Cattleya Flies

The Cattleya fly is among the the most ruinous of insects that might attack your orchid garden.. As a matter of fact, this insect is intimately associated with orchids rather than any other type of plant, as you might guess from its scientific name, Eurytoma orchidearum.

Cattleya flies inject their eggs into the orchid plant's young growths. The eggs hatch and then nymphs (or maggots) hatch and begin to feed voraciously. The nymphs quickly grow to a grotesque size within the bulbs. One sign that these maggots are doing their damage is that the bulbs themselves will swell becoming club-shaped at the location where the pests are feeding.

Finally, the nymphs metamorphose into adult flies, which munch their way to freedom by chewing through the flesh of the bulbs. Adult flies are black in color, have clear wings, and are approximately one-quarter inch in length. Unfortunatelyy, by the time you spot them it could be too late to save some of your plants. Nonetheless, you should attempt to kill all the flies you can before they get a chance to inject their eggs into your remaining good plants.

If you have plants that are already infected, the best remedy is to cut off any bulbs that you notice are swelling more than seems natural. Then, drop the nymph or maggot into a bowl of 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 luck, the plant that you had to do "surgery" on will grow a new bulb in place of the old one.

The Cattleya fly is a nasty pest, to be sure, but there's good news. They are actually not very common, and most orchid cultivators will never encounter 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 feeding, inspect for tiny holes where a female fly's ovipositor might have inserted her eggs into the plant. Absent such signs, you probably do not have a Cattleya fly problem.

To be really successful growing orchids it is vital to know how to deal with all the possible threats to your plants, including insects. It is not as difficult to grow orchids as many people would have it, if you first ground yourself in basic knowledge of these exciting plants.

The most complete guide to today's orchid care, hands down, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Mr. Howard's ebook is a complete course, immensely practical for beginners and the more experienced fanciers alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets website, which features an ever-expanding library of articles on many aspects of orchid cultivation.