Orchids, like all plants, have natural enemies in the form of insects and other small creatures. The possible threats are many, but the main ones are red spiders, thrips, cockroaches and ants.

To grow orchids successfully, you must take measures to defeat these pests before they can damage your plants. Each pest type has at least one and sometimes several specific ways to deal with it. Attention to cleanliness will do the most toward defending your plants from pests.

All efforts of agriculture controls notwithstanding, some imported plants will bring pests with them.On the other hand, even orchids from the best nurseries can have pests on them, too.

You should take the time to inspect every new plant that you are planning to bring into your home. The first thing you should do is to destroy any pests that you can spot. If you don. The flowers also will be ravaged by these invaders, a frustrating outcome when you’ve lavised care and money on a plant.

Newly arriving orchids should be treated with a certain measure of suspicion. This is especially true if you have other orchids around. You can isolate it in a “probationary” room or shed for several days. If you find insects anywhere on it, don’t rest until you have completely got rid of them.

Washing all leaves, roots and bulbs on an orchid will leave little opportunity for any pests to escape destruction. Cleaning the plant’s bulbs and leaves is the best procedure. Shake the plant out of the pot, cut away all decayed roots, wash the sound roots in clean water and then re-pot in clean containers using new material.

Done conscientiously, this is a virtually guaranteed way to eradicate pests, many of which the novice grower would be hard pressed to spot. Some pests might show up in the form of tiny eggs. Others appear as insects but are so tiny they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass. Cleaning plants as outlined above will rid them of all pests, including the ones you can’t visibly spot.

A good guide to orchid growing will have many more tips and suggestions for making sure that a pest doesn’t put an end to your prized plants. The most complete guide to expert orchid growing, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the Internet. Howard’s well-written guide is a complete education all to itself. And, it’s suitable for novices as well as more seasoned orchid cultivators. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of articles on many aspects of orchid cultivation.