For orchid owners, how have you dealt with scale and sticky honey dew on a dendrobium orchid?

I take it is caused by aphids? Can you get some lady bugs? Put it outside and let some lady bugs loose.

Sounds like it may be greenfly, one website suggested this:

Sulphur/fatty acids, insecticidal soap, Dimethoate, Malathion

It turns out that either diluted denatured alcohol or a cotton ball dipped into warm soapy water is a good start. I spent some time this morning gently sponging every underneath surface of the leaves and will keep an eye on it. I no longer am willing to use any insecticide on anything,

I am going to leave it outside in indirect light during the nice weather and see what happens. Aphids are usually the cause of the sticky residue. And there certainly are thousands of lady bugs around.

Thanks, @zenvelo

I’ve had good luck just blowing the aphids off with a hose. I don’t know if an orchid would like it, but other plants do it fine.

Probably too much hydraulic pressure for the orchid, which still has 6 blossoms on it. I do occasionally blast the Japanese beetles, but that is a losing battle, due to the millions of them.