. That is, of course, if aphids don't fly.

I think what might look like mealy bugs is actually my shaky hands making the photo blurry. LOL. But, luckily. It looks like I got all the bugs. Haven't seen them around in a few days!!! Yippee.

Thank you all for your help!

Aphids are known to develop wings under circumstances where the population gets out of control. It allows them more mobility to move from one plant to another. Its not really an unusual thing. They are also known to be orange and green. I believe it has to do with the plant they're dining on. I've seen green aphids on yews, and i've seen white aphids on grass roots i've pulled up.