Red aliens attacking my sweet sugar!!

[kavanaru]

the new pic does not help much either, but I would still go for aphids... they normally do not move, as they stick their proboscid in the plants and stay attached to it...

[LinhT]

Originally Posted by charmbutterfly

Well i was just talking to Rob and he said that lady bug is a cucumber beetle! its been chewing my flowers!! ARGHHHHH

Hi Charm,
Did you touch the red aliens? If it's wet then well, it's the POOP from that green guest on your bloom. I grow dahlias every summer and the cuke beetles, aphids, spider mites and earwigs visit me every dahlia season. That green bug with the black spots is, like Rob said, a cuke beetle. They're not into foliage, they just like to eat the petals. After they eat, they like to poop there. That's what the red stuff is.

[charmbutterfly]

Originally Posted by LinhT

Hi Charm,
Did you touch the red aliens? If it's wet then well, it's the POOP from that green guest on your bloom. I grow dahlias every summer and the cuke beetles, aphids, spider mites and earwigs visit me every dahlia season. That green bug with the black spots is, like Rob said, a cuke beetle. They're not into foliage, they just like to eat the petals. After they eat, they like to poop there. That's what the red stuff is.

Yup its poop alright LOL ewwww and i touched it

[quiltingwacko]

That green beetle with black dots is a Cucumber Beetle and they do eat plants. Do not know if they eat orchids.

[charmbutterfly]

Originally Posted by quiltingwacko

That green beetle with black dots is a Cucumber Beetle and they do eat plants. Do not know if they eat orchids.

Oh yeah they sure love to snack on my orchid flowers!!

[quiltingwacko]

Organic Vegetable Gardening book says Hand picking, Sabadilla spray (derived from S. American lily) or rotenone spray for veggies. Someone else will have to tell you if those sprays can be used on orchids as I do not know. I'd go for the hand picking and then squash those guys.

[Learner]

You took two photos of the same flower about 45 minutes apart and the spots were in exactly the same position. The photos really don't help too much, but the red spots don't look like insects to me. Compare the flower today with the photos of the other day.

Having said that, I realize this is no help or solution to you problem of something eating the flowers. You might try submerging the pot for a few minutes and seeing if anything crawls out of the medium. I guess the advice about spraying would be another route. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find.
jim

[Undergrounder]

Yeah i can second (or third) that the problem is the beetle in that first photo, not the red things.

In Australia we have a similar thing we call a Dendrobium Beetle, it's a nasty pest that not only eats flowers, but will also destroy new shoots in second flat. The only pesticide available for them is something that kills chewing insects. Here we use Carbaryl. Carbaryl is very toxic and to be used sparingly, but its just about the only pesticide that works.

The (Dendrobium) Beetles lay tiny yellow capsule shaped eggs at the base of new growths and in the roots, which are hard to get rid of.

The most effective way to get rid of them is to go out at night (when they are out) with a torch, knock them into a cup (they fall instinctively when disturbed) and then kill them. If the nightly patrols don't work, the Carbaryl might. Use it mainly on growing flower buds and new shoots.

[fresh]

Definitely aphids. This also explains the death of your blooms; aphids feed on juices from plants. It also explains why there are also ladybugs; aphids are a favorite snack for them. Natural way of solving your problem: add more ladybugs!

[Undergrounder]

but they're not ladybugs, they're beetles.