I'm fairly certain Joanna won't be licking her orchids just because I
suggested it.

No, actually I read a while back, somebody in this newsgroup telling people
to taste honeydew because it was sweet and produced naturally by the plant
and it wouldn't hurt them. Well that's true. It had something to do with
a mite question.... What we call "honeydew' has several causes. And even
the stuff pushed through an aphid or leaking from a wound caused by mite
feeding won't hurt anyone and it tastes just as sweet if you can stomach the
knowledge of where it MIGHT have been. :-)

And yes there are many indicators of mites...the presence of ladybugs might
be one of them. This time of year, in our area, (Joanna lives near me)
Ladybugs are coming out of hibernation and looking for someplace warm and
bright to sun themselves as well as a food source, so their presence,
especially indoors, is not surprising. My sunroom porch has many of them on
the inside of the glass and looking for a whey out. err...weigh out. Oh
darn, what's the write word hear....

"wendy7" wrote in message
news:T549g.28084$fG3.1175@dukeread09...
So Al, you're telling Joanna to taste the honeydew that has been
pushed through aphids cornicles?????????? DON'T do it Joanna! *g*

--
Cheers Wendy

Remove PETERPAN for email reply

Al wrote:
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