The lady bug is a beneficial insect, unless you happen to be one of it's
meals.

They probably eat many insects around the size of an aphid or smaller,
including mites

Glands along the stem of Phals produce the stuff we call honeydew, probably
to attract the pollinator.

It the honeydew you are speaking of is along the margin of your phal leaves,
it is probably mites, but there are glands on leaves too...

However, aphids and mites help produce the stuff as a result of their
feeding.

The insects do it with their piercing/sucking mouthparts.

Aphids, specifically, produce honeydew when they pierce the plant tissue
with their straw-like mouthpart. The pressure inside the plant tissue
pushes plant sap literally and explosively into the insect. Aphids have two
little exhaust valves on their backend. These are called cornicles, I
believe, and one of their functions is to allow the sap someplace to exit
without blowing the insect apart. I have seen slow motion videos of an
aphid plunging it's mouthpart into tissue and the liquid literally pushing
into and through the body and out the cornicles.

I don't think mites have cornicles, but they do have piercing/sucking
mouthparts.

No matter how it got their, until it turns black from age and molds, it is
just sap. Even if it has passed through the body of a bug, it still tastes
sweet. Go ahead taste it. It won't hurt you. :-)

I speculate that the lady bug found the plant is due to the honeydew.
However the best way to know what's going on with your plant is to look for
aphids and, using a magnifying glass, look for mites.

The exudates' pattern is different for insects as opposed to natural
glandular goo. It is usually more pervasive if you have a mite infestation
and you are much more likely to find sooty mold.



The easiest way to get your question answered
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:enS8g.13007$0d3.3457@trnddc08...
I just found a ladybug on an orchid. This is an orchid that appears to be
healthy, but has been producing copious amounts of honeydew. I have read
somewhere that lady pugs eat aphids ( or was it some other orchid pest?)
Question: Would the ladybug be attracted to the honeydew, or does the
presence of the lady bug suggest that there likely is some pest present and
that the ladybug is eating it? Anyhow, my understanding is that the ladybug
itself is not an orchid pest but rather a benefactor, right?

Thanks,
Joanna