Hey Tucker,

Still trying to figure out what you've got there. Did a little google search on borers to see if they infest chids and discovered that they do. Found this informative article:

black twig borer - Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff)

Interesting article and they specifically mention Cattleya orchids. Thanks.

Well I took my orchid to the experts at the Plantation Orchid Society, as Barbara suggested. They tell me that it's not a problem. They said that it could be caused by too much heat or possibly a boring insect as Junebug suggested. In any case they said it's no reason to throw it out or even isolate it. Good news.

Glad to hear it's nothing serious.

Stem borers attacked my rose bush one summer. First I noticed that the tips of the stems were dying back. Below the necrosis there was a strange looking elongated irregular shaped bump, similar to the one on your cattleya. Below the bump was healthy plant tissue. When I trimmed the stem I could see a tunnel and after a little more probing I found the bug.

I've never seen anything like that either. Looks like there could be something pupating in there.

Boring insects can cause a lot of damage and can go from one host to another. You would see holes somewhere though. Heat issues would be a different story and I wouldn't worry about it.

Yes, they are capable of going from host to host. Best to nip the problem in the bud if it is borers. (No pun intended)

I've never seen or heard of heat damage that looks anything like that. Heat damage can cause blistering on leaves though, especially on orchids with thin leaves. My catasetum's leaves had tiny blisters all over them when it was delivered last September. The leaves never dropped or became discolored though, and this year's growth is nice and healthy. I assume the blistering happened in transit.

When the borers attacked my rosebush I didn't see any holes. Of course I didn't know what the problem was at the time so I wasn't looking for them. The holes are supposed to be very small. If there are any holes on Tucker's plant they might be hidden at the junction of the flower stem and spike. That would be a sneaky place for the bug to bore them. ;)

Wow! This is all so very interesting :)
Glad it turned out okay.