What is wrong with my phalenopsis orchid?

I have an orchid that is about 8 years old--just finished flowering (looked great--had about 35 flowers this time). Now I am noticing a sticky white fuzzy residue on the underside of the leaves and along the edges. Does anyone know what this is and how to take care of it? The plant looks very green and healthy otherwise. So far, I have just washed it off the leaves with water. Thanks for your help--I don't want to lose such a great bloomer!

What is wrong with my phalenopsis orchid?
Sounds like you have mealybugs. The white fuzz you are seeing is a waxy coating. This waxy coating protects the bug from liquid which means you can not use a common pesticide spray. These can be very hard to get rid of!

Spraying the plants with Diazinon can be effective, but us caution and be sure that your plant is not listed among those that this chemical will kill. You must first wet down the bugs before spraying them with Diazinon.

If the infestation is small, touch each spot with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol. The young insects are very small and can be overlooked so make sure you check the plant every two weeks to make sure the infestation has not returned.

Good luck!
Reply:I have no idea what it is but that happened to mine before it started dropping leaves. I hope yours recovers.. it sounds amazing.
Reply:This could be mealy bugs or scale. Scale can also look whitish, although scale is usually small white dots. The young scale insects are very small and white, in their crawling stage. Look online for both of these to see which one your plant has. If your plant had 35 flowers, this is very good. Have you joined an orchid society in your area? Most orchid societies have opportunities to display plants in orchid shows. The plant does have to be insect/pest-free, but a Phal with 35 blooms sounds like a nice specimin. Keep it up, and see what you need to do in order to avoid whichever pest you have, in the future.