Today's Pics

[WhiteRabbit]

lovely!
and I really like the pic thru the lattice!

[Swamper]

Very nice. I like the lattice touch too.

[Junebug]

Thanks everyone.

When my cochleata blooms the blossoms face the opening between the lattice and I thought the lattice provided the perfect picture frame for the subject.

As an addendum to the bugs...They're main target is my B. nodosa hanging under my orange tree. The orange tree used to provide the perfect shade, but not it's practically defoliated. I fear I'd be sending an invitation to the bugs if I move the nodosa to the shade house. The shade house grown dendrobiums have suffered random damage to their buds and spikes. I wasn't sure if I was dealing with the same insects, and as a precaution I sprayed all the plants with a systemic 2 weeks ago. I also cut the damaged active spikes short to encourage new spike development. The treatment worked on the shade house dwellers. Before treatment I had found one tiny slender yellow bug between the crevice of a Vanda leaf and I suspect it may have been a juvenile thripe.

I generally avoid pesticides because those products also kill the beneficial insects, lizards, and frogs and mess up my little ecosystem.

[Connie Star]

Beautiful blooms, and beautiful pictures!

[Hedge]

I love your flowers - theweevil looks likea vine weevil to me and they are very difficult to eradicate in pot plants without resorting to chemicals. I expect there will be a predator if you can get an identification. Do you have a university near you? They may be prepared to accept photographs or even samples to identify for you?

Here, in the UK, the RHS offers this service.

Good growing and good luck

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by camille1585

If the weevils are flying in from elsewhere, there's not much you can do except treat to keep them from reproducing on your plants. Depends how prevalent they are in your area.

If you can get a clearer shot of the other bug, I can try to ID it. I know that might be hard since it's noctural!

Originally Posted by Hedge

I love your flowers - theweevil looks likea vine weevil to me and they are very difficult to eradicate in pot plants without resorting to chemicals. I expect there will be a predator if you can get an identification. Do you have a university near you? They may be prepared to accept photographs or even samples to identify for you?

Here, in the UK, the RHS offers this service.

Good growing and good luck

Thank you. The little notcher and sri lanka weevils don't appear to have natural enemies. They have hard shell bodies and thorny legs that make them distastful to predators. A bird would probably eat them but the birds are roosting when these guys feed. The only time I've spotted them is from dusk to just after dawn.

I've tried systemics, neem oil, and direct sprays with instant bug killers and none of those methods work. Out of frustration I blasted a few with a non-acidic craft adhesive. That stuff freezes them and kills them almost instantly but it's only effective on the bugs that receive direct contact. Picking and squishing works too but I can't stay up all night killing bugs.

My best arsenal of defense would be finding something that effectivly kills the beetles in their grub stage. I used a Spectracide product twice during summer, but it either didn't work or else the bugs are hatching and flying in from the neighbors yards. I read some articles about treating grubs with milky spore or beneficial nematodes. Both methods are supposed to treat the immediate area of placement and eventually spread to nearby properties. These methods sound promising but they cannot be used until the weather warms.

I'm hoping the adult weevils/beetles will stop feeding as the weather cools. It got down to the upper 40's last week but that didn't phase them either.

Orange trees and passiflora are two of the many host plants of little notcher and sri lanka weevils. Two orange trees and a passiflora are growing in my back yard and all of them, especially one of the orange trees have suffered severe defoliation.

I managed to get some better photos of the other bug this evening. He was sitting on a wall inside my screened in porch while I was barbequeing dinner. I picked well over a dozen of these guys off my nodosa and about a half dozen off my rhyncostylis this evening. Both plants are grown under the most badly damaged orange tree. The other weevils have been chewing up the orange leaves while these guys suck the life out of the buds and blooms of the nodosa. The bugs have caused a few scab looking scars both of the Rhyncostylis keikis and chewed some of the velamen off the newest root. They haven't touched her 3 tiny spikes yet, but I suppose those will be their next targets.

There is a blooming Bc. Nodata 'Maili' growing in the same area. For some reason the bugs don't bother her. Maybe it's because her blooms are not scented.

I've been tempted to move the Rhynco and nodosa to the shade house, but I'm afraid that might encourage the bugs to visit my other chids. The shade house is located about 20 feet from the orange tree.

I don't know if this will help, but here are the photos I took this evening. These guys are about 3/8" long.

[BobInBonita]

Beautiful plants with better blooms. Every time I start to feel a little proud, I check the photos here and see how far I have to go!

The Bc. Nodata 'Maili' is now on my "watch" list.

On the bug issues - has anyone tried Bacillus thuringensis? When I lived in Mn I read about it being used on agricultural fields for natural pest control. Supposedly gets into the bugs gut and kills em. Totally nontoxic to humans and plants - isolated from thuringer sausages - hence the name. Haven't heard of it for orchids, but maybe....

[Lagoon]

Nice array of colours, lovely blossoms for sure
I grew my orchids outside for a few years, ending up pulling them in one summer sooner then I wanted becos' of the insects that loved them almost more then I did.

They grew so well but I just could deal with the spraying anymore. Sure I was killing off the bad guys but how many other things gets destroyed in the process.
Then all the re:spraying before they come back in so they don't infect the others that didn't make it out. I didn't like that kinda of cycle - just too much work and they're happy inside anyways.
Orchids need bodyguards while being outside, LOL!



June, try this link, I'm very sure you will find alot of help, good luck

Lawn Care Forum - GardenWeb

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by BobInBonita

Beautiful plants with better blooms. Every time I start to feel a little proud, I check the photos here and see how far I have to go!

The Bc. Nodata 'Maili' is now on my "watch" list.

On the bug issues - has anyone tried Bacillus thuringensis? When I lived in Mn I read about it being used on agricultural fields for natural pest control. Supposedly gets into the bugs gut and kills em. Totally nontoxic to humans and plants - isolated from thuringer sausages - hence the name. Haven't heard of it for orchids, but maybe....

Thank you for the compliment and the Bacillus info. The milky spore and/or beneficial nematodes are supposed to attack grubs too. I would much prefer using any of these methods than to use harmful pesticides.

My Nodata 'Maili' was originally an inexpensive baggy orchid, and you might be able to find one at Lowe's or HD. It's odd, but I've checked her blooms all hours of the day and night and have never noticed a fragrance in spite of her being a nodosa hybrid.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Lagoon

Nice array of colours, lovely blossoms for sure
I grew my orchids outside for a few years, ending up pulling them in one summer sooner then I wanted becos' of the insects that loved them almost more then I did.

They grew so well but I just could deal with the spraying anymore. Sure I was killing off the bad guys but how many other things gets destroyed in the process.
Then all the re:spraying before they come back in so they don't infect the others that didn't make it out. I didn't like that kinda of cycle - just too much work and they're happy inside anyways.
Orchids need bodyguards while being outside, LOL!



June, try this link, I'm very sure you will find alot of help, good luck

Lawn Care Forum - GardenWeb

Thank you, Gloria.

Yes, growing outdoors can be especially challenging when the bugs move in. I usually don't have much of a problem with insects until the weevil/beetle season begins. Frogs, lizards, paper wasps, and other beneficial insects keep the majority of them under control.

These bugs I'm dealing with are nocturnal feeders, so I've started bringing the B. nodosa and Rhycostylis indoors nightly. I'm still checking on all the other outdoor chids each night, because there's a good chance that the beetles will begin feeding on new victims.