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ladybug on orchid question
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 |
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ladybug on orchid question
Joanna. Your definately right because the flower and bulb flyers
that come out have a section on beneficial bugs. You can actually order insects to help fight pests in a garden. Two of these were lady bugs and praying mantises. (they would come in egg form) He was on patrol.........Burr |
#3
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ladybug on orchid question
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 |
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ladybug on orchid question
Mites can be detected with a sheet of white paper and a pencil....
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ladybug on orchid question
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$0d3.3457@trnddc08... I just found a ladybug on an orchid. This is an orchid that appears to be healthy, but has been producing copious amounts of honeydew. I have read somewhere that lady pugs eat aphids ( or was it some other orchid pest?) Question: Would the ladybug be attracted to the honeydew, or does the presence of the lady bug suggest that there likely is some pest present and that the ladybug is eating it? Anyhow, my understanding is that the ladybug itself is not an orchid pest but rather a benefactor, right? Thanks, Joanna |
#6
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ladybug on orchid question
I'm fairly certain Joanna won't be licking her orchids just because I
suggested it. No, actually I read a while back, somebody in this newsgroup telling people to taste honeydew because it was sweet and produced naturally by the plant and it wouldn't hurt them. Well that's true. It had something to do with a mite question.... What we call "honeydew' has several causes. And even the stuff pushed through an aphid or leaking from a wound caused by mite feeding won't hurt anyone and it tastes just as sweet if you can stomach the knowledge of where it MIGHT have been. :-) And yes there are many indicators of mites...the presence of ladybugs might be one of them. This time of year, in our area, (Joanna lives near me) Ladybugs are coming out of hibernation and looking for someplace warm and bright to sun themselves as well as a food source, so their presence, especially indoors, is not surprising. My sunroom porch has many of them on the inside of the glass and looking for a whey out. err...weigh out. Oh darn, what's the write word hear.... "wendy7" wrote in message news:T549g.28084$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$0d3.3457@trnddc08... I just found a ladybug on an orchid. This is an orchid that appears to be healthy, but has been producing copious amounts of honeydew. I have read somewhere that lady pugs eat aphids ( or was it some other orchid pest?) Question: Would the ladybug be attracted to the honeydew, or does the presence of the lady bug suggest that there likely is some pest present and that the ladybug is eating it? Anyhow, my understanding is that the ladybug itself is not an orchid pest but rather a benefactor, right? Thanks, Joanna |
#7
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ladybug on orchid question
On Fri, 12 May 2006 14:03:05 -0700, Al wrote
(in article ) : I'm fairly certain Joanna won't be licking her orchids just because I suggested it. No, actually I read a while back, somebody in this newsgroup telling people to taste honeydew because it was sweet and produced naturally by the plant and it wouldn't hurt them. Well that's true. It had something to do with a mite question.... What we call "honeydew' has several causes. And even the stuff pushed through an aphid or leaking from a wound caused by mite feeding won't hurt anyone and it tastes just as sweet if you can stomach the knowledge of where it MIGHT have been. :-) And yes there are many indicators of mites...the presence of ladybugs might be one of them. This time of year, in our area, (Joanna lives near me) Ladybugs are coming out of hibernation and looking for someplace warm and bright to sun themselves as well as a food source, so their presence, especially indoors, is not surprising. My sunroom porch has many of them on the inside of the glass and looking for a whey out. err...weigh out. Oh darn, what's the write word hear.... "wendy7" wrote in message news:T549g.28084$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 This arrived just in time to recommend to you all an incredible film called Microcosmos (available on Netflix). Made in France, the macro and microvideography, subject matter and music are all splendid, and it shows, among other things, aphids sucking and pooping honeydew, with ants collecting it. Don't think you have to lick their cornicles, Joanna, but maybe Robert would think it fun! Tom Walnut Creek, CA Nikon D70 |
#8
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ladybug on orchid question
"Al" wrote in message
... snip 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... snip 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. Al, As far as I can tell all the honeydew on this Phal is along its spikes, none is on the leaves. Hmm, I don't own a magnifying glass, so using one to look for aphids or mites would require a shopping trip. I think for now I will hope/assume that all is well but keep the Phal under daily observation just in case, and only buy a magnifying glass if anything else appears suspicious. It appears to be a really healthy Phal, actually you know this one since it came from your greenhouse -- it's the one I call Big Momma (Phal. (Carmela's Brite Lites 'Big City' x Kenneth Wong 'Carmela') that I got as a gift from several rgo regulars on the occasion of Robert's birth. It's lost some of its first round of flowers in the meantime, a few flowers remain, and now it's in the process of growing additional buds. Joanna |
#9
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ladybug on orchid question
Tom,
I am sure Robert would indeed consider it fun, since he is right now in the stage where everything gets put in the mouth. Somehow though, I don't think I will encourage him in this direction. Yuck. Joanna "tbell" wrote in message .com... On Fri, 12 May 2006 14:03:05 -0700, Al wrote (in article ) : 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 This arrived just in time to recommend to you all an incredible film called Microcosmos (available on Netflix). Made in France, the macro and microvideography, subject matter and music are all splendid, and it shows, among other things, aphids sucking and pooping honeydew, with ants collecting it. Don't think you have to lick their cornicles, Joanna, but maybe Robert would think it fun! Tom Walnut Creek, CA Nikon D70 |
#10
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ladybug on orchid question
Al wrote:
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.... U R 2 funnee Al, Speaking of exits etc., have you heard about how coffee beans are cleaned/hulled in some parts of the world. Something to do with Iguanas & I stopped reading because I love coffee more than anything else in this world!!! *g* Keep up with the good answers, Cheers Wendy |
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