I am sure they are too small to see, but mouth part design (insects have
several different ones) might help you decide if they are eating plants or
something else. Mites have piercing/sucking mouth parts.

I am thinking beetle, but you may also be seeing something from the
Crustacea class of arthropod like a type of sowbug or pillbug.

Also, they might not be a danger to plants if you never see them ON the
plants but only on the wood or bark. They may be feeding on the bark or
feeding on things that are eating the bark. "Decomposers" are a large
category of critters and very few of them are a threat to living plants:
they feed on decaying and dead stuff.

One good way to kill or contain most very tiny critters is to let their
environment get very dry. Most orchids can take the occasional dry spell,
but dried potting media/soil/baskets kills most decomposers.

In comparison to the number of insects one is likely to encounter
(zillions), there are only an handful of insects that are likely to cause
any damage to or problems for orchids, and most of them are well known and
easily recognized either by sight or by their damage to the plant. These
shiny black balls are not among them. Not on this planet anyway.

"keith kent" wrote in message
...
Hi Gene,yes i notice them more on the baskets.They are
black,tiny,shiney,but i havent seen any damage yet.But you do not see mite
damage until the leaves mottle.
thanks keith

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:AvkEi.22$BL3.0@trndny01...
Keith,

Yup, I see them all the time on the wood vanda baskets. There are
usually a lot of them and they hid when I water. In 2 or 3 years since I
noticed them they don't seem to do any damage but I'm sure they are
eating something.

I don't notice them on the vandas outside but I didn't really look.

Good growing,
Gene

"keith kent" wrote in message
...
The last couple of months i have noticed tiny black shiney balls that i
thought were moss snail eggs.I went in tonight inthe dark as i have just
fitted a light and noticed that on a mounted plant they were moving on
the bark.Any idea what they are.Too big and shiney for mites,seen
nothing like them before.
thanks keith