Is this spider mite damage?

[Maru777]

Hello everyone! I need some help with one of my dendrobiums. I don’t know what it is, it’s a rescue, but it’s den phal for sure and a pretty one but now I noticed some issues with some of its leaves. Is this spider mite damage? I’ve never had spider mites so not sure what it is and what to do. The plant is on a porch screened with mosquito net and I made sure it’s far from my other orchids for now while I figure things out. Thank you!

[Roberta]

It looks to me like something was crawling on the leaf and taking little bitty bites. Spidermites are more likely to hide on the underside of leaves, sucking the juices making microscopic pits (so that the underside of the leaf looks silvery) That pattern on the top of the leaves makes me think maybe bush snails - very tiny snails that live in the medium (like 1-2 mm, a really big one might be 3 or 4 mm) They are too small to take a bite out of a leaf, but instead scrape the surface, damaging the cuticle and maybe the first few layers of cells under it. You might find them at night. Or, try dunking the whole plant into water, sometimes they'll come to the surface to not drown. Unfortunately, they are really hard to kill, since they aren't attracted to snail baits. If that what it turns out to be, they can be (mostly) eliminated by repotting into fresh medium after washing the root zone well under running water.

[SouthPark]

True. Spidermites generally have a big impact on thin-leaf plants.

The spidermites also can show extra signs of their presence - besides their own small selves ------ such as webs on the leaves.

I agree with Roberta. If there do happen to be any mites ---- then their populations can be controlled, or cut down a lot by spraying with water, or dunking the plant into water.

I have a product - mancozeb plus miticide ... which is used as a spray to spray on leaves, stem etc. Maybe the miticide component really does put those mites out of action. I usually spray the affected plant - leaves, stem and all. And the plants nearby too. And then, after a while, I spray them again.

I recently had one of my juvenile paphs get attacked by spidermites. The damage comes on quite fast ---- with the appearance of rust or brown/gold regions on leaves, which then begin to break down the leaves. I saw the spidermites and their webbing too.

After the 'treatment', the paph bounced back incredibly well. Those spidermites can be dynamite on some orchids.

[Maru777]

Thank you both so very much! I think the snail is likely the culprit. The damage is not as fast progressing as people say it is for spidermites. I did not really have a lot of insect problems so I have very limited experience with these. Mostly I get some bacterial infections on some leaves now and then because the air is mostly soup - hot and wet - but those I’ve managed so far. I have new medium coming tomorrow and will repot the plant. It’s about to bloom so might blast the buds but better a healthy plant than a pretty but dying flower.