# Tiny transluscent greenish bugs all over my Howeara Lava Burst flowers and new shoots



## ALToronto (Nov 27, 2014)

I have already posted this on OrchidBoard, so my apologies if you're seeing it twice.

These bugs don't seem to be eating anything, but they sure like to sit on the blooms! Even though the blooms are at the end of their life span and are about to drop. 

They also love the newest tips of soft-leaf plants such as stonecrop, baby's tears and leafy orchids. 

Are they harmful? What should I use to get rid of them? I sprayed one of the Howeara flower spikes with SucraShield, and all it did was kill the flowers. The bugs were back within a couple of days. 

Here are some extreme close-up photos. The bugs are less than 1 mm long.


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## gonewild (Nov 27, 2014)

aphids


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## Justin (Nov 27, 2014)

Agree, aphids. Definitely harmful. Use a pyrethrine based spray to kill them.


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## ALToronto (Nov 27, 2014)

Thanks. So shouldn't SucraShield be effective against them? Ray?


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## NYEric (Nov 27, 2014)

Aphids. They will suck the nutrients out of the plant! Insecticidal soap, anything. Get rid of them.


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## Migrant13 (Nov 28, 2014)

You can start by knocking them off in the sink with a good stream of water. Then hit them with some insecticide. They are generally easy to kill.


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## Ray (Nov 28, 2014)

SucraShield, yes. A spray with isopropyl alcohol will kill adults.


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