Question
QUESTION: I don't know what kind of Orchid I have, it was a present and it blooms every year so I would hate to lost it. I have a nat looking small bug in the soil and on the plant. I have lost 1 leaf, turned yellow and I thought I was over watering. I put a bottle with red wine next to the plant with a small amount in it and you would not believe how many I have got that way, but they don't seem to be going away. I looked at the bottom of the leaves and don't see anything. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks for your help!

ANSWER: I suspect that what you have is a fungus gnat.  These live in the soil until they hatch into their adult form which can fly. They like soil-like potting mixes which retain moisture.  While they do no damage to your plant, they are an excellent indicator that your potting mix has broken down to the point where you can have root rot. I recommend that you purchase a bag of orchid potting mix-- preferably the kind with the larger particle of fir bark. In my area of the country, the garden centers of both Lowes and Home Depot carry this special orchid potting mix. Soak a portion of this mix while you are unpotting your plant.  Rinse off the roots of the plant and remove any roots that are mushy as these have root rot You may want to repot your plant to a new plastic pot with lots of drainage holes in the botom.  Discard the old potting mix into a sealed bag before disposing of it.  Then place the plant with its remaining, firm, healthy roots into the pot and add the wet fresh orchid potting mix in an area where the excess water can drain away.  Let the pot drain over night before putting it into your growing area.  You may resume watering once weekly in about a week.  With the fresh potting mix, you should do away with the fungus gnats and put a halt to further root decay. Any leaves that have turned yellow as a result of the root rot, will eventually be lost and be replaced by new healthy leaves.

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QUESTION: In the fall I trasplanted it into a glass pot with a drain dish and you said plastic pot, does this have anyting to do with it? Do I need to get rid of the glass pot?

Answer
Most glass pots do not have enough drainage holes to allow free exchange of air in the root zone and rapid dranage of water after watering. Use of a drain dish often means that the plant is soaking up water sitting in the drain dish after watering.  hence, while the top of the mix may seem fine, the bottom part of the potting mix may remain relately wet and leads to rot of the roots lower down in the potting mix. If you use a drain dish, be sure that most of the water has drained our of the pot (ie a couple of hours after watering) before putting the pot into the drain dish.  There should be little to no water in the drain dish.  In the months since you repotted it, the mix may have deteriorate if exposed to water in the drain dish.  You can confirm this by unpotting the plant and examining the roots.