<p>I love orchids and I have quite a few in my house. I take very good care of them. They bloom year after year. Few months ago they came down with some sort disease - white, fuzzy fungus on leaves and make them turn yellow(suck all moisture out of leaves). I tried to search the internet. One recommended using a solution mixing water, alcohol solution and dish water detergent. It’s not getting worse, but it comes back every few days. </p>
<p>I would really appreciate it if anyone knows what it is and what I could do to permanently get rid of the white fungus.</p>
<p>The solution you are using to clean the leaves sounds like it is working, at least temporarily. I wonder if you have mites or aphids, which are a very common problem with orchids. Look at the leaves with a magnifying glass - aphids look like small black dots when they are immature and larger white dots after a few days. They suck the moisture from the leaves leaving them yellow and shriveled. Getting rid of them requires lots of patience.</p>
<p>Try putting the pot in the sink and using a spray attachment, if you have one, thoroughly wash each leaf, especially the undersides. I’ve heard of applying neem oil to the leaves so the bugs can’t attach. You may want to consider repotting the plants, because the immature insects are probably in the soil and coming up after you’ve washed the leaves. </p>
<p>If you live in a mild climate, can you put the orchids outside for a while? Insects thrive in dry, indoor air and they usually disappear outside.</p>
<p>I bought a beautiful oncidium orchid at Whole Foods last fall and after about two weeks in the house, I noticed that it had aphids. I tried washing it every few days with the alcohol mixture, using a Q-tip and they kept coming back. It was too cold here to put it outside, and I hadn’t heard about the neem oil. Luckily, I had placed it in an area away from my other plants - this problem is horribly contagious. I ended up giving up and throwing it away.</p>
<p>Good luck - let me know how you make out.</p>
<p>[How</a> to Kill Mites From an Orchid | eHow.com](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/how_5753687_kill-mites-orchid.html]How”>http://www.ehow.com/how_5753687_kill-mites-orchid.html)</p>