Two developing catasetum spikes devoured!!!what to blame???

[DirtyCoconuts]

My first thought is iguanas and it might be but I try to keep them away and this is a pretty tough area to get to for any sizeable lizard as it is in the dog area.

I’ll post pics tomorrow but pretty significant spikes just snipped!!

Anyone else in soFla with any idea?

I am worried it is the curly tails as they are reputed to eat flowers and fruit as well as insects....

I don’t want to harm anything I don’t have to but I don’t want another gobbled spike. Any one have any suggestions about how to even figure out what’s doing it?

[Keysguy]

I turned on the curly tails this year. I always considered them insect eaters but learned differently when I caught them red handed.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Damn!

They are everywhere in my yard.....no natural predators here....well, you A-holes just made one...me


Ha! I actually hate the idea but I am not going to allow this to continue. First step will be a screen but they do get into my screened in porch w ease...

[estación seca]

Spikes are routinely eaten by rodents, canines, felines, reptiles, molluscs, avians, arthropods. That makes it simple.

What are curlytails?

[DirtyCoconuts]

this handsome devil
they are invasive and can get up to 11"...they have, up until now, been a cool visitor who i thought just competed with my local lizards for the abundant bugs....

i call FWC and they said that since they are invasive and cannot be released or relocated i can either kill them or tolerate them and he said good luck with either choice LOL...sad face

Curly tailed devil by J Solo, on Flickr


Meet The Curly Tail Lizard That Will Eat Almost Anything

[estación seca]

I remember being surprised by the screen enclosures I saw everywhere in southern Florida surrounding back yards and pools. I was told it's the only way to keep mosquitos out and keep bugs from eating plants.

I have some friends in Boynton Beach growing vegetables inside such a screened area. They are gardening novices. They called me to ask why their zucchini aren't producing. I asked how many bees could get through the screen, then told them how to hand-pollinate squash.

[DirtyCoconuts]

hahaha, that's great!

My patio is perfect for me...plenty large enough for a table to eat at, a fire pit (propane), a potting area and 100 some odd orchids all under roof and screen (with two fans)...everything else is open to the elements and the locals....i do not like a screened pool for some reason

[SouthPark]

Maybe some periodically moving electronic-mechanical thing near the plants could help keep these things away - sort of like those spinner things for keeping flies away at food stalls. Not necessarily the same thing. Just some automatically moving thing that fires up every once in a while. Or if they don't like water ----- a moat hehehehe.

But we do know something for sure. This means war.

[DirtyCoconuts]

HaHaha you get it!!

I thought about a motion sprinkler but they are too small to set it off and the wind would have the leaves and branches setting it off as well

I used expanding foam to seal a few of the known hides. I’ll observe and see where they are scurrying off to and try to lock down as many as I can.

Been growing various things here for years and have not had this happen so maybe they are just getting too bold

I thought it was just iguanas and bufo toads I had to contend with but now there’s a third enemy of the Land of Coconuts

[Fairorchids]

Hmm, iguanas are edible. Not sure about bufos and curly tails?