I have never used any kind of insecticide ON my orchids, natural or synthetic. I have seen numerous posts over the years stating that the Bayer 3 in 1 is a great insecticide to use. I do have numerous bright-yellow, sticky, pest strips in my greenhouses though. They sure do catch a lot of tiny flyers. Also, as a preventative, I will use a Black Flag insect fogger in the greenhouses in early fall, just when I begin to fill the greenhouses with plants. IF I see flying insects in the winter or early spring, things that we call gnats, I will fog again. There are numerous foggers available at the big box stores. Other than Physan 20, that's the only chemical as I use.
I don't really know why, but occasionally I will have a Phal. get mealy bugs. I have never seen these pests on any other orchids. I simply dab the insects with alcohol on a Q-tip and then re-do it a few days later. That works for me.
Has anyone used the 3 in 1 as a sink-filled solution, submerging the pots up to their rims, and holding/leaving the pots there for a few minutes? That would certainly thoroughly wet all the media and all the roots in the media. If you do this, would you run clear water through the media to flush out the insecticide or does the insecticide need to stay for residual effectiveness? As I said, I have no experience in 3 in 1 usage.
