The Cattleya fly is one of the most ruinous of creatures that can attack your orchid garden.. As a matter of fact, this pest is intimately associated with orchids rather than any other family of plant, as you could readily guess from its scientific name, Eurytoma orchidearum.
Cattleya flies lay their eggs in the young growths of the orchid. The eggs hatch, with the nymphs (or maggots) going to work right away, feeding voraciously. The nymphs quickly grow to a grotesque size within the bulbs. One signal that these maggots are doing their damage is that the bulbs will swell becoming club-shaped at the location where the pests are feeding.
Eventually, the hungry little nymphs transform into adult flies, which eat their way through the fleshy bulbs to the outside. Adult flies are black in color, have clear wings, and are about a quarter inch in length. Sadly, by the time you notice them, it could possibly be too late to salvage many of your orchid plants. Nonetheless, you should attempt to kill the flies before they can get a chance to inject their eggs into your remaining good plants.
Abnormally swollen bulbs are a sign that a plant is already infected. In this event the best course is to cut off the bulbs. Then just drop the nymph or maggot into some water to drown it. It is discouraging to have to slice away a plant’s promising young growth, but it is better than leaving your other plants exposed to attack by the pest. With some luck, that plant that you did surgery to will produce a new bulb in place of the old one.
Here’s a little good news, though, as far as these harmful little pests. They are fortunately not especially common, and most orchid growers will never see them. Still, it makes good sense to inspect every new orchid for the tell-tale signs of these flies and their maggots. Besides looking out for unusually enlarged bulbs where the fly’s nymphs might be feasting, inspect for minute holes where a female fly’s ovipositor might have inserted eggs into the plant. If you don’t see any such signs, you are probably safe from Cattleya flies.
To be really successful growing orchids it is important to understand how to deal with all of the potential threats to your plants, including insects. It is not as hard to grow orchids as many people believe, if you first ground yourself in basic knowledge of these exciting plants.
The most thorough guide to contemporary orchid care, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded over the Internet. Mr. Howard’s ebook is a thorough course of study, useful for beginners as well as the more seasoned cultivators alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets site, which has an ever-growing database of postings on many topics of orchid cultivation.
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