Pest is eating my phalaenopsis and dendrobium buds
 

I live in Hawaii and grow my orchids outside under shade cloth. Just in last few days, buds from phal and dend have been eaten. Spikes are stripped clean. In a couple of cases the spike on the phal is eaten right off. I am thinking birds, as in bulbuls? Never happened before. We have some monster geckos and lizards. Do they eat buds? I am sooooo annoyed.:((

Bob,

I'm sorry to hear about your losses. :(

I know that thee are certain kinds of lizards that do eat flower buds...I don't know about stems..:dunno:

It could also be slugs or snails...but they usually leave a slime trail, plus I don't know if these kind of buggers live in Hawaii. Again..:dunno:

In any case, I hope that you are able to identify the culprit soon and take care of it/them.

ooohhhh, what a drag!! i hope you find the culprit and KILL IT! maybe you should move the spikes you have left....just till the attack is over.

Our friend Des in S Africa made a suggestion when I complained about "something" eating all the buds off my Den spikes a few months ago. He said to wrap some fluffy cotton around the bottom of the spike..."they" won't crawl over it! I've done it ever since and it truly works :nod:

Just remember to remove the cotton when you're taking pictures of your beautiful blooms ;)

BOB that's a really bad notice.... you have to spray your CHIDS with some insecticide... I think something with piretrines could help...

Maybe rodents?

I live in Purto Rico and have the same problem. They cut the buds off at the stem, lookj like it has been clipped off with a shears. I bought a product called Iguana Rid but frankly nothing has changed and I would really like some advise with this. The reall problem is with Dendrobium.

I am also thinking rodents .. I would set a trap and see if anything is caught ..

It seems that they would have great duifficulty climbing up the stalk of a Dendrobium

Weevils can be another destroyer of blooms. There are many varieties of them and they're difficult to erradicate. Last year citrus weevils decapitated my ascocenda spikes and gobbled up my dendrobium blooms. I usually spotted them munching before 10:00 am or after 5:00 p.m.

I'd go with weevils to as most likely suspect.

Does the damange happen at night? Cockroaches could be responsible.

We have lot's of lizards and geckos in Florida and I've never known them to eat buds or foliage. Iguanas, however, will eat blossoms and fruit. Parrots will eat flowers too. Maybe someone's pet escaped.

Eating my buds too!
 

I searched the forum and saw this thread....exactly the same problem here. We have lots of Lizards here in SW Florida and that is the only critter that is able to find it's way onto my screen porch where my orchids are kept. I've not caught them in the act yet, but it's the only answer. 2nd bloom season in a row that I have lost bloom shoots and buds due to them. Wasn't sure of the solution until I saw the cotton suggestion on another post. Going to try it!

my best guess as I have had something similar and what I found was some small caterpillars or some kind of larvael worm/ or fly maggot. You got to get out there at night with a flashlight and see whats up after dark. I should have saved the worm but I have plenty of odd flies in and out around the greenhouse. While lizards dont eat the bloom or the bud, there isnt any rules against them taking a bit of it if it contains a meal ya know.:twocents:

I you want to stop the bugs you got to think like a bug :biggrin:

If it happens in the day time it could very well be paper wasps. Yellow jackets also eat flower buds. They have been known to cut the stalks of dalias. They are making nests. My poppies were decimated two years ago.